31/07/09. The SPCA in Waltloo. Picture: Damaris Helwig 31/07/09. The SPCA in Waltloo. Picture: Damaris Helwig
Pretoria - The Tshwane SPCA believes that an armed attempt made to steal a pit bull cross and the disappearance of a bull terrier male from its Watloo offices could be linked to dogfighting.
Managing director Rick Allen said last week a security guard spotted three men in the dog kennels in the early hours. Upon further investigation, one of the men pulled a gun on the guard and “slapped him around”, before running away.
“The guard could not see their faces. However, he said they were Afrikaans-speaking,” Allan said.
The men were apparently trying to open the kennel of a male black pit bull cross. The guard called for help on his two-way radio, but when police arrived, the suspects had left.
On Monday, a bull terrier called Achillies disappeared from his kennel without a trace.
Allan said there had been several break-ins in the area around their premises and they suspected the dog was stolen from the kennel although there are no visible signs of entry, like cut fences. “We are still looking at CCTV footage from that evening, but so far we have not found anything,” he said.
Allen explained that Achillies had been brought to the SPCA by a good Samaritan.
“He was still in his kennel when we locked up on Monday and when we returned on Tuesday to do a roll call, he was gone,” Allen said.
Referring to the incident in which a gun was used last week, Allen said it was worrying that criminals would use such force in an attempt to steal an animal.
Allen added that the attempt to steal the bull terrier and the pit bull, both aggressive dog types, made him suspicious that they would be used in dogfighting.
Pretoria News