|
Couple burnt dog 'to punish'
25/08/2006 20:43 - (SA)
Cape Town - A Parow couple that allegedly locked their pit bull terrier bitch in a wooden kennel, then set the kennel alight, appeared in the Bellville regional court on Friday charged with cruelty to animals.
Raymond Koegelenberg, 27, and Shirley Geusteyn, 38, of 60 Smith Street, Parow, appeared before magistrate J B Swanepoel, who warned them to appear in court again on September 1.
The fact that they made their first court appearance in the regional court instead of the lower magistrate's court as most offenders destined for the regional court do - indicates how serious the prosecuting authorities view the case.
They face two charges - allegedly setting the dog, named Tammy, alight, and the deliberate or negligent failure to take the severely burnt dog to a veterinary surgeon afterwards.
It is alleged that they doused the kennel with paraffin, and set it alight, because Koegelenberg "wanted to teach her a lesson".
According to the SPCA, the dog's eyes were particularly badly damaged, and it suffered severe burns to her legs, belly and face.
The alleged incident happened on June 5 when the SPCA rescued Tammy and the couple's two other dogs - another pit bull and an Alsatian.
The second pit bull and Alsatian are presently in the care of the SPCA.
The SPCA has an affidavit in which the couple say they had wanted to punish the dog for jumping the fence into a neighbour's back yard.
In the affidavit, the couple say their intention was only to burn the kennel.
SPCA investigations revealed that the kennel, after being doused, was set alight from the inside.
- SAPA
|
News
