Cape Town - A mother and her one-year-old toddler are recovering in hospital after they were attacked by two pit bulls.
The two went to visit a friend in Vrygrond on Tuesday afternoon.
The woman and her two children walked onto the enclosed property where the friend lives, when the dogs grabbed hold of her.
The dogs’ owner was not at home and residents who heard their desperate screams rushed to help them.
Neighbour Lindsay Simmers, 29, said it took the male friend hitting the dogs with a hammer to get them off the mom and child.
She said they found the unidentified woman, who had the little boy tied to her back, lying on the ground.
“I pushed the gate open and the mother was lying on her side. The baby was still on her back and the dogs were biting them over and over,” a horrified Lindsay said.
“The friend tried to hit the dogs and was also bitten a few times.
“I did not think the child would survive. The dog bit his head and his arms and legs. That child just screamed and screamed. The mother rolled onto her back to cover the child, but the dogs came back again and again. The mother’s body looked shredded. Die vet het so uitgehang (The fat was bulging outside her skin),” said Lindsay, shaking her head.
Lindsay said she ran to get the dogs’ owner.
“The owner was around the corner. We went to get him and he said it’s not his problem, strangers don’t belong on his property.
“He could have helped that poor woman, but he just did not care,” said an angry Lindsay.
Community worker Lindelwa Kunene said the woman’s other child was lucky to escape.
“It was horrific. The woman had another child with her, but the dog did not attack that boy. I called the ambulance, but I did not think that baby was going to survive. Somebody needs to take responsibility for this.”
The Daily Voice informed Belinda Abraham, Communications, Education and Resource Development Manager for the Cape of Good Hope SPCA about the incident.
“We have dispatched inspectors to investigate the incident and will know more once the investigation is complete,” she said.
The dogs’ owner was not at home when the Daily Voice visited the property.
Daily Voice