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Melissa Chekwa
“If you are going to have a dog that takes care of your property, the kind gesture you can do is take care of it as well. A two-sided kind of relationship,” says the manager for the Bulawayo Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Berry Oosthuizen.
Dogs have always shared a close relationship with their owners for long. The owner has always been assured of the security of his/her property knowing that the dog has the place under control. At the same time, a dog would diligently serve its owner knowing that it’s going to be taken care of in turn.
However, as times changed — the need for dogs gradually got replaced by advanced technologies that introduced much secure measures to protect man and his property. These typically include alarms, cameras, electric fences and gates among many more.
Due to such, the relationship between dogs and their owners can be said to have waned. A wildlife and forestry practitioner, Nkazimulo Lima, cited this as one of the reasons stray dogs continue to roam the streets.
“People no longer take care of their dogs the way they are expected to. You find some owning dogs while living in structures that are not secured with pre-cast walls or fencing.
“When it’s like that, it’s easy for dogs to go on to the streets and mate with just any dog they meet regardless of whether that dog has rabies or not. At the end, the dog returns home with a disease and a trail of puppies. Worse, the owner has nothing or has only sadza to feed to the dogs and it is not the best recommended food that can be given to dogs,” said Lima.
Adding on that, she said that was why at times, owners would care less when their dogs go out to the streets because they can’t take care of them. It’s less burden and worry for them.
“When you walk down the streets, you meet a lot of thin dogs whose ribs you can vividly see and count because of the hunger and starvation that they are exposed to. They would be digging inside bins looking for something to eat.
“People should care for their dogs always. Some people stay with sick dogs waiting for them to die so that they just dispose of their corpse without thinking of taking the dog to a vet. It’s a pathetic sight to watch. It’s also sad for stray dogs that have no one to lead them to vaccination points in the event of a rabies outbreak,” said Lima.
When cases of stray dogs and dog bites seem to get out of hand, the Bulawayo City Council usually issues a tie-up order that stipulates that all dogs should be tied up inside secure premises and any other dog found outside will be shot dead on the spot.
“As from January to December 2019, a total of 115 dog bite cases were recorded. However, this figure involves both stray dogs and dogs confined within premises. The council’s latest tie-up order was last done in 2016 and 581 stray dogs were put down,” said the BCC Public Relations officer Nesisa Mpofu.
“Dogs are not supposed to be roaming around in the streets. If the owner wants to take it for a walk, then it should be put on a leash to avoid unnecessary harm to people,” said Oosthuizen.
In accordance with council by-laws, only two dogs can be allowed in a council area of not more than 2000 square metres. Dog owners are expected to always vaccinate and license their dogs with the council once they reach six months old.
As of 31 December 2019, the council recorded 301 dogs with valid licences. However, an estimate of the number of dogs in the city, including stray ones, could not be attained.
“It is not possible to have such statistics as we are talking of dogs on the streets that are not licensed or easily recorded. Leaving dogs roaming the streets attracts a level three fine which was last pegged at $20 (awaiting review),” said Mpofu.
“Dog owners must register their dogs so that they can become registered breeders. If not the case, the dogs should be sterilised in order to prevent more breeding that may cause problems for the owners later ultimately leading to dog cruelty,” added Oosthuizen.
The SPCA champions animal freedom has inscribed five freedoms that must be adhered to by people. These freedoms include “freedom from hunger and thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury or disease; freedom to express normal behaviour; freedom from fear and distress”.
Failure to adhere to these freedoms is an offence under the Cruelty to Animals Act (Chapter 19:09).
“If people feel like they can no longer take good care of their dogs, we advise them to surrender their dogs to us at the SPCA rather than ill-treat them because that’s how they easily become stray dogs. There is no charge for surrender,” said Oosthuizen.
Lima encouraged dog owners and the general public to love and care for their dogs.
“Feed your dog, take it for vaccinations, give it attention, bath it and watch out for ticks. Let your happy dog be the one to wag its tail in your warm hug,” she said.
Online Reporter