SPCA confiscates 20 collies

2003-12-09 21:43

Eagan Williamson

Pretoria - The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals met a bristling dog owner in Centurion when they arrived to remove about 20 collies from her property.

It is not sure exactly how many dogs, many of them apparently still puppies, were taken away from Wilma Theron of Eldoraigne in Centurion.

Neighbours apparently had complained the dogs were making too much noise.

Pieter Janse van Rensburg, Theron's brother, said she was in a state because SPCA chief inspector Mpho Mokoena apparently had threatened to put the dogs down on Monday.

However, Mokoena said they never planned to put the dogs down. They were being kept at the SPCA, but one of the puppies had died.

Mokoena said Theron had to pay a fine and take the dogs to a smallholding as she was allowed to keep only three dogs on her property.

'Love them like her children'

"I tried several times, before and after to get hold of her (Theron) to discuss the complaint, but she never got back to me," said Mokoena on Tuesday.

An emotional Theron claimed on Tuesday that she had found several people to adopt some of the dogs, but that Mokoena did not want to allow this.

"I love each of those dogs like my own child. I don't know what I'm going to do," said Theron.

Meanwhile, Mokoena insisted Theron had still not contacted her.

She said she didn't know what was going to happen to the dogs and that she was waiting for an order from head office.

- Beeld