Tossed around like a rag doll. Five-year-old Nelson Harvey stared death in the face as Vanessa Adams pried her grandson from the jaws of a ridgeback, boerbull cross recently.
Visiting a friend just two houses away from their own in Durnacol, Mrs Adams reflected on the moments before the vicious attack.
“She wanted to bring the dog into the house to see what my husband’s reaction would be,” explained Mrs Adams. “I told her not to because the dog wasn’t used to having us around. I was certain Duke would bite him.”
The dog’s owner asked Nelson to accompany her to feed her dachshund, handing him a bowl to scoop pellets into.
“She then asked him to go with her to feed Duke,” she said. “I expressly told her not to take my grandson with her, but this only infuriated her. She swore at me and told me I’m stupid and assured me Duke wouldn’t harm him,” she claimed.
Again, Mrs Adams pleaded with her friend not to allow Nelson near an animal previously described as ‘aggressive’. Her plea apparently fell on deaf ears…
As she turned her head, she heard a blood-curdling scream no grandparent should ever have to hear; the scream came from Nelson.
“I ran from the kitchen and when I got to the door, he was under the dog,” she claimed. “All I saw was Duke’s mouth over his head.”
Mrs Adams mustered up all her might and dragged Nelson from the dog’s mouth. The dog then allegedly attempted to bite her too.
“I opened the door and threw him into the kitchen and slammed the door on the dog,” she said.
The dog owner offered Mrs Adams her vehicle to take Nelson to hospital, but along the way, they stopped in Dannhauser as he needed immediate care.
“The doctor couldn’t do much for him, so he arranged that Nelson be transported to Dundee Hospital via ambulance.
He was given an injection for pain and something to stop the bleeding.” Nelson was admitted to hospital where doctors inserted 24 stitches to various areas of his face.
A large portion of flesh above his ear had to be reattached, causing the distraught boy to let out what his mother described as a horrifying scream.
It was also determined the dog had broken the boy’s jaw in two and severely damaged his ear.
“Later that evening, a family member asked the dog owner if we could use her vehicle again to visit Nelson in hospital,” she said. “She refused.”
Mrs Adams informed the dog owner of her intention to take civil action against her.
“She swore at me and made racist remarks about the Dannhauser police and their quality of work. I dare not repeat her exact words,” she claimed.
A case was opened later that evening and while at the police station, the dog owner allegedly contacted police and informed them she was being harassed by Nelson’s family.
“She told police we were intimidating her,” said Mrs Adams. “The constable asked how they could be intimidating her if they were sitting right in front of him.”
A few days later, the police and the dog owner arrived at the Adams home to issue the family a warning to stay away from the dog owner’s home.
The matter has since been handed over to Nelson’s family’s lawyer. An undisclosed amount is being claimed from the dog owner; an amount that is to be paid within 14 days.
“If she doesn’t pay it, the case will go to High Court in Pietermaritzburg,” alleged Mrs Adams. The family has been asked not to communicate with the dog owner at any point in time.
For now, the family is focused on ensuring Nelson receives proper medical attention and recovers fully.
“His stitches were removed on February 3 and he will undergo surgery to fix his jaw on Friday,” concluded Mrs Adams. Nelson has received three rabies injections to date. He will receive his last vaccine on February 18.
“After the incident, he just kept saying ‘I love you mommy’,” said Nelson’s mother. “I thought we were going to lose him…”
“Unfortunately, the SPCA cannot get involved in a case like this,” said Heather Gero of Newcastle SPCA. “We deal only with animal welfare cases; this is now a civil case. If it is found that the dog needs to be put down, we could be approached to assist, otherwise the police or a veterinarian will have to be contacted to deal with the matter. ”
The owner of the dog was contacted, but declined to comment at the time of going to print. For an update on Nelson’s road to recovery, see next week’s edition of Newcastle Advertiser.
