Unleashed dog kills Yorkie, injures woman

An everyday walk on the Silverglade greenbelt turned into a nightmare when an unleashed dog killed a Yorkshire terrier and injured a woman.

Jemma Howse said her daughter Catherine’s nine-month-old Yorkie, Jez, was “violently shaken” by a Staffordshire terrier on Sunday May 19 at around 3.30pm. The dog died at the scene.

“I've known dogs my entire life, and I knew it was out to kill. It was approaching us very fast and not in a friendly manner,” she said.

The Staffie had knocked her off her feet and grabbed the Yorkie before she could pick it up.

“I shouted no, no, and help, help, and the owner of the Staffie rushed over to try to get the dog to let go of Jez, but her little body was already limp.”

Catherine said she was devastated and would never walk her dogs on the greenbelt again. There were frequent reports on community WhatsApp groups of similar incidents involving unleashed dogs, she added.

Her mother had been left with two bruised eyes, a nosebleed, a cut on her lip and chin and two bruised knees from the Staffie running into her.

Catherine said the Staffie’s owner had apologised, promised to get the dog behavioural treatment and offered to pay for her mother’s medical treatment and buy Catherine a new dog.

She said she would not be taking legal action and had declined the offer of a new dog.

She said she had wanted to get a “friend” for Jez from the Yorkie’s breeder but would now get two puppies from the litter instead of one.

“It was a very traumatic experience for all of us,” she said.

Fish Hoek Community Police Forum chairman Andre Blom said the Silverglade greenbelts were popular among dog walkers, and some people even walked their cats, but over the past year, two pets had been killed and one had been badly injured by unleashed dogs, and in two of the cases, owners of the pet being attacked had needed medical treatment for injuries.

And large, unleashed dogs sometimes jumped up on strangers in a friendly way but in two cases, adults had been flung to the ground and injured, he said.

City Law Enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason said most municipal recreation spots had signage to say whether dogs were allowed and whether they could be unleashed, but not all areas permitted that.

Dog walkers who violated the by-law could be fined up to R500 and have their animals impounded, he said.

“In extreme cases, the animal can even be euthanised if it is in the interest of public safety.”

Mr Blom said dogs had to be leashed on The Glade and the other greenbelts in Silverglade. He added that there was also a problem with dog owners not cleaning up after their animals.

“People even stand and watch their dog defecate in the middle of the walkway and walk away as if that is acceptable.”