Animal welfare organisations call for calm as owners surrender pets in fear of violent deaths
MANY pit bull owners around the country who treat their dogs as cherished members of the family have been left with the difficult decision to either surrender their pets to animal welfare organisations or possibly face a violent and torturous death.
The Animal Welfare Society of South Africa (AWS) confirmed they have received adult pit bulls, as well as puppies, which were surrendered for safety this week.
They called for calm, stating that no legislation had been made calling for the breed to be surrendered or banned.
Headlines began following the Sizwe Kupelo Foundation petition, which now has over 100,00 signatures, to have pit bulls banned as domestic pets following the death of a 10-year-old boy from Gqeberha who was attacked by two pit bulls.
The National SPCA’s Keshvi Nair said although they could not give a figure on how many pit bulls had been surrendered across the country, they were swamped with owners bringing their animals to their centres.
“As a result, SPCAs around South Africa are facing the difficult task of dealing with the aftermath of these tragic attacks. Pit bulls are being surrendered to SPCAs in large numbers and, in communities where owners have not surrendered their pit bulls, the communities are beginning to take matters into their own hands. Animals are being poisoned, stabbed, beaten, and set alight in retaliation from angry communities,” she said.
Nair said as the number of surrendered dogs increases, there was now a concern about the effects this will have on the animal organisations.
“There is an urgent need for government intervention with regard to this issue, failing which humans and animals could be harmed at an even greater scale,” she said.
AWS spokesperson Allan Perrins said that by Thursday evening they had begun receiving calls from owners, fearful of losing their animal and have had to calm them.
“Since news broke of the ill-considered petition, that in our opinion is doomed to failure, we have admitted a few pit bulls, including an emaciated bitch and eight young puppies, all voluntarily surrendered by their owners due to safety considerations and fear of violent reprisal. Responsible pit bull owners have absolutely no reason to be concerned about their dogs being confiscated or removed against their will.
“There are no laws that prohibit the ownership of any specific breed of dog, including pit bulls and no talk of breed-specific legislation that may effectively outlaw the breed,” he said.
He added that they have an open-door policy for any breed.
“That being said, if anyone owns any breed of dog that poses a danger to society they should do the right thing and relinquish the animal to their nearest animal shelter,” he added.
Gigi Roper is a pit bull owner and the founder of Help a Paw. Her daughter rescued the pit bull, now fondly named “Razor” from a dog fighting ring in Khayelitsha after she was left with a broken jaw, and she is now part of their family.
Roper received her first call this week from a pit bull owner who had surrendered his animal and is now fearing for the fate of her beloved dog.
“This morning at 6am I received my first message – ‘kom haal my hond’ and it's been a day of the same theme.
“It is a bloodbath of unwanted pit bulls and no one has space for them. The SPCA will start to collect unwanted dogs tomorrow and any that are found unwanted on the streets.
“Razor has become the most incredible loving dog in all other aspects and I love her dearly. The amount of pit bulls that will be euthanised in the next few weeks will break the strongest of people in the welfare organisations and the people who have to do it,” she said.
The brutal killing of three pit bulls that were also set alight by community members in Gatesville, Athlone, after the dogs attacked a young girl who had to be hospitalised for her injuries, has gripped owners with fear.
Marisol Gutierrez, manager of the Cape of Good Hope SPCA in Grassy Park, said not just pit bulls were being surrendered, but other breeds to.
“It is because of the terrible events over last weekend, when dogs were beaten and set alight. Over three days, we collected around five cats and 50 dogs, of which only 10 were pit bull-type dogs.
“It’s sad when we get calls from dog owners who love their animals but are too afraid to keep them in case they are targeted by community members,” she said.
Mayco member for Safety and Security JP Smith said the City of Cape Town's Cape Animal Welfare Forum reported that between July 2021 and July 2022, 806 dogs were impounded, they received 216 complaints of dog fights and filed 153 dockets for attacks on animals and people.
He said the SPCA was now offering a R5,000 reward for information that could lead to the positive identification of persons involved in the attack where the pit bull were killed and set alight.
The City’s Animal Control Unit has also been roped into the investigation and is compiling a docket for the Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
It followed an urgent meeting between the City of Cape Town and two animal welfare organisations to discuss amendments to the Animal Keeping By-Law.
“The real problem is how dogs are raised and trained by their owners, but also interbreeding, which affects the temperament of a dog. The issue is not pit bull-specific,” Smith said.
Ciel-Marie Kock of Indelicate Pit Bulls said the problem was not the breed, but the management: “Pit bulls are not the problem. People who misuse and misunderstand the breed are.”