Owner strangles dog to death

In the past few days, at least two shocking dog attacks have taken place, one in Krugersdorp, on the West Rand, and the other in KwaZulu-Natal, leaving the victims severely injured.

In an incident in Burgershoop in Krugersdorp on Saturday, June 24, Severus Pietersen was at home with his family when he heard a terrible racket coming from the neighbour’s yard on the West Rand, Krugersdorp News reports.

He peeked over the precast wall and saw a man kneeling beside a dog. As he looked closer, he saw the man had tied a piece of what appeared to be wire of some kind around the dog’s neck, and was busy strangling it.

The man held the ‘wire’ very tightly around the animal’s neck and every 10 seconds or so, he would rest his head on the dog’s head.

On investigating, the neighbour learned that the dog had bitten one of the children in the yard, leading to the man strangling the dog. The child was taken to a hospital for treatment. It is believed the child had severe injuries to his calf and needed an operation to treat it.

A man, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he knew that the dog would be put down because of what he had done.

READ MORE:Dogs found hanging from tree

The makeshift grave opposite the house where a man strangled his dog to death.

He alleged that he and his girlfriend were outside when their child ran to them. The dog grabbed the boy by his calf and ripped a piece from his leg. The owner jumped towards the dog to get him off the boy.

“The dog was aggressive, and I knew that once a dog has bitten someone, it would do it again in the future.”

Wendy Prinsloo, another resident of the household who saw the incident take place, said the owner sat next to the dead dog for an hour.

“He just sat there crying,” said Prinsloo. “We took the child to hospital and he stayed behind to bury the dog. He did not stop crying. Then he had to be the one who told the boy that the dog was dead. The boy also cried about his beloved pet.”

The dog was buried opposite their house, and the children laid flowers on the makeshift grave.

The incident was, however, reported to the Roodepoort SPCA, which will investigate the matter because the man’s actions were in direct conflict with the Animal Protection Act 71 of 1962.

KZN dog ‘devours face’ of man, 70

In KwaZulu-Natal on Monday morning at about 11am, a Tongaat senior citizen was treated for life-threatening injuries after being attacked by a dog while visiting a private home, Zululand Observer reports.

Netcare 911 paramedics on scene said upon their arrival they found the man had been dragged to the ground by his arm before the flesh of his face was “ripped off and devoured”.

The incident took place in Sauders Circle.

“Our emergency care practitioner and his team worked tirelessly at the scene to stabilise the man,” said Netcare’s Chris Botha.

“After he was placed on a ventilator, they transported him to a specialised hospital in Durban for the care that he required.”

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– Caxton News Service