Elderly Lichtenburg man mauled to death by his own dogs

A 60-year-old man has been mauled to death by his own dogs in the North West Province.

The incident happened on Saturday at the man’s home in Lichtenburg.

North West police spokesperson Captain Sam Tselanyane said an inquest has been opened.

Dogs barking

“It is alleged that on the said day during load shedding, the deceased’s wife was busy on the other side of their house when she heard the dogs barking. She didn’t bother to go and check what was wrong as their house is situated on a busy street and the dogs are frequently barking at pedestrians and vehicles passing by.”

After the electricity was restored, the woman went inside the house looking for her husband, but could not find him, Tselanyane said.

Search

“Upon continuing with the search, the woman saw her husband lying motionless outside in the garden. She then quickly went outside only to find that her husband was bitten by their dogs, two staffie/pitbull crossings and one unknown breed dog.

“The police and Emergency Medical Rescue Services (EMRS) were called and the man was certified dead at the scene. The SPCA were also called and the three dogs were removed from the premises,” Tselanyane said.

ALSO READ: Toddler mauled to death by pit bull in Eastern Cape

Dog attacks

A number of dog attacks have made headlines in South Africa recently, resulting in a petition to ban pit bulls specifically.

Last year, a 15-month-old baby was mauled at Gonubie Farm in East London and reportedly died at Frere Hospital in the Eastern Cape.

According to police, the boy was playing with the neighbour’s pit bull in a yard when a passerby walked past the property with their dog.

The pit bull began barking at the dog outside and tried to get out of the yard. He then reportedly turned around and bit the child in his upper body.

The boy was rushed to a nearby hospital, but succumbed to his injuries.

ALSO READ: Government silent as petition launched to ban pit bulls in South Africa