Shannon-Lee Beukes, inspectorate controller at Animal Welfare Society of South Africa, with a stray pit bull. Picture: Tracey Adams African News Agency (ANA)
Cape Town - Tensions are brewing between pit bull owners and victims of pit bull attacks as the call to ban the breed gains momentum.
The victims who have either lost limbs or suffered serious injuries after being mauled by pit bulls have joined the call to have the breed banned as domestic pets.
Meanwhile, the Pit Bull Federation of South Africa has issued a warning that should the ban be successful, it could see an increase in illegal dogfighting and animal abuse.
The federation has also warned that unfit dog owners could pick another aggressive breed to use for illegal activities.
The call to have the breed banned was launched by the Sizwe Kupelo Foundation earlier this month through writing to government departments and a petition. Though the departments of health, agriculture and police have yet to respond to Kupelo’s letters, the petition has since garnered more than 29 000 signatures.
The foundation wants pit bulls to be banned as pets and for male pit bulls to be castrated.
Founder Sizwe Kupelo said that after a meeting with the Pit Bull Federation of South Africa, a decision was taken to agree to disagree.
“Our take is that they are missing the point. We are not an animal organisation. We have no interest in animals. We are calling for this ban because of the right to life. We want lives protected and we want people, especially children, to not feel threatened by this animal,” Kupelo said.
Kupelo, who previously likened the dog to guns, said the aim was to submit the petition to the decision-makers when it reaches 50 000 signatures.
Though the petition has drummed up support, some pit bull owners have spoken out against the petition.
One pit bull owner, Janine du Plessis, whose dog was shot dead by police in 2016 after they had attacked an intruder, said she was against the call for the breed ban.
Du Plessis, who referred to the dogs as children, said the pit bulls had not been raised to bite.
“It’s not about the breed, it’s about how you raise your child. They were just doing their job. They were guarding my home, their home, because they were my children. Any dog would have done that,” said Du Plessis.
Kupelo added that some pit bull owners had shown interest in surrendering their dogs to the SPCA.
Lehanda Rheeder of the Pit Bull Federation of South Africa said owners affiliated with the federation “were not very happy about the call for the ban”.
“We do understand why the rest of the public feels the way they do. We are in continued discussions with the Sizwe Kupelo Foundation, and the last time we spoke, we agreed that we have some common goals that we want to achieve.”
Rheeder said these included stricter law enforcement and enforcing the laws that already exist.
“There is common ground; we just have a different approach on how to get there,” Rheeder said.
She said the plan was to ensure that all the parties involved reached a solution to the mauling.
Rheeder also warned that should the call for the ban be successful, it could open the door to animal cruelty.
“The federation is definitely concerned about that. If the petition to ban the breeds goes ahead and goes to Parliament and eventually passes into legislation, that will definitely push a lot of unwanted breeding and the guys that breed the dogs for the wrong reasons will be pushed underground,” Rheeder said.
She said that should this happen, regulation would be difficult.
“Breed bans have not worked in other countries that have the same problem that we have with owners and breeders doing the wrong thing with the American pit bull terrier.
“We feel that if we put more pressure on the government to enforce the existing laws and make the general public aware of responsible ownership, we will get a lot further,” Rheeder said.
“There are a couple of factors that you need to take into account. The general public also gets the dogs for the wrong reasons. These are not guard dogs, they are not nanny dogs like a lot of people think they are,” Rheeder said.
Animal Welfare Society of South Africa (AWSSA) spokesperson Allan Perrins said society was not in support of breed specific legislation.
“Research shows that bans on certain types of dogs are largely ineffective. The simple fact is that dogs of any breed can become dangerous when they are intentionally or unintentionally raised to be aggressive,” Perrins said.
Perrins said responsible ownership of any dog required a sincere commitment to proper socialisation, humane training and careful supervision.
“Laws that ban particular breeds of dogs do not achieve these aims and instead create the illusion but not the reality of enhanced public safety. All dogs, including pit bulls, are individuals,” Perrins said.
Weekend Argus
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