Cape Town - A mother of six who survived a vicious attack by two pit bulls has travelled all the way to the Animal Welfare Society of South Africa in Philippi to appeal for help as the dogs are still roaming around her community.
Felida Fry, 43, is lucky to be alive thanks to the quick-thinking of a tuck shop owner in the Kampies informal settlement in Philippi who saved her as the dogs began mauling her in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Fry, who is a seamstress, is now unable to work.
AWS has since advised the woman to open a case under the Animal matters Amendment Act.
AWS spokesperson Allan Perrins said they are now preparing to remove the animals, which pose a danger to the community and indicated the animals are expected to be impounded by law enforcement due to irresponsible owners.
Fry, who was in a lot of pain, explained that she could have died if the owner of the shop did not chase the dogs away.
“I was walking to the tuck shop at 2am on Saturday to purchase cigarettes.
“These dogs came out of nowhere and began attacking me. They first pushed me to the ground. They were biting at my legs and thighs and the pain became so much, I just became lame.
“They were wanting to drag me to the bush and were going to move to my neck next when the owner of the tuck shop ran out and began attacking them with a spade or something. They could have killed me.
“I work as a seamstress and now I am unable to work. I am in a lot of pain and the dogs are still walking around the community. I do not know the names of the dogs but I understand he (the owner) lives in Lansdowne,” Fry said.
Perrins said they would assist the woman and that this was an example of irresponsible owners.
“These dogs do pose a danger and they will need to be removed and impounded by law enforcement.
“This is irresponsible ownership and an example of someone who has the dog for the purpose of backyard breeding in order to sell the puppies and this leads to the bloodline becoming more vicious.
“This woman has been left with physical and psychological trauma and we will be supporting her and helping her,” he said.
The attack comes just days after alleged racist Belinda Magor was arrested after calling for black women’s uteruses to be removed and black men to be burned, instead of pit bulls.
Magor sent racial remarks via a Whatsapp group which went viral. She reportedly made the comments in defence of pit bulls after a foundation lobbied for the banning of the breed as domestic pets, following the death of a 10-year-old boy in Gqeberha.
The South African Human Rights Commission was preparing to send Magor a letter of demand and that if she did not respond, it may see the in of the Equality Court.
Last week Perrins and other organisations called for calm after they received calls from owners fearful of losing their pets.
Perrins said they had admitted a female pit bull and eight of her litter and added that responsible owners did not need to panic, but if anyone felt that any breed of dog was a danger to society to take it to the nearest animal shelter.