GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - The Garden Route SPCA (GRSPCA) is looking for a rottweiler and its owner after a dog fight in Asla Park, Mossel Bay, last weekend.
According to GRSPCA field officer Vanessa Lucas, they received a tip-off about young men taking part in a dog fight with a rottweiler and a pit bull terrier. Lucas said the informant told her that this is a regular occurrence and that these men often use their dogs to fight.
Lucas and trainee inspector, Xanver Botha, rushed out to the scene, but by the time they arrived the fight had been ended and the dogs were hidden away.
After calling in police assistance Lucas and Botha searched for the dogs. A community member took them to the pit bull owner’s house where they found the dog tied to a pole with a chain. He was bleeding badly. They removed the dog and took it to the GRSPCA branch in George where it is recuperating.
“We managed to track down the pit bull terrier but we couldn’t find the rottweiler or its owner. I went back on Saturday afternoon and again on Sunday, but couldn’t find him. I will however continue searching for him,” Lucas said.
According to Lucas, the owner initially didn’t want to surrender the dog voluntarily and became violent. However, after the police stepped in and convinced him that his dog needed medical attention, he handed over the dog to Lucas.
“He denied taking part in the dog fight. He said he had tied his dog to the pole where we found him and went out. When he returned home, he saw the owner of the rottweiler had coaxed his dog to fight with the pit bull,” Lucas said.
In a video of the fight that is in George Herald’s possession, the rottweiler is seen dragging the pit bull terrier, already in a submissive stance, by its neck while some youths are cheering around the dogs and encouraging them to fight.
None of the dogs are tied to a pole during the fight. Allegedly the owners and bystanders broke up the fight when they realised that the pit bull wouldn’t recover.
The SPCA is still searching for the rottweiler and its owner. Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact GRSPCA manager, Salomé Bruyns, on 044 878 1990.
'We bring you the latest Mossel Bay, Garden Route news'
