AN animal cruelty case, opened by police after an American pit bull died from stab wounds after attacking a toddler, was rejected by the Richards Bay Magistrate’s Court.
Richards Bay SAPS spokesperson Debbie Ferreira revealed on Wednesday that the court ‘declined to prosecute’ the matter.
‘This does not, however, mean that the case is closed,’ said Ferreira.
‘We will reopen the case if new evidence comes to light.
‘If any member of the public is aware of irregularities in the case, we urge you to step forward and report the information.
‘Criminal activities cannot be prosecuted on alleged allegations.
‘We need concrete evidence or accounts from witnesses,’ Ferreira said.
The dog was stabbed 12 times with a pen knife by his owner on 18 January after it latched onto the family’s 14-month old baby at their home in Veldenvlei.
After the baby was rushed to Netcare The Bay Hospital for treatment, the SAPS and SPCA Richards Bay reported to the scene to investigate the matter.
Defending himself, the accused told police he killed his dog as a desperate measure to save his son’s life.
17 FEBRUARY 2014
Mauled toddler on the mend
HIS smiling face and abundant energy belie the reality that less than a month ago Sebastian Strecker narrowly escaped death when he was attacked by a dog.
The 15-month-old toddler is making a remarkable recovery following facial reconstruction surgery after his family’s American pit bull latched onto his left cheek on 18 January, ripping his face apart from the ear to his jawline.
Sebastian received 134 stitches and remained in the intensive care for a week to avoid the threat of infection.
But now, only a few skin blemishes remain to mark his traumatic ordeal.
Netcare The Bay Hospital surgeon Dr Pieter van Rooyen executed the painstaking operation, which necessitated increasing blood supply to the deep gash, cleaning the wound and stitching back the inner lining of his mouth, his facial muscles and his skin.
‘He is doing very well for the extent of the injury and scar tissue incurred,’ said Dr van Rooyen.
‘His eye is closing without any tension on the skin, his muscles are intact and his scarring will diminish with time accelerated by the use of the ointment prescribed to him.
‘Everything looks 100%.’
Sebastian’s mom Karien is delighted having her son ‘back to his old self’.
‘All his stitches were removed last week and he’s looking amazing,’ said Karien.
‘Dr de Lange (ophthalmologist) says his eye is looking great and Dr van Rooyen (surgeon) is also pleased with everything so far.
‘He plays outside in the water and sand every day and sleeps straight through the night.
‘He’s just an exceptional boy.’
30 JANUARY 2014
Organisation debunks pit bull myths
WHEN news broke last week of a 14-month-old boy attacked by his family’s pit bull, the community responded with many messages setting-off alarm bells against the dog breed.
Posts referring to pit bulls as being ‘bred to fight and kill’ and ‘having aggressive tendencies’ drew the attention of the Pit Bull Federation of South Africa (PBFSA) President Jeanette Erasmus, who said it is high time these myths get debunked.
‘The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is society’s most feared and misunderstood member of the canine family,’ said Erasmus.
‘This fear and misunderstanding is perpetuated by false sensationalist media reports, irresponsible ownership, and common myths surrounding the breed.
‘However, despite the hype surrounding the breed, there are those who have come to love and understand these dogs for what they are – intelligent, loyal, loveable goofballs who in the right hands, with the right work, excel at all that they do, with no job being too big or too much.’
Although the pit bull is notoriously known as a ‘fighting breed’, Erasmus highlighted the fact that the breed was also raised to work on farms as catch dogs (to bring down bulls and pigs), as butcher’s yard dogs (to control cattle in the butcher’s yard) and hunting dogs.
‘Various temperament tests done on the APBT also shows that the breed’s temperament stability is higher than normal,’ said Erasmus.
‘In 2010, the American Temperament Test Society (ATTS) showed that the APBT scored an average of 83.9% on temperament tests – this was compared to the average score of 77% among the dog population’.
The PBFSA stressed that no pit bill should ever be human aggressive and those starting to show hostile traits should be assessed by a professional.
‘If the owner does not have the resources to have the dog assessed, we advise that the dog be euthanised.
‘We urge people to report any cruelty or dog fighting to their local SPCA – these are criminal offences.
‘We also plead with the public not to take the law into their own hands by ‘rescuing’ pit bulls from abusive homes. These dogs need rehabilitation and often cannot be re-homed,’ Erasmus said.
30 JANUARY 2014 – 9am
Baby Sebastian welcomed home
AFTER surviving a pit bull attack, a facial reconstruction surgery and a week-long fight against infection, 14-month-old Sebastian Strecker was welcomed home by his relieved family this week.
The baby was rushed to Netcare The Bay Hospital just after 6pm on 18 January after his family’s pit bull bit into his left cheek, tearing out the flesh from his jaw line to his eye socket.
