Pretoria - Cheeky, the little Chihuahua that managed to make its way into the urgent court last week, is now house-bound.
His owner Carel de Jager is ensuring that the dog does not leave his sight, family friend Hanlie Coetzee told the Pretoria News.
An acting judge was not impressed that Cheeky was the subject of a Gauteng High Court, Pretoria urgent application. Judge Norman Davis commented that this was an issue the parties could have sorted out between themselves, rather than running to court.
The Kranspoort Owners Committee, which owned a development in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, turned to court as they wanted the dog off the estate. De Jager had special permission to keep the dog, as he is wheelchair bound and extremely lonely.
His pastor recommended that he keep a dog at the eco estate which has a strict no-pet policy, and the committee gave De Jager, 37, the green light provided the dog was not a nuisance. They also stipulated that Cheeky may not roam outside the yard of the house De Jager shares with his mother Margie de Jager.
But several neighbours complained about the dog’s “continuous barking” - especially when he spotted the wildlife which roams the estate.
Coetzee said Margie was afraid to speak to the media, as she feared she would be “further targeted”.
“The dog is not a bother at all, but she is being victimised,” Coetzee said.
According to her, people bang on the wall outside the house, which causes the dog to bark. “He often sits in the window and looks at the monkeys roaming around, without a peep. The birds and buck even eat out of his bowl outside and he does nothing. He is not a nuisance at all.”
According to Coetzee, both mother and son refuse to let the dog leave the house following the court order that De Jager may only keep the dog if he is not left unattended and behaves. The judge said the committee can approach the court again if the dog proved to be a nuisance.
“Carel is living in fear that someone will take his dog away. He sits all day long in his bedroom. He has no friends. All he has is Cheeky. The dog does not even go outside any more to do his business. He now does it in the house.”
She said the family were happy that the dog could stay, but they feared what could happen next.
“If they take that dog away Carel’s blood will be on their hands,” Coetzee said.
He has been wheelchair-bound since he was in a car accident years ago. Coetzee said he had attempted to commit suicide twice. The last time was when the committee threatened to take away the dog. He stabbed himself several times and cut off his penis.
“I was there after it happened. I saw the blood. It is very sad. But people should just leave him and his mother alone and not bother them. They live on a private property where nobody has the right to bother them... If they take the dog away I don’t know what will happen.”
Pretoria News