WATCH: Community Responds to Call for Ban on Pit Bull Dogs

The call to have pitbull terriers banned was launched by the Sizwe Kupelo Foundation earlier this month through writing to government departments and a petition. The petition has since garnered more than 27 000 signatures. This has without a doubt prompted robust debate around the topic, which is why the Weekend Argus set out to speak to the people directly affected. In March 2016, Janine and Anthony du Plessis’ two pit bull terrier dogs, Paco and Rocco attacked an intruder, Wayne “Wayntjie” Kayster, 35 when he came onto their property to steal a weber braai from their backyard in Lotus River. A police officer on the scene shot Paco twice, fatally wounding him. Kayster also later died from his injuries. On Friday, a tearful Janine du Plessis told the Weekend Argus that she still mourns her baby (Paco), who was a member of their family. She said she did not agree with the proposed ban on the pit bull terrier as a breed. “We don’t raise our children (dogs) to bite people. We raise our children to love and protect us. It’s not about the breed, it’s about how you raise your child. They were just doing their job. They were protecting my house; their house; because they are my babies. Any dog would have done that,” said du Plessis. In June 2017, Emma Murphy, 3 and her grandfather survived an attack by their neighbour’s pit bull terrier and a rottweiler after the two scaled a 2m-high wall and mauled them in their own backyard. Crawford couple Glenda and Cliff Augustyn recalled the gruesome incident in which their grandchild and her paternal grandfather were viciously attacked. “The pit bull came onto their property and attacked them. It is for this reason that I feel strongly that pit bulls should be banned as domestic animals because people do not seem to rear them properly,” Cliff said. Glenda shared a different view, saying that some animals are not being raised by responsible owners and that they are raised to be vicious. “I think that this is the area that needs to be addressed and not banning every pit bull lover from having their pets because I know people who have raised breeds like this in a loving way and those dogs were not vicious towards me or anyone else,” she said. Demroy Jacobs, 29 from Kewtown said he rescued his pit bull terrier from a friend four months ago. He said his friend was abusing the scar-faced pit bull terrier and using him for illegal dog fighting activities. “The reason why I don’t agree with the ban (on pit bull terrier dogs) is that I just have a dog that is looking after my yard. I just have a pit bull and he is a nice dog. That is why I took him from my friend, because he listens to me and he is under command,” Jacobs said. Allan Perrins, Head of Resource Development and Communications, Animal Welfare Society of South Africa (AWSSA) said, “The Animal Welfare Society of South Africa does not support 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. In our opinion the responsible ownership of any dog requires a sincere commitment to proper socialisation, humane training and careful supervision. There will always be dogs of various breeds that are too dangerous to live safely in society, but we can effectively address the danger posed by these dogs by supporting vigorous enforcement of laws that focus not on breed, but on people’s responsibility for their dog’s behavior, including measures that hold owners of all breeds accountable for properly housing, supervising and controlling their dogs. In Our opinion, 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. Treating them as such, providing them with the care, training and supervision they require and judging them by their actions and not by their DNA or their physical appearance, is the best way to ensure that dogs and people can continue to share safe and happy lives together.”