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TUESDAY 5 November 2019 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | Email: post@peoplespost.co.za | Website: www.peoplespost.co.za
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People’s Post
OCEAN VIEW
Dogfights a rising concern RACINE EDWARDES @RaeEdwardes
O
Ingrid de Storie with a rescued dog. She says dogs used for dog fighting are usually not cared for correctly by their owners and are used for ego-boosting.
n Wednesday 16 October, a 13-year-old Ocean View resident’s dog went missing after he followed her to school in the morning. Little did she know he had been picked up during the day and forced to fight another dog. After losing the fight, and being critically injured, the dog’s head was smashed in with a rock. One of the dogfighters “threw a boulder on the dog’s head and then it died”, explains Ingrid de Storie, an animal lover and an activist for animal rights. Affectionately known as the Mother Theresa of animals (“Saving distressed animals”, People’s Post, 3 September), De Storie is concerned about the growing number of dogfights taking place in the Ocean View community. The SPCA reveals the issue is much more widespread. While dogfighting is illegal in South Africa in terms of the Animals Protection Act, the SPCA Cape of Good Hope’s spokesperson, Belinda Abraham, confirms that she has observed an increase in the number of dogfighting cases reported – especially in the Cape Flats. Many may be under the impression that the blood sport is practised for financial gain, but Abraham and the operations manager at The Emma Animal Rescue Society (Tears), Mandy Store, agree that the reasons for people pitting their dogs against each other are more than likely a social issue. Tears is primarily a veterinary clinic which avails their services to the under-resourced communities of Cape Town, such as
Vrygrond, Ocean View, Masiphumelele and Redhill. They rescue, rehome, rehabilitate and care for animals, and carry out awareness programmes for pet owners and the general public. Store, based on her years of work in these communities, believes the problem of dogfighting does not stem from organised syndicates, but rather children who need attention, affection and status. De Storie alleges that she is aware of one man who coerces local children to do his dirty work. “He sits at home and he sends the kids to go do the dogfighting. Then they make videos of it and bring the videos to him, and he praises his dog. He won’t go – he sends the children who don’t want to go to school.” Store adds: “It’s become a lot more prevalent in the past two years and it’s not just gang-related anymore. Now we find it’s happening in high schools. A lot of them (dogfighters) have left school and come from broken homes and want attention. It’s more a human welfare issue than an animal cruelty issue.” Whatever the reason, cruelty to animals is a large part of the world of dogfighting. De Storie says the torture she has seen the dogs go through is more than she can bear. “They kick the dogs while the dogs are fighting. As the dogs fight, they pull the dog’s balls, pinching them and twisting so that he can get more aggressive,” she explains. The sport is often linked to other criminal activities and subcultures, and the effect witnessing these dog fights might have on children is worrisome. V To page 2.
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