For quite some time now, motorists who travel on the N1 daily (in the vicinity of Value Centre and McDonald’s) have been concerned about a homeless man named Gert and his many dogs who spend most of the day sitting on the centre island while cars are dangerously passing by.
Gert appeared to have gained the sympathy of a few people passing by and has reportedly been gifted puppies by individuals who the Animal Welfare Society of SA claims took pity on his situation.
“We are led to believe that over the recent past he has owned a number of dogs who apparently “come and go”. Just the other day he was spotted holding a notice that read “Loving dog needs loving stable home. Urgent. For Free”, says AWS SA.
This was brought to their attention on Wednesday evening, September 29, and the AWS team went out to investigate first thing Thursday morning with an aim to offer the dog a safe sanctuary, but the dog was nowhere to be found. Instead, Gert has a new dog – a young unsterilised female who he agreed to allow the AWS to sterilise.
“We were also informed that he had a young puppy but when quizzed about its whereabouts he claimed that it was taken over by a lady (who he knows) who vowed to take good care of it,” AWS SA said.
“We are yet to establish who foolishly gave him the new dog that for now appears to be in good condition and at the time of our visit had food, water and a beach umbrella for shelter,” says AWS SA.
The Animal Welfare Society of SA doesn’t want to deprive Gert of the companionship of a dog but this arrangement appeared to be at the expense of the safety of the dog who simply cannot be kept confined in such a dangerous place and in breach of the City of Cape Town’s by-laws.
“We also intend to solve the mystery of the whereabouts of the other dogs (and puppies) who appear to have vanished without a trace. We would like to thank the public for alerting us to the plight of this unfortunate pair and request that everyone please STOP giving him puppies and dogs. You are not doing them any favours,” concludes the Animal Welfare Society of SA.
Picture/s: Supplied