Pit bull’s animal cruelty case ‘thrown out’
The Richards Bay Magistrates Court 'declines to prosecute' animal cruelty case for pit bull.
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.
I feel that the sPCA inspector is being harsh, in the. Heat of the moment the father did the right thing, by the time they found a blanket, the child could have been killed, yes it is the best option, but we can’t always take that option circumstances prevailing
As a pit bull owners and someone involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of these dogs I would like to know a few things.
1: is the dog a registered pit bull? If not how do you know it is not a cross breed or is in fact a pit bull. It is no secret that the media LOVES stories about our dogs attacking, and unfortunately even the neighbours budgie is called a pit bull.
2: this is a stock photo as was the photo you published in your newspaper. Why do you guys always use the most savage looking old photos? Why not use the photo of the dogs?
3: Before going to print why do you not contact the breed organisation for comment? So that a balanced informative article can be published and that the public can be educated and learn from this tragedy. I feel sorry for the child but too many parents are complacent and expect the dog to tolerate. There is always a reason for a dog biting. How do we know the child didn’t hurt the dog? Or that the dog was stressed.
American pit Bull terriers are not for everyone. we are a special breed of people who understand that owning these dogs is a lifestyle and there are restrictions we face with these dogs. We accept that and we don’t push it.
Spca you have my suppport!!! A do,no matter what breed,would just attack a child.Theres 3 sides to a story – here we only hear one! Go spca!! Stand strong anmd dont back down! The dogs death was cruel,and inhumane..murdered. Dogs get irritated very fast by children running and playing around them.Now all we hear “the dog did it” “the dog this and that” Its like people being raped walking from beach in skimpy clothes an invitation-gey raped then its **** black people.While it was inviting
As an animal lover I deplore any form of cruelty to animals. It is also a fact that with even the best training dogs can turn into violent animals. I applaud the owner for his quick reaction to saving his child. It would without a doubt have been too late for his child had he gone looking for a blanket! I empathise with this family, not only has the child been savagely attacked but they have also lost a member of their family.
Dis vreeslik, in die een kant is jy lief vir jou diere kind en aan die ander kant is jy baie meer liewer vir jou eie bloed kind, ek sou wraggies nie eers gehardloop het vir ‘n kombers nie, ek sou gedoen het wat ek kon om my kind se lewe te red. Sterkte vir julle en weet dat ons ‘n hele paar mense is wat agter julle staan.
That was a father acting to save his child! As any human being would have done!or in fact an animal would also have acted to save its child! I can’t believe that a case of animal cruelty is opened as he was only acting on impulse to save his child!
Owning and raising a dog takes responsibility, I quote from Cesar Millan’s theory, “There are no bad breeds, just badly raised dogs”
My hart gaan uit na die familie, my vraag aan die spca sal wees waar grou n mens n kombers uit as jy in pad is of iewers is wa jy nie n kombers of lap kan uitgrou en oor die hond gooi nie wt doen jy dan staan en kyk hoe die hond kind verskeur. Spca prt van animal cruelty ja maar wat kan ons dan van hulle se wat onskuldige diere uitsit wt niks makeer of siek is nie.
A toddler of 14 months cannot seriously harm a dog. Fine something could have triggered the dogs reaction, but to have the parents condemned for reacting to save their child – Please – What would they have commented if the worst had happened and the child had died – They would have had the dog put down anyway. There is a time to stand up for the animal I agree – But in this said case not appropriate. I would also save my child and I am a supporter of Animal Rights I would rather cry for a while over my dog than forever over my child.
” A toddler of 14 months cannot seriously hard a dog” REALLY? They bite, they pull ears they sit on the dog, they provoke. Sorry the biggest cause of bites is negligent parents. Don’t blame the dog, it was doing what dogs do, regardless of breed. This is very sad, BUT the SPCA are right and I applaud the SPCA Richardsbay! Stabbing a dog 17 times with a pen knife will enrage the dog more than cause it to stop. The SPCA would not lay charges with no grounds.
