Hero to the rescue as savage pit bull attacks man

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Durban - Anil Basdeo, 47, said that at the time all he could think of was saving the life of Kyle Johnston, 24, and his maltese Lambo. Said Johnston: “Anil came in the knick of time to save us. He is truly a hero. The dog was aggressive and strong. I would have not been able to escape on my own.” Johnston sustained bite wounds to his arms, chest and face, while Lambo’s paw was injured and he had lacerations on his chest. Basdeo was unhurt. Basdeo said he was on his afternoon jog to Brighton Beach when he heard Johnston’s cries for help. Johnston was walking Lambo on Marine Drive. The pit bull had apparentlly escaped from its yard and attacked them. “I was about 8 metres away from Kyle. I could see his hands in the air and something grey grabbing at his wrists. He was screaming and as I ran towards him I saw the pit bull attacking him and his dog.

“My first instinct was to tackle the pit bull. It was trying to get to the poodle but Kyle held it up and the pit bull started grabbing at his arms.”

Basdeo said he jumped on to the pit bull and wrapped his arms and legs around its body.

“All I could feel was muscle. It was very strong and must have been about 25kg. It gave two powerful shakes and threw me to the ground. It then went back for Kyle, this time latching on to his elbow.”

Basdeo said he picked up a bin packet and pressed it against the pit bull, but it shook it off and bit Lambo.

“I then pushed the pit bull away with my hands and created a barrier with my body, blocking Kyle and Lambo. But it was aggressive and I could see it was going to attack again. Another resident, who saw what was happening, hit the dog with a plank and by this time its owners were at the scene.”

Johnston said he had not heard from the owners since the attack and had not seen the dog.

The president of the Pit Bull Federation of South Africa, Jeanette Ersmus, said pit bull attacks were on the rise.

“Crime in South Africa is a huge problem and people are buying pit bulls to protect their properties. Homeowners are breeding them to be human aggressive by sending them for attack training. In addition, some of these dogs are isolated from the family and are shown no love or affection thus increasing their temperament.”

Ersmus said pit bulls were dog aggressive, hence the attack on Lambo.

“They were never bred to be guard dogs. Homeowners should realise this and instead get themselves German Shepherds like SAPS.

“They also need to stop buying dogs off social media groups, which claim they are pure breed. It is important to go to an association that can verify the dog is not crossed.”

Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said a case of keeping a ferocious dog had been opened.