Dog attack in Beyers Park leaves resident injured, traumatised
The man said it took about 30 minutes to fend off the dogs.
A Ramaphosa resident has been left traumatised after being attacked by two pit bull terriers in a veld in Ravenswood Street, Beyers Park, while walking home from work.
Samuel Mope Lephotho (34) said his employer sent him home on the morning of October 18 because of the weather, and he was on his way to the East Rand Mall taxi rank when the attack occurred at around 08:30.
“I saw two dogs barking at other dogs from nearby complexes. They were still far away, so I thought they were small. But as I got closer, I realised they were pit bulls. When I looked back, they were running towards me,” Lephotho recalled.
He tried to defend himself using his backpack while running and shouting for help, but no one came to his aid.
“As I was trying to get away, my bag slipped out of my hand. I had nothing left to protect myself, so I started kicking with my safety boots. Luckily, I had them on, but the dogs still bit my legs,” he said.
“A woman from the neighbourhood came out and tried to call the dogs, but they didn’t stop. I picked up stones from some rubble nearby and threw them at the dogs. Eventually, neighbours came out and the dogs just disappeared,” he said.
According to Lephotho, the ordeal lasted between 20 and 30 minutes, with him trying to fend the dogs off.
Security officers and paramedics arrived shortly afterwards, and he was taken to Tambo Memorial Hospital for treatment for wounds on his legs.
“I’m traumatised about what happened. I’ve never even seen someone being attacked by a dog before,” he said, adding that he plans to open a case with the police.
Boksburg SPCA field officer Melanie Mey said that while they were searching for the dogs after being alerted to the attack, a resident waved them down.
“He told us the dogs had been caught in Edgar Road, and when we got there, we knew they were the same dogs involved in the attack, as one of them was covered in blood,” said Mey. “We took the animals to the SPCA.”
SPCA manager Vicky Finnemore said the owner has since reclaimed the dogs and refuses to surrender them, even though they pose a danger to the community.
“The owner claimed not to know how the dogs got out of his property, as he wasn’t home. The investigation into the attack on Samuel is in the hands of the police,” Finnemore said.
The Boksburg Advertiser is awaiting comment from the police.
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