On 20 February 2022, Bianca Castleman Peens, an animal lover from Benoni, Johannesburg, stopped at the garage to re-fuel when she spotted a taxi with an open trailer, carrying 34 greyhounds.
Finding the situation suspicious, Bianca alerted the Benoni SPCA, then initiated a conversation with the driver.
Her concerns were soon realised when the driver told her that they were on their way to race the poor pups, who looked underfed. The interaction soured further when the driver hit one of the dogs according to Bianca.
“It was very hot outside and you could see the dogs weren’t in a great situation being in that trailer and I couldn’t just leave it. They were so cramped and when I got closer you could see some dogs just laying down being trampled on by the others.” – says Bianca
In fear that the driver would flee before the SPCA inspector arrived, Bianca bravely climbed on the trailer and refused to get off until the distressed dogs were in safe hands.
Minutes later when the inspector landed on the scene, he instructed the driver to transport the pups 5km to the nearby SPCA.
Remaining on the trailer on the drive to the SPCA premises, Bianca was determined to protect the pups.
Her friend, Martine Hampson, and a few female bystanders formed a convoy, following the trailer in front and behind, to ensure no detours were taken.
Thankfully, the ladies and the pups arrived safely at the SPCA.
The dogs were immediately confiscated and are currently being assessed by a vet, and are safe and happy.
Bianca, who has been involved in animal rescue for about 4 years, urges South Africans to not turn a blind eye to animal abuse.
“I just can’t stand any form of abuse or neglect. The more people stand up for the voiceless the more stuff like this can be stopped. People think things like this are acceptable, it’s not… “All it takes for evil to prevail is for a good person to do nothing” – says Bianca
Sharing the situation to her Facebook page, the post soon went viral with over 1000 shares and countless comments from animal lovers that were emotionally impacted by the good samaritans.
Update: According to a recent Facebook post by Bianca, the dogs have been returned to their owners.
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