Dogs on the loose leave trail of pet carnage

UMBILO residents and pet owners have had enough of the mayhem and pet carnage since a vicious pack of dogs took over their streets. Residents believe the pack of dogs, referred to by many as, “devil dogs” live between Carrington Primary School and the Stellawood cemetery while others believe they are residential dogs that are jumping fences and leaving a path of destruction.

Michele Knox, was still reeling after the brutal mauling of her cat, Abbie when she spoke to Berea Mail last week. “I remember reading about the story in the Berea Mail on a Sunday and feeling so sad for the woman who had seen her cat mauled.” she said. Knox had no idea her Abbie would suffer the same fate the following morning.

“My cats are my babies. I love them to bits. As a cat lover I was trying to see what could be done after seeing the spate of killings in the paper,” said Knox. She said she had contacted the SPCA and Animal Anti Cruelty League with no success in trying to get them to assist with the removal of the dogs from Stellawood who have been blamed for the mauling of neighbourhood felines.

“We heard a squealing cat at about 3am on the Monday morning and when we looked out the window we saw a big black and white dog and what looked like a Jack Russel with a grey cat in its mouth. My fiance ran out to try and chase them but they disappeared. I feared it was Abbie because the cat was grey, but tried to be positive and hoped she was safe.”

When Abbie didn’t arrive home that morning Knox’s fears were confirmed as a neighbour relayed the news that Abbie had been found further up the road. “Someone had put her in a box for us. It is devastating, I cried for three days and still haven’t told my young daughter. I just said she’s gone. It’s terrible that she had such a terrifying violent death and I couldn’t do anything about it. It’s so senseless!” said Knox.

As a cat lover in a community where many have pet cats, Knox is fearful for her other cat Mitsy, who has just had kittens and other cats in the neighbourhood.

“I am at my wits end. I have already tried to see if someone can get rid of these dogs, which people call “devil dogs” because they run out of the cemetery. We can’t live like this, they even attack dogs going for walks with their owners,” she said.

As angry as she was with the dogs, Knox hoped that something could be done before residents took matters into their own hands. “As dangerous as they are, I am an animal lover and do not want to see the dogs killed, so am hoping they can just be removed,” she said.

Allen Smith, owner of an Umbilo pub, said the cemetery dogs were not responsible for the attacks but rather dogs from the neighbourhood who were getting out of their properties. “You can’t blame the dogs, only the owners. It’s not right, they need to contain their dogs if they are vicious. We have seen many cats killed in the past two months and I am afraid for my own,” he said.

Umbilo resident Johan White agreed, “I’ve seen these dogs almost every day, the cemetery is like an orphanage for dogs and cats and birds, they all eat together and are not vicious.

Another resident who did not want to be named, also felt the vicious dogs live in the area. “They live close to the cemetery but are not the cemetery dogs. I saw them attack my neighbour’s Persian cat earlier this year. They have been quiet for a while but are obviously getting out again,” she said.

Meanwhile, Caroline Smith of the Durban and Coastal SPCA, said there appeared to be a lot of mystery surrounding these dogs and they were being monitored. “Our inspector has not personally seen any of them. The dogs have proven impossible to catch!” Smith said the SPCA had set up a feeding programme with the caretaker of Carrington Primary in order to establish a routine before adding a sedative to the food so that the dogs could be caught and taken to the SPCA.

“At her last visit to the area Inspector Sadayan was told by neighbours that the dogs actually belong to one of the houses – so our feeding scheme is not working, as the dogs are being fed by their owner. We have tried to gain access to the property of the alleged owner without any luck, and have now asked these neighbours to photograph the dogs when they next see them. The dogs could well be friendly; everything we know about these dogs is hearsay,” she said.

Director Steven R Edwards of Metro Police said metro officers did not deal with stray dogs. “We have no capacity nor the necessary logistics to deal with stray dog complaints. If we receive a complaint about a dog viz, excessive barking, vicious dog roaming out of property, with an identified owner, then we will investigate the complaint and take appropriate action. “In this instance, it is alleged that these dogs belong to the caretaker at Carrington Primary School. I will send an officer to investigate,” he added.