Dog shot in White River during walk with family
The 14-month-old Great Dane, Henry, died at the veterinarian after being shot by a woman. The National Prosecuting Authority confirmed that the case is being investigated by the SAPS.
“I shot your dog. You have to take it to the vet.”
These were reportedly the words of a 50-year-old self-defence instructor who shot a Great Dane puppy on the outskirts of town.
“It was surreal! I could not believe my eyes when I saw her kneeling and firing two shots at point-blank range,” alleged the dog’s owner. He and his two sons were taking their three dogs for a walk on the trail at the bottom of Danie Joubert Street on March 17 at about 16:00 when the incident happened.
While walking towards a plantation, they saw a woman some way ahead of them. She was walking her Belgian Malinois.
According to the father, their 14-month-old puppy, Henry (named after Henry the Great), was excited and started running up the path after her. “It was then that he was attacked by her dog,” he alleged.
The dog’s owner, whose identity is known to Lowvelder, responded and said that she has no comment on the matter.
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According to the father, she fired two shots in full view of his sons, aged nine and 13. Henry was hit in the chest and in the front left leg.
“My sons and I stared in disbelief as the two shots rang out and a puff of smoke swirled into the air. Henry came running towards us, bleeding profusely from his chest wound.”
They loaded the severely wounded Henry into their car and rushed him to a local veterinarian. However, 30 minutes after their arrival Henry died.
“It was a very traumatic experience. The boys couldn’t go to school that following Monday. They had to receive trauma counselling at school.”
The father opened a criminal case against the woman, with the support of the White River SPCA.The woman was arrested and spent the night of March 17 in jail.
A provincial police spokesperson, Captain Magonseni Nkosi, confirmed that she had appeared in court the following day. She was released without having to pay bail and the case was postponed for further investigation.
The Mpumalanga National Prosecuting Authority’s spokesperson, Monica Nyuswa, however, said that the case was never enrolled and remains under investigation.
Michelle van Wyk, senior inspector of the SPCA, also opened a criminal case against the woman. “White River SPCA is outraged. We have been supporting the family since the incident and will continue to support them to ensure that justice prevails,” she said.
The story has been updated since the printed version.
