Ms Anel Noortman nearly lost the tip of her thumb and her dog Seun was euthanised after the same two dogs ran onto her property in Oribi Street on January 9.
According to Anel, her gate was open while she was helping her mother load water into her car when the Bull Terrier and Staffie/Bull Terrier cross ran into her yard without her being aware. Seun was in the yard with them when he was grabbed by the two other dogs and dragged across the street.
Anel and her mother struggled to free Seun from the grip of the two other dogs and in the process, Anel’s finger was ripped open.
“My mother succeeded in getting the brown Bull Terrier off, but the black one wouldn’t let go. The owner of the two dogs’ son and daughter arrived and loaded the brown one into the car but made no attempt to assist with the black one.”
Anel was convinced that Seun was dead and went into the house to take care of her bleeding finger, while a bystander who stopped to assist took Seun to the vet. Her mother took her to the doctor for stitches.
According to Anel, the owner of the dogs and her husband then came forward, informing her that Seun was at the vet, “At first they offered to pay the medical expenses for my finger, but later on they offered only half before finally refusing to pay anything at all. They also promised to have the brown Bull Terrier put down.”
The next day the vet called Anel informing her that the trauma to Seun’s respiratory system was too severe and they suggested euthanasia or a R6 000 operation.
Seun was put down.
The owner of the two dogs contacted Brian Amos, the owner of Mona the Pekingese’s son, after seeing the article published by the Middelburg Observer.
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According to Ms Kim Lievhart, Mona’s owner, they told them point blank that they couldn’t cover the costs of Mona’s treatment without even inquiring what it was, “My main concern isn’t the cost. My concern is the safety of other dogs and children. My question is, what is the owner going to do to keep her dogs off the street?”
Ms Lievhart pointed out Anel’s incident and the fact that she was injured and her dog was killed, further expressing concern over the possibility that a child could be next.
She is also astonished that the dogs succeeded in pulling Mona, who is quite plump, through their palisades, “We have three Pekingese and placed bars between our palisades to ensure that they cannot get out of the yard, I am really surprised that the dogs could pull her through.”
Mona lost one eye, sustained injury to her jaw, and is undergoing intensive treatment to try and save her other eye.
“We have to put in one kind of eye drops every hour, and another kind of eye drops every two hour. Mona will go back to the vet on Thursday for a check-up of her eye and jaw.”
She further told the Middelburg Observer that the two Bull Terriers tried biting both her and the gardener while they tried separating them from Mona, but fortunately had them at the back of their collars.
The owner herself and her son turned up this time and loaded the dogs into their car.
• The owner spoke to the Middelburg Observer on condition of anonymity, saying that both accounts suggesting that they left the scene refusing to pay were untrue.
She explained that the two dogs in question include a brown Bull Terrier and the black Staffordshire Terrier and Bull Terrier cross.
With Anel’s incident, her son and daughter took the dogs home and she and her husband later met with Anel and her husband where they came to an agreement, “They were friendly initially and agreed that we would separate the medical bill in half. The next day, Anel’s mother called me, screaming and shouting at me over the phone.”
They then expected her to cover the R6 000 for the operation on Seun, at which they honestly explained they didn’t have the money.
“I work for a lawyer, who told me that according to law, if my dog didn’t act unnaturally or out of character – even if it was out of my yard, I am not liable for anything.”
She also accused Anel of lying about her dog biting her finger, saying that her finger tore when she tried to force the Bull Terrier’s jaw open.
• As for the incident involving the Pekingese, the owner said they never left the scene without a word.
“When I arrived I apologised profusely and after the dogs were loaded we stood outside the yard when Ms Lievhart went inside. We didn’t want to stand outside all day and decided to take the dogs home and meet with them at a later stage. They then decided to turn to WhatsApp and the Middelburg Observer.”
She further added that when she spoke to Brian Amos, she at no point refused to pay, she just explained that they didn’t have the means to pay the vet bills, but she is willing to pay it off in instalments should they be willing to come to some kind of agreement.
Brian then told her his mother would contact her, which she still hasn’t done.
• The owner further added that the brown Bull Terrier was a dog they purchased from a “backyard breeder” and that she had an extreme change in personality after being neutered.
They took the dog to the Kanonkop Animal Clinic for a variety of treatments to address the aggression and that even her tail was removed in an attempt to make her more docile.
“The vet then told us that if the treatments aren’t successful and the behaviour continues, their only option is euthanasia.
We are struggling financially and could not afford to put her down at the time.”
After the owner again emphasised that she is not liable for her dogs if they did not behave in an “unnatural or uncharacteristic manner”, she failed to respond to the Middelburg Observer’s question as to what she defines as “unnatural” and whether the Bull Terrier she admitted to having undergone such a drastic behaviour change wasn’t, in fact, acting in an unnatural manner.
She did acknowledge that she has a responsibility to keep her dogs on her premises and also assured the Middelburg Observer that their brown Bull Terrier will be euthanised at the state vet tomorrow, while the Staffie-cross and the young pup they have will be taken to a new home this afternoon.
“We will only keep one Bull Terrier because he is old and is no danger to anyone.”
• The young pup and the old Bull Terrier were not involved in any attacks.
