The growing trend of street children selling dogs and puppies on the side of the road is becoming increasingly prevalent in Grahamstown.
The growing trend of street children selling dogs and puppies on the side of the road is becoming increasingly prevalent in Grahamstown.
Not only is this manipulative and distressing but is also becoming common for the street children to tell potential buyers that they will kill the dog if they don’t buy it.
Manager of Grahamstown’s SPCA, Nicolette Armansin said that it is unclear in the municipal by-laws as to whether or not it illegal to sell dogs on the side of the road.
She said that neither the Traffic Department, Health Department nor the Public Prosecutor’s office can show where it stipulates in the by-laws that selling of dogs on roadsides is illegal. The senior Inspector of Makana and Ndlambe Donkey, Equine and Livestock Association (MaNDELA), Jennifer Copley said that Cape Town Municipality is in the process of introducing by-laws to protect the rights of animals. "It is hoped that these will be expanded to prevent the sale of live animals on roadsides, I think that Makana municipality should be considering similar legislation," Copley said.
It is however illegal if the dog is being deliberately hurt as this contravenes with the Animals Protection Act 71 of 1962 which can result in criminal prosecution. Armansin said that it is also a breach of the Animals Protection Act if the dog is handled badly or not given sufficient food and water.
She said that street children play on people’s emotions to buy the dog from them and this is why the trend of hurting dogs in such a way has increased. Copley said that anyone who is confronted with this situation should phone the police so that the person selling dogs can be arrested. This can only be done while keeping both the dog and its seller in sight and without alerting the seller that a call is being made.
Whether or not the seller is threatening to hurt the dog or not, Copley said, "People can also request the assistance of an animal welfare inspector from MaNDELA or the SPCA who will attempt to gain possession of the dog, either by means of a court order or by having the dog signed over by the prosecutor." This is a social problem and Copley calls on the community for assistance. "This can only be resolved by responsible co-ordinated community action," she said. She added that people need to be extra vigilant during the Festival period.
The dogs are usually sold on the pavement in areas frequented by learners and students such as near Rhodes University. The asking price for the dogs ranges between R20 and R150. A Grahamstown radiographer, Phyl Liesching was confronted by street children who were selling a puppy outside a pub on New Street. "They were just pulling the dog around with a rope tied around his neck and they wanted R80 for him," Liesching said.
The street children obtain from the many litters of unsterilised dogs in Grahamstown. Often only one dog has many litters of puppies. Copley said, "it is a sad situation as the street children are desperately poor and are trying to sell the dogs as a source of income."
