Warning: Sensitive content
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA’s Inspectorate Department received a distressing call alerting them to an unwanted dog in Beacon Valley, Mitchells Plain.
Upon the team’s arrival, SPCA collection officer Mzikayise Mfini witnessed a disturbing sight: Rockxy, an adult cross-breed dog, was found to be in an appalling condition with two sizable and infected wounds, one on her abdomen and one in her genital area.
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The dog was transported to the SPCA’s Animal Hospital to be examined by Dr Ettienne, who detailed the degree of negligence and distress that Rockxy endured.
Dr Ettienne explained, ‘She was found with two ulcerating masses, one on her abdomen and another between her legs, both of significant size and severity. The masses had been left untreated for a prolonged period, causing the flesh to ulcerate deeply. There were definite signs of animal neglect, in addition to the suffering resulting from the severity of the masses on multiple sites.’
Rockxy’s agony was intense; the infected area spanned 17 centimetres, with the wound on her abdomen measuring 6.5 centimetres in length and 7 centimetres in width. The exposed wound on her genital area measured 7 centimetres in length and 6 centimetres in width.
With an extremely poor prognosis and Rockxy displaying signs of intense pain and distress, Inspector Carina Bodenstein, who had been called to the hospital, had no choice but to humanely euthanise her.
Inspector Bodenstein added, ‘The affected areas appeared to have burst open and a foul smell was coming from the wounds. Yellow pus was oozing from the wounds and Rockxy’s hind legs were covered in it. She was in too much pain and I couldn’t leave her to suffer any longer.’
With Rockxy’s pursuit of justice as her only remaining option, Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse and Inspector Carina Bodenstein, along with officials from the City of Cape Town Law Enforcement’s Animal Control Unit, revisited the Beacon Valley property to arrest and charge Rockxy’s owner with offences under the Animals Protection Act No. 71 of 1962.
The accused was transported to the Mitchells Plain SAPS Office, where she was charged and released on bail on Friday, 25 August 2023, she is scheduled to make her initial court appearance on 29 August.
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Picture: Cape of Good Hope SPCA
