Bay man throws punch to save dog’s life

RICHARDS Bay resident, Niel Blom injured his fingers and fractured his hand while freeing his Jack Russell from a dog attack on Thursday in Meerensee.

Blom was taking an afternoon stroll with his family when their dog, Gunner was attacked in the street by a Bull Terrier which escaped from its property.

The Bull Terrier charged at Gunner and gripped him by his neck and Blom reacted by punching the dog in the face to try and release his grip.

It did not attempt to charge at the wife, baby or their other dog Lola.

Speaking to the wife, Rina on Friday afternoon, she said her husband had received treatment in hospital and fortunately did not have to undergo any surgery.

‘I am relieved that both my husband and our pet, Gunner are doing well and that our baby boy was not harmed in any way.

‘Niel is also receiving treatment for rabies as the dog’s owner could not provide us with proof of the rabies vaccination.

‘Initially I feared the worst for our dog because there was so much blood at the scene but we later discovered that the bleeding was from my husband’s wound.

‘As Niel had suffered such severe injuries we were so worried that he might have really hurt the dog with the blow and later contacted the Richards Bay SPCA to make sure the Bull Terrier was not hurt.

‘Our pets mean so much to us, we have had them for three years and our baby enjoys them so much.

‘We do not want anything bad to happen to the Bull Terrier, we are animal lovers and just want him to be secured in his premises.

‘This was a lucky escape for our dog but we want dog owners to take extra precaution to ensure their animals do not leave their properties as many people take walks or jog on the streets with their pets,’ she said.

Coincidence

Meanwhile, Richards Bay SPCA Chairperson Anne Maré Coetzee was in the vicinity at the time delivering a dog to the premises from which the animal had escaped.

‘The owner’s female dog was brought into the SPCA as a stray and because she had just had a litter of puppies, we decided not to keep her overnight but rather deliver her to her house after hours.

‘I believe the dog could have slipped out the property when the owner was busy with the female and puppies.

‘We quickly intervened, Niel was bleeding severely from his wound but we quickly rounded up all the dogs and took them to the vet for a check- up where they were found to be without any puncture wounds and were only traumatised,’ she said.