Sympathetic towards the family. don’t make me laugh! it is very clear that the spcs inspector does not have children. there is no way you are thinking of a blanket when your child is screaming in pain and gushing blood. I am an animal lover myself but that was not cruelty to the animal but the love of a parent for their child. Dad you did the right thing for your child.
As a parent you will do anything to protect your child!!!!! People act differently when they stress once you where in that situation only then you can judge!!! It can happen to anybody ,the child is in intensive care the parent simply did not do it for the fun. SPCA rather focus on the people that kill animals just for fun and who carries a blanket around by the time the parent get a blanket the child could have being dead already. Accidents happen it does not mean he is a bad person for that, any parent will feel that way. My prayers are with this family God’s eyes in not closed.
That SPCA inspector is being pathetic I hope that one day she doesn’t walk in on someone killing an family member and have to go rummage through the broom closet to find a broom to shoo the criminal out the door instead of using the weapons she has at hand.
Baby Savaged. My heart goes out to the family and owners of their beloved pet who tragically attacked their 14 month old son.A lot of information needs to be gathered in order to determine why this attack took place before society is quick to once again mark Pittbulls as savage dogs.Attacks like these are common amongst almost most breeds of dogs.I put no blame on the owners if they definately are not sure what triggerd the attack. One needs to realise that dogs are like ones own children and also have needs. If a child is brought up wrong they always have behavioral problems,likewise with dogs. Please look after out pets and groom them from puppies to socialise with family starting with obedience training. Never take an older dog you have no history of and always watch for signs of agression. The signs are always there.Fighting dogs always attack children reason being a childs eye contact on the same height as a dog is challenging.Please Pittbull owners do not entice agression in your dogs.Pittbulls are working dogs and need lots of activity to take away the agression. Ban the wrongful owners and not the breed. Clive Abrahams
Ek gee nie om wat die SPCA of poliesie se of doen nie as ek in daai situasie is gan ek nie eers n kombers gan haal nie ek sal die hond se nek breek, as jy wag vir hom om af te koel of fokus te verloor kan dit dalk te laat of baie erger wees, geen mens kan die hond se kant kies nie want daardie baba kan homself nie verdedig nie.
Baby Savaged-Pittbull attack.I am just curious as to the picture of the Pittbull.Was it taken after the stabbing or before. The publisher certainly went through a lot of trouble to get this picture. I am certain this is not the pittbull in question and why not print a picture of the family of this tragic attack.Please reframe from using pittbulls as a major story distorting peoples views on the breed. Let’s stick to the facts and the story at hand.Did the owner have the dogs ears cropped? Come on guys !!! Clive
I am a family member of this family, and knew the dog too. He was a loving dog, BUT who do you rather save? It is totally human to want to protect your children. Lady from the SPCA??? Do you have children? You are quick to say take a blanket! Oh please!!! What would you have done? We are all behind this family! Come on people!! Those who have children would have done the same! He has two other little girls to think about as well! Drop the case! This is ridiculous!!!!Seriously! Child VS Dog!!! He did the right thing, I would have done exactly the same!
For those who are judging my friends are pathetic… and dont have a clue what happened. You are so quick to judge but clearly dont know what you would do if it was your own child.. make yourself useful and go look at how that precious little boys face look like.. if it had to happen to me I would have probably done the same if it was the onky way to protect my son and family… Please stop judging my friends.. they already going through a lot and you heartless people making it worse… good luck my friends and may our precious boy get well soon.. love you guys
Dog v/s my child? definitely my child will come first, so I fully support the fathers action. ‘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.
Really?, Where is the time to go and look for a thick blanket when your child’s life is in danger?
when saving a live there’s no time to think I would do the same if it was my child. If this father never took action so fast he could have lost his child so please dont point a finger and dont judge if you where never been in that situation
what a tragic situation – for all parties including the dead dog – I think what the SPCA was trying to say was, the dog may have let go quicker if you covered it up (granted you needed a blanket close by) than stabbing it 17 times which might have aggravated him more. – I do not blame the father for even one second as I would have fought the dog off with my bear hands to get it off my kid. I just know from years of personal experience that when dogs are “fighting/biting” adding pain only increases their fight. The sad lesson here is that all dog owners need to take the time to train their dogs (socialise) them and educate their kids how to behave with dogs. so very sad for the family :(
oh and i dont agree with the SPCA that this is a case for cruelty – seriously barking up the wrong tree with so many real cruelty cases out there this is not one.
