A PHOENIX granny suffered severe injuries after being attacked by a neighbour's pit bull while returning from church.

Thawanie Perumall, 62, was mauled by a dog belonging to her fellow churchgoer, on Baileybridge Road, in Stonebridge, while walking home after Sunday service.

Her daughter, Nikosa Perumall, said her mother walked the same route daily to attend church, but this was the first time she had encountered the dog.

“The dog's owner is my mother’s friend. They were both walking home from church, which is 10 minutes away from our home, when the dog escaped from the yard and attacked my mother.

“My daughter was also walking with my mother but she decided to walk faster so she could reach home quicker. We are lucky that she was not there. She too could have been attacked,” said Perumall.

She claimed the pit bull broke free from its leash, jumped over the neighbour’s retaining wall and charged at her mother.

“This dog is known to chase people walking on the road. There have been previous incidents where the dog was aggressive and attacked someone walking on the road. We did not have any problems with the dog, until now.

“When the incident happened, the elderly owner could not help my mother. Fortunately, a passer-by stopped to help. He pulled the dog off my mother and the owner's grandson came to take the dog away,” said Perumall.

She said her mother sustained serious injuries to her arm and body, and was rushed to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital.

“The dog ripped my mother’s right arm – from her elbow to her shoulder – tearing her muscles. She was given a tetanus shot and is receiving treatment for her wounds. However, she is unable to move her arm and is in a lot of pain. Right now she is not very coherent because of her trauma and cannot remember what happened. She lost a lot of blood and blacked out during the attack.

“Her body is also bruised because the dog jumped on her. She is still in shock and very traumatised by the ordeal,” said Perumall.

Despite the trauma, Thawanie’s family has chosen not to press charges against the dog owner.

“We had a discussion with the neighbour’s as they are my mother's friends. We told them that they needed to put the dog down. They agreed with us as they witnessed first-hand the pain and trauma their dog caused my mother. “It is sad but I believe this is the right

thing to do in a situation like this,” said Perumall.

The owner of the pit bull, who did not want to be named, said she was with Thawanie when her dog attacked her.

“We were walking home as usual from church when it happened. This is very upsetting, but after the discussion with both families, we decided to put our dog down.

“He was a bad dog and we always had issues with him. We had him for five years after my son adopted him from another neighbour's litter. We are sad at this decision but our family agrees it’s for the best. We have made agreements to go to the SPCA,” said the owner.

Gareth Naidoo from KZN VIP Protection Services, said dog attacks were on the rise in Phoenix.

“This is of concern for our community as there are many homes where dogs are not kept within their properties. We always blame the dogs but if they are kept in their own space they would not attack anyone.

“As a pet owner, it is your duty to ensure their safety and well-being. This starts with having a secure area for your pets. Had the community not come to the assistance of the woman, the

outcome could have been worse. I can confirm she was in a critical condition when our medics arrived,” said Naidoo.

Colonel Boysie Zungu, metro police spokesperson said: “It's the responsibility of the owner to ensure that the dog is in a properly fenced yard.

“I would advise that injured person to go to the nearest police station and open a case.”

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