A mother, father and son were arrested after they allegedly hanged their dogs from trees.
They are due to appear in the Stellenbosch Magistrate’s Court after being charged with animal cruelty.
The disturbing act was reported to the Cape of Good Hope SPCA and the Animal Welfare Society Stellenbosch(AWSS) by a witness who found the animals hanging from trees, their necks constricted by tight wire nooses.
The family apparently admitted that they killed the dogs because the animals had a severe skin condition.
According to the witness who reported them, he found the horrific scene along Bottlery Road en route to Stellenbosch last Tuesday.
He claimed to have seen two men leaving their parked vehicle, crossing the road with the two dogs, entering the nearby bushes and returning without them.
In response to an enquiry into the dogs’ whereabouts, one of the men allegedly admitted to killing them.
The shocked witness left the scene and then reported the incident.
The family was arrested this past Thursday after members of the SPCA and AWSS, accompanied by the City’s Law Enforcement: Animal Control Unit, traced the identities of the father and son.
The 46-year-old mother, who is the owner of the dogs, is understood to have instructed her husband and son to kill their pets, as the dogs were ill.
She also agreed to surrender their remaining dog.
Jaco Pieterse, chief inspector of the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, says “every act of cruelty towards an animal is a stain on our humanity”.
Both animal welfare groups say they will be calling for bail to be denied when the three appear in court.
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za