My dog attacks a child it will be shot – SPCA be dammed. Since when does a child have less right to live than an animal?
With all due respect to the SPCA, this is a helpless defenseless child. The dad reacted the best way he knew how and placed in the exact situation would have taken the chance with time to fetch a blanket and calmly blind the dog or would you use items at your disposal to defend a defenseless child??..I am sorry to say but I would probably have done the same as the dad…given the situation I think the dad should be excused.. He is facing a traumatic enough situation with a mallee child, he does not need the added stress from the SPCA. I wish a speedy recovery to the traumatized child and may God help you heal physically and psychologically.
Pitbull matter, I live in Ballito and also have 2 pitbulls. They are great dogs, my kids play rough with them and never had an human attack issue with them. I have the followning qouestions to the owner of the dog:
1. Did you get the dog from a registered breeder and are the parents registered?
2. How did you bring-up the dog from small?
3. How did the attack started?(What triggered it)
4.Is the dog a male or female?
I suspect that the child must have heard the dog that triggered the attack although my dogs would get away if heard by my children.
The big thing is, is the dog a pure breed???
like is Alicia Thurtell for real ?? at that time who would think to still get a blanket and cover its eyes ??? i would of done the same had it been my child ,the father had acted on impulse to save his sons life he cant be charged for that !!! they have a long road ahead of them and i pray he has a speedy recovery
If you hold your baby for the 1st time you say ” I will always protect you from all harm ” what do you do when harm comes to your child ?? What would any perants do ? Personaly do I think all charges should be dropped what right do that child have never the less the dog. ! I’m with the father , I would do any thing to protect or help 1year old ! Drop that animal cruelty charges !!! Goodluck to the family with love .
A mother..
Every one knows pitbull are not children friendly. Why did dad bring home a pitbull? My heart goes out to the kid. May God be with him. Its not the dog’s doing. Its a Pitbull.
If people start placing animal’s lives before those of children, then society truly has a problem. People are far too quick to jusdge this situation without knowing all the facts. My best wishes to the family involved.
Baie skrikwekend. Die SPCA,step dit so: Ons is baie jammer oor jul kind, maar ons gaan jou martel oor jy jou kind se lewes gered het en omdat jy nie jou eie lewes ook in gevaar gestalt het. Absoluut pateties!!!
Sorry Alice, completely worldly innocent!
I am so sorry to hear about the awful incident, its heartbreaking that the dog had to loose his life but I would have done the exact same thing the father had done, no matter what I will protect my son from anything and anyone. Pets are unpredictable. For people to judge this father for saving his childs life by killing the dog tell me WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE!!! Leave the dog to kill your child??? Please dont judge him you were not there you dont know what he had gone through. Not for one second do I believe he loved his dog any less the family is going through alot, let them be please!!
If it were one of my kids…. I would snapped the dogs neck… Honestly! Timothy, I AGREE 100% with you… Since when does an animal have more right to live than a child!
i rather reserve my comment but I fully surport The father and miss or mam Thurtell sure you havend got children
Okay great get a thick blanket and cover the dogs face, oh wait lil doggie that’s biting my child i want to run and look for a blanket so i can cover ur face, ill let u know when im ready… My honest opinion is the child would have been dead by the time the dad got back with a blanket, throw water over a dog I’ve seen dog fights where water does not help i mean a good pit bull can jump and bite onto a tire and hang there for hours using nothing but jaw power, they can pull up to 4 ton, what would the people say if the dad stood with the dog and not his own blood? In witbank a dog got shot twice with a bow, in pretoria a dogs head was cut off with an axe for killing a parrot plenty of times people shove crackers into the anus of dogs, for fun how can u say its animal cruelty if he was defending his Childs life?? And this 1 is for Clive, if a pit bull is not an aggressive dog then how come u need to keep the dog active to suppress the dogs aggression?? Soo if what ur saying is true then the reason for the attack would be bordom?
