Cape Town - Atlantic Seaboard residents want a Cape Town advocate banned from beaches and parks in the area, saying her unleashed pit bull had savaged about 15 dogs over the past year.
They claim that the pit bull owner, Francoise Lempereur has refused to take any responsibility or contribute towards hefty vets bills resulting from the attacks by her dog and that law enforcement has taken no action despite being repeatedly notified of the incidents.
On Sunday Shaun Hoddy was walking his French bulldog puppy Pablo and Boston terrier Peggy on the Sea Point promenade when the pit bull struck.
“I just saw a huge dog run up the stairs from the beach and grab Pablo and shake her in the air,” Hoddy said.
He and some passers-by managed to get the pit bull to drop the puppy, but it then went for the Boston terrier.
Hoddy said Lempereur had just walked off.
He said he was considering legal action but that she had threatened to lay a charge of intimidation.
After posting an account of the attack on Facebook, dozens of others came forward with similar stories.
Rowan Katzew said his dog Django, a Jack Russell cross, had been attacked twice within two weeks by the pit bull in the Mouille Point dog park several months ago, causing severe lacerations and vet’s bills of more than R5 000.
Katzew said Lempereur, whose identity he only found out later using a private investigator, had sworn at him and walked away.
“I went to SAPS Sea Point to lay a charge but was told I was unable to and needed to speak to law enforcement which I did.”
Katzew sent the Cape Argus the numerous e-mails he sent to a senior officer at law enforcement going back months, yet nothing was done.
On Tuesday Lempereur told the Cape Argus she was very sorry and had undertaken to muzzle her dog when out on walks in future.
“He does need to be on a lead. It’s my fault and I accept it.”
Lempereur said her two year-old pit bull was not an aggressive dog but did sometimes “react to small dogs”.
She added that she would do whatever was necessary in terms of restitution.
“But putting my dog down is not the solution,” she said, adding that he had also been injured in the latest altercation.
“People put things up his bum and in his eyes. I had to take him to the vet for treatment.”
Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith said the City’s law enforcement department had received affidavits detailing two incidents involving the same dog.
He said that in the first incident, the Animal Control Unit had opened a docket for investigation.
“The dog owner, however, refused to allow the investigating team access to her property.
“That docket was subsequently submitted to the prosecuting authority for a decision on whether to proceed with the case.”
Smith said that in terms of the second incident, the matter was currently under investigation.
He added that the issue was a criminal matter which needed to be reported to the police.
Cape Argus