An eight-year-old boy and a resident were injured after a dog escaped from a property in Sunford, Phoenix.
Image: Screenshot/video
An eight-year-old boy and a resident were viciously mauled, after a dog escaped from a property in Sunford, Phoenix, on Monday.
The shocking security footage, recorded at about 1.34pm on August 30, showed the child and his mother walking along Bramford when a dog suddenly charged towards them.
The child tried to escape the dog, but the dog pushed him onto the pavement and attacked him.
His mother desperately attempted to shield her son with her body and fight off the animal at the same time.
Within seconds, several residents rushed to the scene after hearing screams.
The footage showed community members attempting to pull the dog away from the child.
The dog was eventually driven away from the immediate area, but reportedly returned and attempted to attack other pedestrians further down the road.
Residents used makeshift items to fend it off the dog until authorities and emergency responders arrived.
The child's aunt, Karishma Rambally, said her nephew and his mother, Praviksha Mamgali had been walking to a nearby tuckshop when the attack happened.
“They were walking along Bramford. They live on Vanside. They had to pass the home where the dog was from when they were attacked,” said Rambally.
“There was already a dog outside the gate when they were passing. At the time, the dog owner went outside to fetch the dog. However, during this time another dog escaped from the yard and started attacking both of my nephew and his mother,” she said.
“The dog gripped his arm. They tried to run away to no avail. My nephew was severely bitten while his mother had scratches. He suffered injuries to his stomach, his left ear and left arm. He was severely bitten.
“Right now the doctors' concerns are treating infections before they can set a plan to treat the wound to the arm. They do not want any infections to set in,” she added.
Rambally said another resident was also injured during the incident.
The attack has left the family traumatised, with Rambally pleading with members of the public to refrain from blaming the young victim.
“We have been seeing some nasty comments under the video. We are traumatised as a family and these comments make it worse. My nephew has autism and ADHD. He never liked dogs and we always made sure to keep them away from him.
“Imagine a young child asking his family what he could have done differently so that he did not get bitten. It is very sad. He keeps asking how he could have protected himself. He is traumatised and his mother is beside herself. We just want him to fully recover,” she said.
Rambally said the family hoped the incident would highlight the importance of responsible dog ownership.
“We want to raise awareness about responsible dog ownership. Dogs should be kept safely in their yards and not on the streets. Innocent people suffer because of dog owners' mistakes,” she said.
“We have reported the incident to the police and hope this incident will be fully investigated.”
Resident Justin Haminah, 31, a dispatch worker, was also attacked after responding to the commotion.
His mother, Geetha Haminah, said they heard people screaming and went outside to see what was happening.
“We saw the attack and the dog’s owner was able to get it off the child. They were not able to hold on to the dog and it broke free again,” said Haminah.
“It ran up to my son and grabbed him. The dog pulled him down, and attacked him on the floor.
“He was bitten on his face and ear as well as the rest of his body. He managed to eventually pull the dog off and the dog continued running after him but he jumped our gate and got back into the yard.”
Haminah said her son was taken to hospital following the attack.
“He was rushed to Albert Lutuli hospital. He is in a lot of pain and his recovery is difficult,” she said.
She said the dog's owner had indicated that she could not afford to cover the medical expenses.
“The owner said she was unemployed and could not afford to pay for anything. I had to pay for my son's x-rays. She moved in a year ago so we do not know a lot about her. We reported it to the police.”
Haminah said the incident had left the community shocked.
“It is really sad knowing you have vicious dogs and still let them escape the yard. It is shocking. The dogs have been removed from the home but we do not know where to,” she said.
Gareth Naidoo, spokesperson for KZN VIP, said: “Our medics were confronted with a severely injured child and resident. His mother was also injured. The patients were immediately stabilised and transported to hospital for urgent medical treatment,” said Naidoo.
Naidoo said later that evening the child’s condition deteriorated and he needed lifesaving surgery.
“The disturbing footage from this incident serves as a painful reminder of what could happen within seconds when dogs escape from a property.
“Dogs may be loving and friendly animals within their own homes, but responsible pet ownership means recognising that an animal can still pose a danger to someone outside that environment, especially a frightened and defenceless child,” he said.
Naidoo urged residents to take precautions to prevent their animals from escaping.