Well for those who were against the family (father) for saving his own sons life are happy now to see how bad little Sebastian was hurt by Max, and for those who tought Max wasnt tamed surely knows the facts now..i hope you are all happy now to see the real photo of Max and how badly Sebastian face got hurt.. once again do not ever judge if it didnt happen to you.. so now i would like to see all the comments streaming in.. oh and by the way in little Sebastian’s eyes his daddy is hes HERO for saving him, dont take that away.. and for the record, Max was a well behaved dog and for Karien and Dwayne they are really sad about what they had done, i know ive seen her and i know how Dwaine was over Max.. they really are animal lovers.. so please from now on keep your common comments to yourself… Sebastian tannie is bly jy herstel so mooi ;)
Ek hoop die mense wat so gekommentaar ht oor klein sebastian druk hul kop in skaamte oor die pappa net gedun ht wat die regte ding was…Aan die mense meti lelike komentaar wil ek net vra as dit jou kind wat wat deur jou eie dierekind gebyt word wat sou jy dun, hu sou jy kies jou kind of jou hond…Ek is ok n dierliewer maar my reaksie sou die selfde as die pappa sin gewees ht ek sou die hond ng met my kaal hande verwurg ht as ek nx anders gehad hti…Hul hti n keuse gehad as om die hond dood te maak nie want hy ht weer terug gekom om weer aan te val. Ek glo dis vir hul baie hartseer oor hul, hul hond moes dood maak wat deel v d familie was en hul voel seker sleg maar dit was n keuse wat hul moes maak…Aan die familie oz bid vir jul dat jul jul dierekind moes verloor ht en dat Sebastian gu sal herstel die Here sal jul hierdeur dra en pappa jy was jou seuntjie se Hero en hy sal dit vir altyd saam hm dra en onthou sterkte
On several occasions I warned families about keeping pit-bulls and their response has been similar to Karien’s: “Max was never aggressive”.Alternatively, you would have to listen to a long story about how these dogs ought to be trained and so on. Why take the risk, specially with killer instinct pets? We will still hear of how these killer dogs savage their owners in future. Pit-bulls should be banned as domestic pets.
Well what a surprise when something happens the SPCA jumps. At least the dog died a lot quicker than most of the dogs I see around the bay. I travel through town daily and the amount of dogs wandering the street is outrageous especially Brackenham. Most of them are half starved and chained up to a short leash. Now I expect the SPCA to jump at that too as this is extreme animal cruelty as these dogs suffer day in and day out. Think about it would you have time to run into the house looking for a blanket? In that state of shock no one will think rationally. If it was your child what would you do? Easy to say you should have done this you should have done that. Well do it then if your child is being eaten, the few seconds you waste could be the lost of your little one.
To all these dog lovers, you sound like you are putting the dogs life ahead of the child’s. If you know the breed so well, you surely must then know that these “killers” will not stop until the “enemy” is dead? So while the father should have gotten a blanky to cover the dogs face, his child might have been dead. What then? The dog lives and the child dies? Ag come on. It’s like the criminals being protected more then the victims. If an intruder is actively busy breaking down my front door, I can not harm him, because my life is not in direct danger. Pathetic!!! SA is becoming a nanny state!
WOW Suzette! what a pathetic comment! are you trying to imply that the 14th month old asked to be attacked? you need to get your head checked! I am sure that the baby didn’t ask for his face to be savaged. the best trained dogs do just snap without reason. as for your comment about women being raped…. I have no words.
To Sebastian and his parents, I am sorry for what has happened and I wish him a speedy recovery!
My heart goes out to this family. I would have done the EXACT same thing if it was my son being attacked. As for the comments from the SPCA… Seriously???!!! Clearly you don’t have children of your own. To Sebastian…I wish you a speedy recovery little dude… And to the parents.. keep strong.
I PRAY GOD’S HEALING HAND OVER U LITTLE SEBASTIAN. AND TO KARIEN & DWAYNE, DON’T LET NEGATIVE PEOPLE PUT YOUR’LL DOWN, JUST THANK GOD EVERYDAY THAT SEBASTIAN IS ALIVE AND IS RECOVERING.
