A puppy in Ext. 11 was stoned to death for allegedly killing a chicken.

Ironically, the pet was called Christmas, a time of peace, goodwill and happiness.

Still overwhelmed with emotion, Johannes Njameni vehemently denies the puppy ate the neighbour’s chicken.

The part-time gardener says he last saw his pet playing with its mother, Chocolate, at around 07:00 on Sunday.

‘At about 10:00, a young boy from Baipei (Ext. 11’s informal settlement) called me to say Christmas’s body was lying near one of the shacks in the area. He said he had seen what had happened. I rushed to the scene and found the little dog with his tongue hanging out and blood around his mouth.’

Still not able to believe what he saw, he decided to confront the suspect. ‘He laughed at me and said he had stoned the puppy to death because it had eaten one of his chickens. He told me to go and bury it,’ said Johannes.
The tearful owner buried his dog in a grave near his home. Later that day, he decided to report the person at the police station.
Sgt Kelebogile Trom, the Ikageng police spokesperson confirmed the incident and says a case has been opened at the station. So far, she says, no one has been arrested.
The heartbroken animal lover wants the law to take its course. ‘A dog is man’s best friend; he cannot just kill it like that! He killed my puppy like he was killing a snake or a rat. I haven’t seen chickens on his property once this year,’ he said.
Johannes says he is still in disbelief because the suspect knows his dogs and also has dogs of his own. ‘I loved that puppy so much. It was the happiest, most beautiful little dog. I believe he killed it out of jealousy.’
‘I’m sure Chocolate knows what is going on. If she could talk, she would have run to tell me that her puppy was in danger,’ he said.