Cape Town - A Simon's Town pensioner is “barking mad” after city law enforcement wanted to arrest her because her dogs barked too much.
Gloria Langridge, 76, said the animals only “barked at times”.
“Two years ago, law enforcement from Simon’s Town came to my house as they said my neighbour complained about the dogs I keep,” she said.
“I told them that I run a non-profit organisation where I keep dogs up until they get a owner. The maximum I keep is four and I look after them properly. I have been doing this for years now.”
But, this week officers from Fish Hoek wanted to arrest her because she failed to appear in the municipal court.
“Dogs are dogs and they bark whether they are happy or sensing something that is not right. There should not even be a by-law for dogs that bark.”
Langridge said she told the officers that she had not received a notice to appear in court, and that she resolved the misunderstanding with her neighbour two years ago.
“I refused to go with them and they said I must pay a R600 fine, which I didn’t. They left and said they would be back on Tuesday, but they never came and I am still waiting for them.”
The Law Enforcement Animal Control Unit has its hands full with complaints about dogs, with up to 450 reports over a six-month period, a report from the City of Cape Town said.
“Barking complaints are enforced by general law enforcement staff, with the animal control unit only becoming involved once all avenues have been exhausted to address a complaint," said JP Smith, the mayoral committee member for safety and security and social services.
“One of the problems that the unit faces is that many complainants demand action, but then withdraw charges as soon as they receive compensation.
“The official investigating the complaint will do their own monitoring at the identified locations to establish whether there is a contravention of the animal by-law in relation to the specified allowable barking time-frames (three and six minutes in half-an-hour and an hour respectively).
“Where contraventions are confirmed, enforcement action will involve an initial compliance notice directing the dog owner to remedy the situation. In the event of non-compliance this will be followed, in most cases, by the compilation of a docket containing the complainant’s affidavit so that the dog owner can be summoned to court."