Implementation of by-law is bull, says Dave Walters

MBOMBELA – Radio personality Dave Walters, of the former MPowerFM, is “really worried” about the by-law, restricting dog owners to buy and to walk American Pit Bull Terriers (APBTs), as announced by the Knysna municipality earlier this month.

Knysna plans to implement a by-law prohibiting dog owners from walking their dogs in town or buying APBTs at will. The dogs will be forbidden in any public area and owners will have to undergo strict screening processes when purchasing the canines.

The by-law came as a result of an increase of APBTs in the town, causing the local municipality to believe they are being bred for dog fights.

“I am really worried,” says Walters. “This is woefie apartheid! It’s discrimination against a specific breed of dog.”

Walters is an avid admirer of APBTs and currently owns two himself. “If the breed-specific legislation were to be followed, we are in trouble. Very few people are trained to identify the specific breed of a dog, thus the legislature might collapse.”

Walters says the by-law “misses the point” and “wouldn’t work” because the personality of a canine depends on its owner, not its breed.

“In Ireland, a disabled girl’s therapy dog was seized purely because it was a pit bull. The girl was devastated and her parents sued the government. The dog was detained for 500 days before it was ‘destroyed’. Cases like this just cause unnecessary stress on people who are already stressed.”

So far, Mbombela Local Municipality say it has no plans to implement the by-law. “We are not aware of an increase of APBTs in our city so we don’t have to implement the law,” says Mbombela communication officer Bessie Pienaar.

“I just hope Knysna’s citizens make an uproar so the idea doesn’t spread to other cities,” says Walters.