Pinetown community calls for euthanasia of killer pit bulls

The Pinetown community in Durban is calling for two pit bulls that savagely attacked and killed two Jack Russells last week to be euthanised.

Jethro McNamee said his three Jack Russells, Jack, Jill and their baby, AB, lived at his girlfriend’s home in Balfour Road in Pinetown for the last year. He dropped them off every morning before going to work. His girlfriend, Natasha Clerk, also has a Jack Russell named Duke.

Jill, Jack and AB as a family

However, on March 31 their world was shattered when two ferocious pit bulls forced their way into the fenced-off property and front gate at his girlfriend’s home and attacked two of the four Jack Russells, Highway Mail reported.

The attack set off the security alarm and Blue Security arrived at the house and informed the owners about a dog attack in progress.

The reaction officers fired three shots into the air to get the pit bulls off the premises.

Police and community watch members were also alerted.

When McNamee arrived at the property, he found his male dog, Jack, unable to move due to the massive wounds on his neck.

The female dog, Jill, was found dead a short distance away from Jack.

Jill’s stomach was ripped open and her intestines were hanging out. There was also a huge chunk of her neck that had been bitten off.

The other two dogs, Duke and AB, were missing at the time.

McNamee said he called for the third dog, AB, and he came running out from the bushes on the other side of the property where he had been hiding. Duke reportedly ran out the gate when Blue Security arrived.

“I tried to give Jack some water but he wouldn’t drink. A community member, Russel Mallory, helped me by driving Jack and I to the Kloof and Highway SPCA for emergency treatment for Jack but staff said his wounds were too extensive for them to treat so instead they stabilised him and we took him to Everton Veterinary Clinic,” said McNamee.

He left Jack in their care and went to look for Duke, but three hours later received a call to say Jack had gone into a coma and stopped breathing.

McNamee went to fetch Jack’s body and the veterinarian, Dr Evans, told him the damage to Jack’s spine would have left him paralysed and Jack died due to the haemorrhaging.

“I took Jack home and my father and I buried Jack and Jill together. They died protecting AB and Duke, who were the younger pets,” said McNamee.

The pitbulls were removed from the owner, Abel Khumalo’s property and taken to the Kloof and Highway SPCA. Khumalo was away in Pretoria at the time.

The community has called for the dogs to be euthanised as this is not the first time the dogs escaped from their yard. Some community members said they were petrified to walk past the property due to the violent nature of the dogs and the gate left open at times. There’s also a Rottweiler on the premises.

Kumalo shares a fence with Pinetown Boys’ High School. The school gate is next to his gate where the dogs ran out.
Jethro said he spoke to the owner on Sunday who is determined to get his dogs back.

However, inspectors at the Kloof and Highway SPCA told Jethro that they will investigate the premises but can not force Khumalo to relocate his dogs if the yard is safe for the animals. They also said they can not force the owner to euthanise the dogs. However, the inspectors did say they were concerned about the community attacking the dogs.

“Community members threatened to shoot the dogs if they see it in the community again.”

“Personally, I don’t want to see those dogs again either because I still have two dogs on my girlfriend’s property. Those pitbulls have tasted blood now and I have no guarantee that they won’t attack again,” said Jethro.

Jethro filed a charge for keeping a ferocious animal against Khumalo at the Pinetown SAPS on the same day as per advice given to him by a Metro Police officer, Sean Jooste.

“My dogs were my family. They were on the property for a year and this is the first time we’ve had any dog enter the property,” said Jethro.

SPCA responds

Barbara Patrick, manager of the Kloof and Highway SPCA, confirmed that the pitbull dogs are currently at the Kloof and Highway SPCA and they have not been contacted by the owners as yet with regards to taking their dogs home.

However, Barbara did speak to the owner, his two children and a member of the community and gave them advice on Friday.

“Each and every case is dealt with and there is no specific protocol used for dog attacks,” said Patrick.

Khumalo was not available for comment at the time of going to press.

– Caxton News Service

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