Killer dogs posed a danger to SPCA staff

On Saturday both dogs were euthanised by the uMngeni SPCA and police have opened a case against the owners of the dogs.

The two pet Alsation cross-breed dogs that attacked and killed eight-year old James Sinkins at his Howick home last week were extremely aggressive and even posed a danger to the SPCA staff that arrived at the property to remove and destroy the animals.

Dudu Abraham, the operational manager for the uMngeni SPCA described the killer dogs as “extremely vicious” and clearly had not been “properly socialized”.

Maritzburg Sun was told that the cross breeds, belonging to the Sinkin’s neighbours, were a mix of Alsation and another strain resembling a timber Wolf – although this information could not be verified at the time of going to press. Their deadly attack on James was not the first time the animals had displayed aggressive behavior having previously attacked and killed the Sinkin’s pet Labrador.

Last Thursday the two animals escaped from their yard and made their way into the Sinkin’s property where they attacked James who was playing in his backyard at the time. His mom Estelle, who is a writer at The Witness, heard a commotion and rushed outside where she was confronted with the horrific sight of the two dogs attacking James. She managed to pull the berserk animals off him and then rushed him to a Hospital in Howick.

Trauma specialists worked desperately through the night to save the little boy. The next morning he was transferred to St Anne’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg for further emergency surgery. Tragically, he died later in the afternoon.

Both Maritzburg Sun and its sister newspaper in Howick Village Talk repeatedly tried to get comment from the owners of the dogs, Shanaaz Alladin, but both she and her husband refused to answer any questions.

In the wake of the tragedy, an internationally-recognised dog trainer, Pam Whyte, has spoken out strongly against dog owners who keep potentially dangerous animals without ensuring that the animals are properly trained and socialized. She said the increase in the number of dog attacks on people was directly attributed to the “breakdown of the laws of nature”.

“Not understanding how a dog’s instincts function and how dogs naturally communicate is what causes them to be aggressive. Families need to learn the simple natural laws that govern dog behaviour – especially harmonious existence within a pack of dogs. If a dog appears to be aggressive, owners should get help immediately by learning how to break the patterns that caused their dog’s ‘brakes to fail’.

She said training a dog was like learning how to speak a very different language – DogSpeak.

“It is vital to learn to understand our dogs. Merely giving advice is like giving one ingredient of a recipe. It also involves dismantling wrong mindsets which are causing dog aggression,” said Whyte the author of ‘Who wants a Dog!’.

Lending their support to Whyte’s advice, the SPCA’s Dudu Abraham said dogs had to be well socialized to pose minimal risk.

“Although the dogs had been in good physical condition, they were not well socialised. Dogs should know that you are the boss. They should be socialised when they are puppies. This is a wake-up call to dog owners who let their animals roam the street,” said Abraham.