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Following a spate of pit bull attacks across the country, where children have been mauled to death over the past few months, including Storm Nuku (10) from Gelvandale, the Sizwe Kupelo Foundation has called for the ban of the pit bull breed.
However, while some residents of Nelson Mandela Bay agree wholeheartedly with the foundation’s stance, others believe that this dog breed is lovable and friendly and that their behaviour depends on the way they are treated by their owners.
After a recent incident in Cape Town where three pit bulls were stoned, beaten and set alight by the community when they attacked a girl, leaving her with serious injuries, the SPCA in Nelson Mandela Bay has stepped in, urging owners to rather surrender their dogs than harm them.
For Gqeberha scrub nurse, Surika Sathorar, there is no way that people can look past the fact that pit bulls were bred specifically for fighting, which means that being dangerous is in their genes.
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She explained that, since March 2020, she had scrubbed a lot of patients bitten by pit bulls in Nelson Mandela Bay and these were “gruesome sights” to witness.
“You can dress a dog and sleep next to it but its natural instincts you can’t remove.
“One lady’s calf was bitten off while she was walking to the bus stop to go to work. When they bite, they bite to maim and/or kill.
“These dogs bite people without any reason because they were bred to fight; it’s their natural instinct,” Sathorar said.
“Not even once did any patient need surgery since March 1 2020, in my presence, due to any other type of dog biting them.”
On the other hand, another resident and pit bull owner, Angelique Prince, disagrees and believes that these dogs will only behave the way they are treated.
“I have my babies and they are not dangerous. Maybe people should concentrate on the areas where the dogs have attacked and the reasons why.
“These are crime-ridden areas where people chain their dogs and use them for dog fighting. Maybe awareness should be created about the chaining of dogs and how this can create aggressiveness,” she said.
“It is definitely how the dogs are raised. If they get treated like family they will act like family.”
Resident, Anver Botha, believes that owners need a permit, stating that their dog is in a secure area with high walls.
“Also, in public, they should wear a muzzle. No owner would just give up their dog but stricter rules need to be applied.”
For animal lover, Marizanne Kemp Ferreira, who re-homes animals, including pit bulls, the solution is not to ban them, as per the foundation’s reasons, but rather to protect them from humans.
“Banning an entire breed is not the answer. The breed will just be replaced with the next. What we do need is a total ban on backyard breeding: zero tolerance.
“Owners have to spay and neuter their pets. By-laws need to be enforced on a municipal level and the Animal Protection Act on a national level. The APA is government legislation – SAPS need to enforce it as well, not just a handful of cash-strapped welfare organisations,” she said.
“Limited breeders need to apply, comply and be limited to the amount of litters they pump out. They need to declare the income to SARS and pay their taxes. If this was done, not one of those dogs who attacked would have been born.
“We have existing laws. Use them.”
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The SPCA in the metro said there is no cost involved when surrendering your dog, although donations are welcome.
For those not able to bring their dogs to the SPCA in the metro, the Municipal Dog Control Unit can be contacted on 041 506 1743, to arrange collection.
“If you own a pit bull, please keep your dog safe and indoors, or out of view of the road at all times. This is to prevent theft, poisoning, or other harm coming to them.
“If you own a pit bull purely for the purpose of guarding your property, rather surrender them to your closest animal shelter.
“If you have a pit bull tied up as a ‘guard dog,’ you are setting yourself up for tragedy, and putting your dog in a very unsafe situation. Please surrender your dog. If you need security for your yard, contact a security company,” the organisation said.
SPCA chairperson, Deirdre Swift, said that there has been an increase in the number of dogs being surrendered to the SPCA, all breeds, not just pit bulls.
“As our mandate is the prevention of cruelty we will not turn any animal away.”
- Cruelty towards a pit bull or any other animal can be reported by calling the SPCA on 041 992 3016 or 041 922 4528. For after hour emergencies only, contact 082 905 4716.
