An elderly man died from his injuries after being attacked by two dogs in Stirling on May 3 and local dog training school owner, Chantel Burger, said the tragedy could have been avoided if the owners had heeded her plea to have the animals trained.
Burger, who is the owner of East London Dog Training and Socialisation School, said she had engaged with the owners of the two Rhodesian ridgebacks about training them in April.
“I was walking one of my client’s dogs in that street when the dogs got out of the gate and almost attacked us,” Burger said.
“I spoke to the owner and told her she needs to have the dogs trained not to attack people, or at the very least keep them at the back of the house so they don’t escape when the gate is opened.
“I gave her my contact details, and she contacted me later that evening. She told me she couldn’t afford dog training but said she would plan for the finances and get back to me.”
Burger, who has more than 30 years experience in dog training, said it was normal for dogs to get excited when they saw people or other dogs, but they only learnt not to attack through training.
“I noticed the dogs seemed cross and reactive when the gate opened. When we put dogs through training, we teach them not to react, and not to attack.”
Burger offers obedience training, puppy training and rehabilitation of problem dogs.
Ian Lombard, general manager of East London SPCA, explained the relevant bylaws.
“The East London SPCA’s function is to enforce The Animal Protection Act 71 of 1962 and thus animal cruelty, and in terms of legislation we can only guide the public.
“Allowing your dog to roam freely outside your property, allowing them to attack and injure a pedestrian, is in contravention of BCM bylaws. This legislation is enforced by BCM law enforcement,” he said.
According to the bylaws, any dog that has attacked a person in a public street or other place to which the public have access shall be deemed dangerous until the contrary is proved.
Any dog owner whose negligence results in injury to another person shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years.
“Bottom line, be a responsible pet owner and know it is imperative that your dogs are kept within your residential property ensuring the safety of pedestrians and children walking by,” Lombard said.
BCM Ward 18 councillor Jason McDowell was at the scene on the day of the incident and made the call to the SPCA for its assistance.
He said in the wake of the tragedy, the Stirling community had not expressed anger against the owners or the dogs but had called for greater vigilance from pet owners across the city.
“I’m just hoping from this tragedy that the message goes out to the whole of East London that your dogs need to stay within your properties,” he said.
“We have so many dogs roaming the streets that people are in fear of, it affects people’s lives. This includes dogs allowed to roam freely on the beaches. It’s a major problem and I hope this is taken as an awakening to the issues of dogs that are not kept on a leash or inside their properties.”
The two dogs were euthanised after the attack and the police have since opened a case of culpable homicide against the owners.
The dog owners’ attorney, Ayanda Kwebana, acknowledged that Burger had spoken to the owners and offered her services to help train the dogs. He said the owners had the full intention of using the dog training services but tragically the incident occurred before this could happen.
