A five and half month puppy allegedly died after it was sexually assaulted by a man, a neighbour, in the early hours of Friday morning in Windhoek. The man has since fled from his house following the incident.

The puppy owner, Donvy Gaingos, a resident of Wanaheda, opened a case of bestiality and malicious damage to property with the Namibian police following the incident.  City Police spokesperson Sergeant Fabian Amukwelele said bestiality is unacceptable and they do not condone it. Gaingos told New Era she fears for the children’s safety in the neighbourhood, as the suspected neighbour had previously spent time in jail for sodomising a boy. According to Gaingos, she was woken up by her brother on Thursday midnight when he heard the puppy crying but she could not see the puppy cage in the yard.

“We were standing, waiting for him to come out. When the dog went quiet, he switched on his light and came out holding the puppy. I screamed, asking what happened to the dog and he responded the dog died. He explained that the dog was sleeping and died next to the couch,” narrated Gaingos, adding that the neighbour insisted on throwing away the puppy.

In the morning, Gaingos called Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), who came to pick up the puppy. SPCA branch manager Sylvia Breitenstein said they requested a rape kit from the police but did not get one to date. The vet could also not confirm the rape allegation. Veterinary at Corner House Veterinary clinic Dr Mike Beggs said people who have sex with animals are at risk of contracting rabies, tuberculosis, brucellosis and leptospirosis. Brucellosis and leptospirosis are both bacterial diseases that are transmitted via naked membrane; brucellosis is sexually transmitted from dog to dog, explained Beggs.

“I am shocked and disgusted … the state of human morality is indicated by how they treat their animals, and this person is hopefully mentally disturbed,” expressed Beggs. – sikela@nepc.com.na