A two-year-old boy is recovering in hospital after he was nearly mauled to death by a pit bull.
The hond tore off parts of the little boy’s brow and forehead on Saturday afternoon.
Sufyaan Loggenberg from Hanover Park will now have to undergo skin grafting to repair the damage to his face, says his mother Zaitoon Loggenberg.
The child is being treated at the Red Cross children’s hospital, and the mom plans to lay a charge of negligence against the dog’s owner.
According to Zaitoon, 28, they were walking past the gate of one of the neighbours’ houses in Hannel Walk, when the “huge black and brown coloured dog, drooling at the bek”, stuck his head out and bit Sufyaan in the face.
“I was so shocked when it happened that I just grabbed my child and rushed to the hospital. There was so much blood and his one brow is completely gone,” says a traumatised Zaitoon.
She says her little boy was also in shock.
“After being taken in at trauma at Red Cross, he became ill. He received lots of medication for the pain and was vomiting and moaning a lot in the first couple of hours,” she adds.
Meanwhile, the Cape of Good Hope Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said they would investigate the incident.
Spokesperson Belinda Abraham says it is the responsibility of the owner to ensure their dog doesn’t attack people randomly.
“Having a pit bull seems to be popular and some sort of status symbol.
“With this comes the responsibility of making sure the dogs are properly socialised and trained correctly,” says Abraham.
“Owners need to make sure all breeds of guard dogs receive positive reinforcement, or they will have to take responsibility at the end of the day.
“We will investigate this incident.”
Zaitoon says police gave her a J88 form, which needs to be filled out by doctors, before she can lay a charge.
“I have received a J88 form to fill in and I will be laying a charge because my child could have been hurt worse. The owners must take responsibility,” says the determined mom.
The dog’s owner could not be reached yesterday.