WATCH: a Phoenix man shared his harrowing experience after surviving a traumatic pit bull attack

TWO pet pit bulls in Phoenix have been euthanised after they mauled a school secretary, grandfather and a tuckshop owner in two separate attacks.

While one owner describes her heartbreak at losing her "special needs baby" after it attacked her father, experts said that the dog attacks were often the result of irresponsible ownership rather than breed-specific issues.

Vani Govender (not her real name), 28, of Rockford, said her 52-year-old father, a carpenter, sustained serious injuries after her nine-year-old pit bull Mojito attacked him.

He escaped from the gated area he was kept in, she said.

Govender described Mojito as her “special needs baby” because his eyeball was removed when he was a puppy.

“When my husband and I returned home from an outing, we noticed that Mojito was not confined to his gated area. My husband and I did not open the main gate to enter the yard because we did not want the dog to run out.

“I saw my dad using food to try to get Mojito into his gated area. Suddenly, Mojito grabbed my dad’s thigh. He bit him and refused to let go. My husband and I tried to get him to release his grip from my dad, but he was vicious and not letting go,” said Govender.

“He then released his grip from my dad’s thigh and attacked his both hands and arms. We threw water on him, and my husband and brother hit him with a metal pipe in a bid for him to let go of my dad. I was not afraid for my life. I eventually pulled Mojito off my dad. He did not attack me,” she said.

“My hands were hurt by the pipe that my brother and husband had used. There were false reports that I was also bitten,” she added.

Govender said she was heartbroken to see her dad and her dog injured, and she was even more devastated that Mojito had to be euthanised. 

“My dad was rushed to hospital. We put Mojito back into his gated area. He was badly injured. An animal rights organisation visited us and told us that it was our choice if we wanted to euthanise Mojito or keep him. They said there would be no investigation since the dog had bitten someone in our yard.

“We made the tough decision to put him down as he was badly injured from the assault when we tried to stop the attack. We paid R570 to the SPCA, and they picked up Mojito the following morning. They called us just before they were going to euthanise him. It was an emotional experience,” Govender said.

“Mojito was a part of our family from the time he was two weeks old. We used to shower with him love and care from the time we got him. He was never vicious and he shared a close bond with my two children, who are five-years-old and 14-months-old.

“Whenever I was busy washing clothes or doing chores, Mojito would sit with my baby and never leave his side. He was protective but not vicious."

Govender said her family faced backlash after the incident report was circulated on social media. That was why she did not want to use her right name.

She said people had accused her of not taking care of the dog, and called her a “bad dog owner”.

“People are quick to point fingers without knowing the full story. Some people said I ill-treated the dog, which resulted in him attacking us, while others said we were not feeding him well and never gave him love, which led to the attack.

“Mojito was well taken care of. He did not eat dog chunks and we made special pet mince and rice for him every day, and also gave him treats in between. He was loved as a part of our family and he shared a special bond with us. He was friendly and loving, and enjoyed playing fetch with a ball, even though he would not want to give the ball back,” she said.

“I miss him dearly, and I am depressed since his death. I will get another dog, but not a pit bull."

In a separate incident on Monday, a school secretary from Northlen Primary School and a tuckshop owner from Northcroft were mauled when a pit bull escaped from its owner's yard.

Tuckshop owner Nurebo Mulunah, 37, who had moved into the Northcroft neighbourhood four months ago, sustained severe injuries to both his legs.

He said he was thankful to be alive.

“It was about 2pm and I was at the tuckshop serving customers. The dog, who lives two houses away from the tuckshop, had gotten out of its yard. It had attacked a lady who was walking home from the nearby school, and it was chasing after a group of residents and school children.

“They ran to the tuckshop to get away from the dog, when the dog followed them and attacked me,” he said.

“I tried to escape but it had gripped me and it was not letting go. The owner came and tried to get the dog back to the house, but it kept trying to attack anyone in its path,” he added.

Mulunah said he eventually begged a motorist to open his vehicle, so that he could get in and escape from the dog.

“It was only when I locked myself inside the stranger's car that the dog went back into its yard with the owner.

“I stayed in the car until the ambulance arrived and took me to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Hospital for treatment. I was only treated after eight hours. I was discharged on Tuesday and I am still in severe pain. Doctors said I should recover well, as the dog had been vaccinated against rabies,” he said.

“I thank God that I escaped with my life, and that I am alive. I regret that the dog had to be put down after the incident,” he said.

The Pit Bull Federation of South Africa said: "We are deeply concerned about the recent reports of alleged pit bull attacks in the Durban area. While we acknowledge the seriousness of these incidents, we emphasize that they are largely preventable and often the result of negligent or irresponsible ownership.

"Research consistently shows that aggression in dogs is linked to factors such as poor socialisation, lack of training, inadequate containment, abuse, and failure by owners to comply with basic animal welfare and safety standards. By focusing on breed-specific legislation, we risk oversimplifying a complex issue and detracting from the real solution: promoting responsible ownership, educating the public, and holding owners accountable for their animals' actions.

"Dog attacks are a human problem, not a breed problem. It's time to shift our focus from breed-specific bans to addressing the root causes of aggression and promoting a culture of responsible pet ownership."

THE POST