Security dog leaves elderly man pantsless at Kempton Park mall

A 61-year-old Birchleigh resident lost his pants at Elgin Mall last week Wednesday, after a guard dog at the centre sunk its teeth into his shorts.

“I was walking towards the centre, looking through a store’s window on my right and didn’t notice the security guard and the Alsatian to my left,” Ben Lubbe told Kempton Express.

“Suddenly, the dog grabbed my pants and tore it off.”

ALSO READ: If your dog bites an intruder, you could be held liable

During the incident, Lubbe’s pair of glasses also fell from his face and was damaged. He, however, was not injured.

“We regret this incident,” said Intruder Defence Security owner Leon Maree, as the guard and dog are part of his company.

According to him, a new pair of pants was immediately bought for Lubbe and arrangements will be made to replace his pair of glasses.

“As part of an ongoing training and corrective action procedure, we now have regular K9 and handler training exercises each month,” Maree said.

According to him, Intruder Defence Security had one other dog-related incident over the past two years. He said dogs and handlers were trained in terms of Private Security Industry Regulations, and handlers undergo a testing procedure prior to them being issued with their K9 handler certificates.

“I just don’t want this to happen to someone else,” Lubbe said.

He visited the mall after the incident, but said he wouldn’t enter until the dog and its handler moved. “The public needs to be cautious around these dogs.”

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.