A father did what any loving father would’ve done .
Helo who in there right mind is going to run in side for a blanket what if it was your baby you whould have done the same relly peopel
I love my dogs,but not as much as I LOVE MY FAMILY. If this happened to any of my family members it would of probably gone down exactly the same way. Dead dog.
This case is such a waste of our tax payer money and time in our over booked courts! Every father would have reacted the same way! He saved his child! To those of you saying that this case is worth it, please grow up, would you really stand by and watch your dog bite your child and do nothing about it – your children are your first priority!!! Sabastian what a little fighter you are and so brave and WOW your Dad is your very special Hero.
This is actually a message to all the rhinos out there that’s being threatened on a daily bases for there “magical“ horns. DON’T U WISH U WHERE AMPT ? Well at least you’ll have the SAPS behind your back.
Shame on SAPS for even trying to open up a case towards this issue.
Glad for the family that the laaity is making a full recovery.
I cannot believe the R-Bay SPCA is stil trying to have this dad prosecuted.
He did what any parent would have done. As for alternative solutions (look for blanket) as per R-Bay SPCA, those were insensitive and retardic. Yes a dog died horribly but considering the situation, the action was beyond reasonable doubt expected.
Anyone perhaps considered taking this up with SPCA on a national level? I believe the folks at the R-BAY SPCA are doing harm to the SPCA in general since some other local SPCA’s in social media admitted they would have treated the matter differently. I would not donate anything anymore because of R-Bay’s aggresive attitude towards this case which means the poor animals at R-bay will ultimatly suffer.
I believe the spca was right in opening a case against the father, he could have just as easily locked the dog in a area and phoned the spca to put him down , instead of resorting to such cruelty.
It would have taken the same amount of time he took when he was cruelly stabbing the dog 12 times.
i am a pitbull owner and a father of two and both my children were raised with pitbulls from an early age. These dogs are a pleasure to have and raise as part of your family. Unfortunately, as much as i love pitbulls, i had to agree with the toddlers father… i too would have done the same. Like any other “bull” breed, the pitbull locks its jaws once it has a firm bite and will basically let go at nothing (especially a blanket around its head). The father acted on impulse and i am sure you too would have done the same if it was your child, but i do on the other hand, i also agree to animal cruelty charges, but not in the same sense as what everyone else has been hammering on about. Looking that the picture of the family pet as placed in the observer, did anyone stop to think that docking the dogs tail and cropping the dogs ears is not animal cruelty… that alone should also ring alarm bells, why else would any owner do this… to obviously make the dog look meaner and more intimidating. I would personally love to meet the “professional Vet” that did this. It is about time that people started to JUDGE THE DEED AND NOT THE BREED… stop making the pitbull suffer.
I cannot understand the logic of pitbull owners that come up in defense of this breed to have around children. Any breed that is capable of “just snapping” is not a safe breed to own without taking appropriate measures. Anyone that owns such a dog and allows it to be around children, even under supervision, is being irresponsible. There are certain breeds that are simply not safe to own if you have children. The only reason most responsible dog owners get a dog of this type is because of its potential for aggression, such as for personal or property protection – NOT as a playmate for their toddlers! If you own a dog like this it should be kept in a secured area away from your children. The owners of these breeds always bring up their stable temperament in defense of the breed, yet these are always the breeds that you see in the news for killing or maiming children, adults and other dogs. Why is that? I have yet to see an article about a Yorkshire Terrier killing or injuring anything. This breed apparently has a much less stable temperament, so surely you would expect they would responsible for far more carnage??? They could easily rip out a toddler’s throat, yet you never see reports of that on the news. Why? NO KILLER INSTINCT!
I like what you guys are up too. This kind of clever work and exposure! dkafdfefdgge
I can NOT believe what I just read… Open a case against a father for most likely saving his sons´life?
The pitbull is banned in the Uk, many states in the USA , Canada and MANY more countries all over the world… Surely all these Governments can not be wrong?