A Gqeberha man is desperate to have his eight puppies returned after taking them to the Animal Anti-Cruelty League (AACL) to be vaccinated.
Kenneth McWire said he had taken his dog, Sheeba, to the organisation to be spayed, along with her eight puppies so they could be vaccinated at the same time.
But apparently, unbeknown to him, he signed a form surrendering the puppies to the AACL on Wednesday.
According to McWire, the surrender form was attached to the back of the consent form to vaccinate the puppies.
When the AACL refused to return the dogs, his legal adviser, Tebogo Ngwako, wrote to the organisation.
“Our client did not intend to relinquish ownership of the puppies. Our instruction is to demand, as we hereby do, the release of the dogs to our client,” Ngwako wrote.
AACL’s Karien van Schalkwyk said she was aware of alleged defamatory statements being made about the organisation on Facebook.
She was adamant McWire had voluntarily surrounded the puppies to them.
Van Schalkwyk further said: “It is of great concern that Mr McWire [allegedly] then informed us that he intentionally and in a premeditated manner, brought a male dog onto his property to impregnate his female dog.
“He further stated that he wanted to give the puppies to family members.
“Mr McWire is not a registered breeder with the municipality and as such his actions were unlawful and in contravention of the bylaw relating to the Prevention of Public Nuisances and Nuisances Arising from the Keeping of Animals Act,” she said.
On where there puppies were now, she said the AACL had no holding kennels.
“There is no space to keep animals and all animals are transported to safe houses, foster homes or other shelters for rehoming.
“McWire was informed that the puppies were not on site and that he could not get the puppies back after he voluntarily surrendered them.
“Animal welfare organisations will not disclose any information as to where our animals are being kept to protect our animals and the safety of the people or shelters in whose care they are,” Van Schalkwyk said.
“[We] have the right to euthanise any surrendered animal, should it not be possible to rehome the animal,” she added.
An upset McWire said he had been under the impression that the R950 he paid to the clinic was for Sheeba to be spayed, to receive her rabies shot, and for the vaccination of the puppies.
“Sheeba was impregnated by one of the dogs in my street. She had eight puppies,” McWire said.
He said the puppies were now about nine weeks old.
On June 23 he visited the AACL to inquire about the costs involved.
He then paid a R200 deposit, with the balance to be paid on the day of the procedure.
“[A worker at the ACCL] told me it was illegal to have so many puppies and I was supposed to declare this to the municipality.
“I told her that I had been unaware of this, but I had family living on five different properties who were willing to adopt the dogs.
McWire he had planned to keep only one male puppy.
He was told to return for the procedure and shots on Wednesday.
“I returned with Sheeba and the eight puppies [and] paid the balance of R700, and an additional R50 for the rabies shot and was told to sign the consent forms.
“Little did I know that there was a surrender form attached to the back of the consent form and that the puppies would be moved to a place of safety,” Mcwire said.
McWire went as far as approaching the police to try to have his dogs returned.
“I tried to report a case of theft but was unable to. I was told I had left the dogs in the care of the AACL.”
McWire said his intention had never been to breed with Sheeba, a mixed-breed Alsatian.
Municipal bylaws state that it is against the law to breed or have a unsterilised female older than six months.
There is also a R500 fine for keeping more than two dogs on a property without municipal consent.
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