Cape Town - The Cape of Good Hope Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) has commended two young boys who tried assisting an abandoned dog they found tied to a tree.
According to the SPCA, its Education Field officers, Junior Komani and Bongani Giyose spotted a group of children huddled together but thought they were up to no good.
The two men pulled over their vehicle, and this saw some of the children fleeing.
However, they found two boys, Abenathi and Jayden, desperately trying to figure out how to help the dog they found abandoned.
They told the field officers they heard the dog’s cries from their home in Ithemba Farms.
“(The) field officers immediately recognised the symptoms of heat exhaustion and dehydration and had to act quickly to remove the tethers from around the dog’s neck so that she could pant effectively and to offer her as much water as she could drink in her weakened, deteriorating state. Abenathi and Jayden stayed close at hand, eager to help and learn.
“As soon as they were able to, Junior and Bongani loaded the dog into their vehicle and brought her straight to our animal hospital to be seen by a vet,” the organisation said.
The dog, who was subsequently named Muffin, responded well to the first-aid efforts by the field officers and was more alert on admission to the SPCA.
While staff thought the worst was over for Muffin, her veterinary prognosis was still poor.
“Not only had Muffin been abandoned and tied to a tree with no access to water on one of the hottest days of the year, she was also desperately ill battling a tick borne disease.
“She was admitted to our high care ward, and her second fight for her life began.
“At least this time, she was surrounded by loving hearts and hands, sheltered from the heat, had all the water she could drink and veterinary science in her favour,” the SPCA said.
Unfortunately, while in high care, it was also found that Muffin had canine distemper, and this was too much for her body to handle.
She didn’t have the strength to recover from abandonment, heat exhaustion, a tick borne disease and canine distemper and died.
“While we couldn’t save her, we’re still thankful to our two little heroes, Abanathi and Jayden, whose rescue efforts first alerted us to her plight.
“Without them, Muffin would have been invisible to our field officers driving by, and she would’ve suffered terribly, dying alone, afraid and never knowing a day’s kindness,” the SPCA added.
IOL