Tossed out with the rubbish and left for dead in a garbage bag, little Lulu whimpered as she lay surrounded by household waste on a field in Eastridge, Mitchells Plain.
Her muffled cries caught the attention of resident Ricardo Daniel, who found the wirehair cross in the sack of dirt and saved her life.
“It’s clear her little heart and spirit are broken. You would think that she would be snappy and fearful after what she has been through, but she isn’t,” Cape of Good Hope SPCA spokesperson Belinda Abraham told News24.
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It’s been two days since Lulu’s rescue, and she is currently “very accepting of whatever she is dealt”.
“I was stroking her yesterday and there is hardly a place on her where you don’t feel bumps caused by ticks under her fur. She is quite ill at the moment, battling a tick-borne disease, but we are hopeful of a recovery and would love the opportunity to find a wonderful home for her,” Abraham said.
Little Lulu before being taken to the Cape of Good Hope SPCA. (Ricardo Daniel)
She lauded Daniel, who had waited at Lulu’s side on Tuesday night until the SPCA’s vehicle arrived and admitted the little mutt to the SPCA’s animal hospital.
“We couldn’t be more grateful to Mr Daniel for showing Lulu the first of many acts of kindness that will now be commonplace in her life,” Abraham said.
‘Abandonment is a crime’
“We can only hope that Lulu’s spirit will heal along with her body and that we will be able to see her living in a home with a family who recognises that pets are valuable, irreplaceable and a privilege to share our lives with.”
The non-profit organisation is determined to hold Lulu’s owners accountable for this unnecessary act of cruelty, Abraham said.
Collection officer Andisile Booi loads Lulu into the SPCA vehicle. (Ricardo Daniel)
“Lulu’s veterinary treatment, rehabilitation, shelter and care and the pursuit for justice for her will not come cheap. In fact, it will cost in the region of R20 000, but she is priceless, valuable and most definitely worthy of it.”
She urged anyone with information to assist the SPCA in identifying where Lulu had come from.
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“Abandonment is a crime in terms of the Animals Protection Act and those found guilty of contraventions could face a fine of R40 000 and/or a prison term of 12 months.”
The society accepts unwanted animals and would never turn any away, Abraham said.
Anyone with information on Lulu’s owners or on animal cruelty in general can phone the Cape of Good Hope SPCA on 021 700 4158/9 during office hours or on 083 326 1604 after hours.
