A five-year-old girl is lucky to be alive after her neighbour’s pit bull sunk its teeth into her head.
The dog broke free from its chain and ran to the front yard of Milani Guzi’s Khayelitsha home and bit her as she was preparing for school on Friday morning.
The child’s aunt Lavisa, 28, says her heroic mom jumped on the dog and pulled its jaws from her skull.
“What I witnessed I will never forget, Milani almost died and the incident has left us all traumatised,” says Lavisa.
“She came to fetch me from my house a few doors away and when she returned, she was attacked by the dog.
“The dog, which is always chained, broke from the chain and came into our yard where its owner was.”
She says when the Grade R learner noticed the dog, she ran into her home but the dog caught up with her in the front yard.
“It jumped on her, if she didn’t cower, she would have been killed by that vicious animal,” says the aunt.
“The dog locked its jaws on her head, all the owner could do was scream for help while her dog was injuring my niece.
“This was such a shocking thing, I understand, but this is her dog.
“My mother decided to take action, by jumping on the dog and pulling the jaws apart to loosen its grip.
“She asked one of the kids to bring water and she threw it on the dog and it let Milani go.”
Lavisa tells the Daily Voice her niece’s scalp was ripped and hanging from the head.
“I couldn’t even look at her, I was left very shaken.
“The neighbour paid for the doctor’s visit but when we got there, he said he couldn’t stitch her up so she was transferred to Khayelitsha District Hospital where she was sewn up.”
The disturbing incident has left little Milani in a state.
“She takes the cellphone and calls the police and tells them they must come and take the dog because it has hurt her,” says Lavisa.
“We are going to lay a charge once we have the J88 form on Wednesday.”
Lavisa says the dog has since been removed from the neighbour’s yard.
“She (neighbour) said she took it to the SPCA. She should not have had the dog here in the first place.
“Pit bulls are dangerous dogs, they are wild. If you have a pitbull then you must know you are keeping a lion in your home.”
The neighbour and dog owner failed to respond to Daily Voice queries.