Keep dogs on leash, begs resident
WHAT began as a leisurely walk in Delta Park for Craigpark resident Teresa Richards and two friends ended in sadness and anger.
The trio came across an injured guinea fowl, and were told by another woman that she saw two large dogs attack the bird.
“The bird didn’t look like it was badly injured. It was lying there, breathing heavily. We couldn’t leave it, so I picked it up to take it to the vet. Unfortunately, the bird was in such shock that it died in my arms,” said Richards.
“It was very sad to see, and we were beside ourselves.”
Richards said their sadness quickly turned to anger at the “brazen disregard” many dog-walkers have for the city by-laws that state, “No person may permit any dog to be in a public space unless it is kept on a leash and under control of a person”, unless within an area designated by the city council in which dogs may run free, and that “No person may without reasonable grounds allow a dog in his or her custody or under his or her control to attack or put fear into any person, animal or bird” (City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality By-Laws Relating to Dogs and Cats).
“I have seen dogs running in the Braamfontein Spruit, chasing after ducks many times. Some might think this is cute, but I think it’s disgraceful that people who own dogs and walk them unleashed have no respect for the environment,” said Richards.
“There are lots of plovers breeding, and they have their nests on the ground, so dogs might attack them too. If we want to preserve what little we have left, then we need to do something about this.”
Richards is not the only resident to have had a nasty experience involving dogs on the Spruit.
In July, Leigh King’s daughter took their three dogs for a run along the popular waterway. King’s border collie was attacked by an unleashed dog being walked by a gardener. The attacked dog bolted, and King’s daughter spent two hours searching for him.
The dog was later found injured and sheltering at a home in Richmond Avenue.
King said her daughter collected the animal and took him to the vet where he was stitched up, kept overnight on a drip, and then sent home with antibiotics and a bill of several thousand rand.
