Another pet dog stolen, killed and sold for meat

“Imagine losing a friend. This dog was not just my friend, this dog was my child’s friend, it was everything to us at home,” says Josten Bauleth (32), whose dog was stolen from his yard at Otjomuise last week.

Bauleth’s dog, Coco, was allegedly stolen from his yard at Otjomuise Station 5 and sold for N$150 to a woman who killed him, cooked him and sold the meat.

Bauleth says he received a message that his house gate was left open on Wednesday afternoon.

“I immediately thought my house was broken into. I rushed there from work and noticed that everything seemed normal, except my dog was missing.

“I was not so worried as I thought he was just in the neighbourhood, but as the hours passed, I decided to create a poster with his picture on it and a reward of N$1 000,” he says.

Everything changed for Bauleth when he received a call from an unknown number at around 20h00 on Coco’s whereabouts.
“I got a call from a woman who witnessed my dog being sold for N$150 to a woman at Agstelaan, Otjomuise.

“When we got there with the police, it was too late. The woman told us she had paid someone to kill the dog for her, and later cooked the meat for sale to unsuspecting customers,” he says.

He says what hurts the most is that the person who was arrested in connection with the incident, a minor, is roaming the streets again.

“If only you know how much anger I had in my chest. All of the things running around my mind, I started crying thinking of the images of the dog that I loved so much in the box being eaten as food,” Bauleth says.

Khomas police spokesperson Silas Shipandeni yesterday confirmed the case.

He said a case of dog theft at Otjomuise has been registered and is currently under investigation.

“There were some other charges that were added with regards to the remains of the dog that were found cooked.

“The prime suspect in this case is a minor and we are still looking into the matter,” he said.

A few months ago, The Namibian reported on a Rehoboth resident who has been left shocked after discovering her missing family dog was allegedly stolen and slaughtered by three strangers.

Mavourneen Busch reported her dog, Dalton, missing and posted this on social media in an effort to find him.

She went from door to door looking for her dog, only to be confronted by the remains of her dog on a kapana braai stand on a Saturday evening.

“He was my baby. He was a part of our family. He would have been eight years with us this month,” Busch said.

“We raised Dalton from a six-week-old puppy. He slept in our bed. He was happy, trusting, friendly, loving and so much more,” she said.

Dalton went missing while Busch and her husband were at work.

Her children were at home, but did not hear the thieves that took Dalton.

Dalton’s death led to a public outcry and a campaign against eating dogs.

At the time Sylvia Breitenstein from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) condemned the act and called on Namibians to ensure the safety of their pets.

She called on people who find missing pets not to sell them or take them home, but rather to contact the authorities or take the animals to the nearest SPCA.