Animal Welfare Society of South African (AWS) has cautioned pet lovers of Maltese poodles amid a sad discovery in Mitchells Plain last week.
AWS said while responding to a call for help on Thursday, they were shocked at what they found at the home of an elderly couple.
Spokesperson Allan Perrins said on arrival at the home in Rocklands, inspectors were forced to navigate their way through years of decomposing dog poo to find a frightened little family of eight severely-neglected dogs comprised of seven Maltese poodles and a cross-breed in the yaard.
Perrins says: “All the dogs were suffering from acute skin infections, fleas, severely matted coats that weighed more than their own body weight, painfully weighing them down and cruelly inhibiting their movement. Some of the dogs were blind. Some have missing teeth and all of the poodles have painful ingrown toenails.
“They reeked of years of deplorable neglect. The smell of urine, faeces and rotting flesh was overwhelming.”
Perrins said the dogs had no shelter from the hot sun, no water to quench their thirst and appeared to have been starved for days on end.
He adds: “Their situation was so desperate that we decided to immediately take them into our care. After lots of tears and excuses, their owner eventually agreed to sign them over to us.”
He said the dogs had belonged to an elderly woman who, along with her husband, faced being evicted.
If you have any concerns about the welfare of animals, call AWS on 021 692 2626 or email [email protected].