With prayers from family and friends, the Streckers hoped to finally take their son home yesterday (Wednesday), but by Monday morning brave little Sebastian had surprised everybody, including his surgeon Dr Pieter Van Rooyen, with his quick recovery, and he was discharged two days early.
‘I cannot put the relief we feel into words,’ said mom Karien.
‘He’s already his old self, running around and wanting to play outside with his sisters.
‘He’s been sleeping throughout the night and his face is looking so much better already.’
27 JANUARY 2014
Baby Sebastian’s fighting spirit
JUST over a week since a Veldenvlei family’s dog launched an unexpected attack on their 14-month-old baby, little Sebastion Strecker fights valiantly towards recovery at Netcare The Bay Hospital’s intensive care unit.
He is still in a critical condition after the family’s pitbull, Max, last week Saturday latched onto the left side of his face causing a deep gash from his jaw line to his eye socket.
Max died from severe injuries after being stabbed by Sebastian’s father Dwayne, who said he had no choice but to kill his dog to save his child.
Sebastian was rushed to the hospital and received 64 stitches on the inside of his face as well as 64 on the outside and six on his gums.
He is kept in a temperature controlled room under close watch by hospital staff, careful to steer clear to prevent him getting an infection.
Recalling the harrowing incident, mom Karien says they are still haunted by the abrupt assault.
‘I want to set the record straight, as well as addressing the negative and incorrect stigmas surrounding pitbulls,’ said Karien.
‘Max was never aggressive and Sebastian used to hug him all the time.
‘We have two daughters, aged five and seven, who have also been very close to Max with no previous incidents or signs of aggression shown towards them.
‘Our dog was our other child and we all loved him dearly.
‘Losing him to save Sebastian was not, and is still not, easy for us.’
However, Karien said once Max ‘entered that state of mind’ and grabbed hold of their son, their attempts to remove the injured baby to safety was met by further hostility.
‘The attack happened with my husband standing only two steps away and he had just turned around to answer his phone.
‘Dwayne immediately jumped in to save Sebastian and found him passed out with his head hanging back. We thought Sebastian was dead.
‘Max then came after both Dwayne and me as we tried to get the baby to the car and to hospital.
‘Dwayne tried to kick him off and even punched him in an attempt to snap Max ‘out of it’.
‘But he continued to attack us and that was when my husband eventually grabbed his leatherman knife from his belt where it is stays attached for his work.’
Karien said only a few minutes had passed between the attack and herself running into the hospital cradling her child.
‘Everything happened so fast and when I arrived at the hospital, the staff immediately jumped into action and stormed off with Sebastian to casualty to stabilise him.
‘It was only then that I looked down and saw I was covered in blood from top to bottom.’
The family said they are grateful for the support received from doctors and nurses who contribute in Sebastian’s recovery.
‘The doctors and personnel have been professional, empathetic and are willing to help where they can.
‘Thanks so much to all of you helping Sebastian get better.’
23 JANUARY 2014
Baby savaged
A VELDENVLEI couple faced their worst nightmare when their family dog savagely attacked their 14-month-old son on Saturday night.
According to one source who wishes to remain anonymous, the baby’s father saw the attack and acted on impulse to save his child, grabbing his pocket knife and fatally stabbing his pitbull.
The baby was rushed to Netcare The Bay Hospital and was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit where he is still receiving care for serious injuries and facial wounds.
‘I am just happy my child is alive,’ said a distraught father.
‘It was my biggest fear. Our family dog has been the most obedient animal and never showed signs of aggression before. This came as a shock to us. What happened moments after the attack is a blur to me.’
A few hours after the incident, the Richards Bay SPCA and Richards Bay SAPS went to the house to investigate the matter.
A docket for animal cruelty was opened, but no arrests have been made while police probe the sensitive case.
Once the investigation is completed, the docket will be handed to the public prosecutor for further consideration.
Richards Bay SPCA inspector Alicia Thurtell said it is crucial to inform pet owners on how to avoid or control unexpected eruptions by their dogs.
‘We feel deeply sympathetic towards this family and the severe injuries inflicted on their child,’ said Thurtell.
‘We need to minimise these situations so they will not occur again.
‘It is, however, also important to state that a child or adult being attacked by a dog, does not give a person the right to take the law into their own hands and cruelly dispose of the animals themselves.’
‘When a person is being attacked by a dog, use a thick blanket and cover the dog’s head with it to blind him – when he loses vision, he also loses focus on what he is doing,’ said Thurtell.
‘Then safely lift the dog up and remove him from the situation.
‘Absolutely never leave children unattended with dogs, regardless of whether the pet has never shown any aggressive tendencies.
‘When your family dog has acted violently, you can contact the SPCA to legally and humanely euthanise the animal.’
However, she emphasised that it is always best to start training pets from a young age as it is ‘difficult to teach old dogs new tricks’.
‘Take them to puppy school, socialise them and make sure you sterilise your dogs as it has been proven to greatly reduce aggression in dogs,’ Thurtell said.
