It is meant to be your best friend, but every day dogs are taken away from their owners due to neglect.
Animals, especially dogs, suffer to a large dregree in winter. It recently came to light that more than 50 dogs froze to death in the Worcester district, most of them small puppies. “Altogether 57 dogs have died due to the cold weather in the Worcester area,” said Juanita Everson of a rescue centre in Worcester. No cases of cats had been reported so far.
Everson regarded the 57 deaths as shocking; in her 13 years of working with animals she had never encountered so many deaths due to the cold weather.
Rinaldi Meyer of the Hermanus Animal Welfare Society (Haws) confirmed six dogs had died from the cold in Hawston. “In one incident the owner could not find her dog, and the following morning the neighbour found it dead outside. In another incident, the owners did not believe that their dog, who was already old, should sleep in the garage or inside, and the dog was also found dead the following morning.
“There are dogs such as Huskies and Alsations that are made for this cold weather,” Shirley Surridge of the Grabouw Animal Welfare Society (Gaws) said. “The best way to protect your pet from the cold is to keep them indoors. Imagine yourself staying outside the whole night without any protection. If it is not possible to keep your dog inside then you should let your animals sleep on blankets in kennels, which can block the worst of the cold out.”
She said it is important that a dog’s bedding stays dry, and if it doesn’t have a kennel then a cardboard box can serve the purpose. “Cardboard boxes are perfect because they regulate heat. In the case of cardboard boxes – especially where puppies are involved – they should be lined with newspaper, which regulates heat.”
Vanya Schoeffmann of Caledon Animal Welfare said the agency has kennels for dog owners. “We don’t have statistics on the dogs in the town, but we do have kennels if people need them.”
Jacques Peacock, head of communications for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA), said possible sentences for those found guilty of animal neglect and keeping an animal in any place that offers inadequate protection from heat or cold include 12 months in prison and/or a fine of R40 000. He said the court can also order that the offender be denied ownership of animals.
