Cape Town - Residents of Lavender Hill are so used to violence they sometimes refer to the area as “Kill Me Quick Town”.
The victims of the ongoing gang violence are more often than not women and children - but the latest is a dog.
The pitbull cross, named Trouble, was stabbed in his back by an alleged gangster after an argument with the dog’s owner.
Tara McGovern, the spokeswoman for the SPCA, said a Cape of Good Hope SPCA vet saved the dog’s life by operating to remove the knife which was broken inside the dog’s vertebra, miraculously missing any major organs.
An SPCA inspector was called to investigate after the incident on Monday and found the dog with a deep stab wound to its back and spinal region.
Witnesses saw the assailant stab the dog in front of onlookers.
After being stabbed by the man, the dog reportedly ran after its owner with the knife sticking out of its back.
McGovern said they were currently compiling the necessary affidavits prior to submission at Steenberg police station in order to lay a charge.
“The owner and his family told our inspector that they feared for their safety so were reluctant to open a case against the perpetrator themselves.”
She said the dog was recovering in their animal hospital following the operation, but would be reunited with its owner.
McGovern added that the dog was well-cared for and lived in a fully fenced property.
SPCA chief executive, Allan Perrins, said the incident highlighted the violent and dangerous environment so many animals and their owners endured on a daily basis across local communities.
Perrins said the number of incidents involving animals being caught in the cross-fire was on the increase.
On the same day Trouble was admitted, another dog died after being treated at the SPCA for a bullet wound to the skull.
“Both dogs were in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up as innocent victims of alleged acts of criminality and gangsterism,” Perrins said.
Cape Argus