After having to get a warrant to rescue the animals, since efforts to negotiate their surrender were fruitless, 31 dogs were removed from dirty, overcrowded conditions after being identified by an independent vet as the animals most in need of veterinary care.
These included a dog with infected wounds who had been burnt in a fire and had not been seen by a vet, a puppy with a septic head wound and a dog that was lame and unable to walk. Although the facility had faced floods and fire, the condition of the animals was symptomatic of longstanding neglect and unrelated to the disasters.
After the animals had been removed and the facility had been issued with a warning, the SPCA also imposed several conditions in the interests of the remaining animals. This included reducing the number of animals at the facility by half.
Cape Animal Welfare Forum kindly helped to arrange for the dogs to be placed into safe spaces and we thank every organisation that assisted the SPCA by taking animals in for safekeeping.