A puppy has been left disfigured after a jaw-dropping attack by a pit bull which ripped half of its face off.
According to her owner, the seven-month-old pup Layla, who is also a pittie, put her snout through the bars of the gates and was barking when her neighbour’s brown dog Mia attacked her last Tuesday in Manenberg.
Animal Welfare Society SA spokesperson Allan Perrins says their team of veterinarians was able to save the severely injured dog.
“Layla survived the attack and the remarkable veterinary team were able to piece together her shattered mouth so successfully that she was eating again when she left,” he says.
“Her shocked and traumatised owner Delia Adonis from Manenberg explained how the neighbour’s dog grabbed Layla by the bottom jaw and yanked her through a small gap between the gate and gate post leaving Layla with a shattered lower jaw, missing canines and multiple serious lacerations to the inside of her mouth and muzzle.
“The degree of disfigurement suffered by Layla can only be described as shocking and is illustrative of the savage ferocity of the alleged unprovoked attack.”
A devastated Delia says she heard the commotion and then noticed her small black and white dog bleeding.
She rushed Layla to the AWS where the dog had to undergo an emergency operation to save her jaw.
“This was not the first time that the dog (Mia) bit her face, the first time was two months ago,” she says.
“And then last Tuesday while Layla was by the gate, she was attacked and some of her teeth are out.
“The vet had to put screws in her jaws. She is eating soft foods.”
Delia tells Daily Voice that Layla can’t even bark.
“She was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday and is still shaken about the whole incident and I get scared when people open the gate. I don’t want her to be hurt again.
“I’m an animal lover, I have two dogs, a cat and five birds, I love my kids.”
Mia’s owner was not at home but a 14-year-old relative says he was the one who was taking her out for a walk when the incident happened.
“I had the dog by the leash and when I was opening the gate for my friend, I lost the grip,” the teen tells the Daily Voice.
“I didn’t let go, but the dog was pulling me towards the neighbour’s dog which was barking the whole time. And then Mia went to the dog’s face and bit it off.
“It was a terrible thing to watch, for a moment we stood in shock but then I went to get a stick in the mouth so we could unlock the jaws.
“I didn’t mean to let go of the leash. But the dog is not aggressive, she is also a puppy, only about 18 months old. She has never bitten anyone or any dogs.”