Beating the dog to 'save' the hog

KNYSNA NEWS - The internet is pregnant with examples of animal odd-couples such as cats and parrots, dogs and tigers, crocs and rats etc. – often sworn enemies or preferred prey by nature but somehow miraculously ensconced in a serene symbiotic relationship in unique circumstances.

And although cyberspace is peppered with dogs and hogs getting along swimmingly, something in Greater Knysna's water seems to have created quite the opposite result – as two separate incidents over the holiday season would suggest.

'Not all as it seems'
In one incident it seemed like a simple case of a dog being pursued and beaten by community members for chasing a pig, reports Yaseen Gaffar.

But as Knysna Animal Welfare Society (Kaws) general manager Annelien Kitley confirmed, the matter was not as straightforward as most people thought it was. For instance, the pig mysteriously disappeared after the incident.

"According to our information the pig had broken out of its pen, and upon seeing this, the dog broke its chain and gave chase, seemingly attacking the pig," Kitley related, pointing out that both the dog, a pit bull cross, and the pig belonged to the same owner, identified as Shakes Manzo.

"Members of the Concordia community apparently came to the defence of the pig and severely beat up the dog, which sustained serious injuries to its head, shoulders and neck area. The owner was unable to afford private veterinary treatment and after assessment, we decided to put the dog out of its misery and it was put down."

'Acted out of instinct'
According to Kitley the dog acted purely out of instinct and the community members could have reacted in a more compassionate way.

"We are here to assist and the best advice we can give to the community is to firstly assess the situation, get hold of the owners, or even better, give Kaws a call. We are ready to respond to such cases and in the process ensure that no animal is abused or beaten up."

Despite calls for charges to be laid against those responsible for beating up the dog, Kitley said, this was difficult as the responsible community members were unknown and unidentified. "If we can identify the perpetrators then legal action can and will be considered."

Owner of the animals, Shakes Manzo, said the incident was hurtful as the dog was not even aggressive.

"I didn't notice the dog escaping from our yard at the time. My wife told me, and when I went searching for him I found the dog tied to an electrical pole and people were beating it. It was terrible," said Manzo. "They could have rather restrained it, but not beat it up, that's abuse. I loved that dog."

Pig 'never to be found'
The puzzling twist in the curly tale according to Manzo, however, is that he never found the pig afterwards and suspects there is an obvious explanation. "I don't know where it is, it hasn't been found until this day. I think the same people who beat up the dog probably ate the pig too." Although he stops short of pointing out people burping and patting their bellies, the incident has led him to suspect that the whole dog-beating saga was merely a ploy to isolate and take possession of the hog.

But Penny Mainwaring of Emzini Township Tours believes the focus should remain on animal cruelty. She deals with a lot of animals in the township and tries to help those abused and neglected, and she states that this particular case was also reported to her and that she was "sick to death" of such incidents.

"I had another incident where a friend's dog was beaten to death with a spade because someone else's chickens came past this dog's yard and the dog reacted. Frankly, the community needs to know just because you can slaughter pigs and sheep and goats and cows, you cannot beat the hell out of dogs," she said. "What I would really like to see happen is a huge educational campaign if nothing else, using this case and another, pointing out that it is not acceptable to go and beat the living daylights out of someone else's dog, that it is living and has feelings, and the community does nothing about it. But steal someone's DVD player and the community comes together and nearly kills the guys who did it. It's absurd."

Neighbourly clash
In a separate though related case over more or less the same period, as Stefan Goosen reports, a lifelong resident of Elandskraal, Adam Barnard, who is a pig farmer of more than 30 years, said his neighbour allowed his two dogs to attack his pregnant sow and held it hostage for almost three weeks. He believes their owner possibly also attacked the pig with a sharp object.

Barnard admits he has no physical evidence to support his accusations, but he continues to eye the deep wounds found on his prized pig once it was finally returned with open suspicion. According to Barnard there is a history of misunderstandings, wrongdoings and unresolved issues between him and his neighbour Terence Atterbury – who independently confirmed this statement with the Knysna-Plett Herald – and that this incident was just the latest.

Said Barnard, "I don't know how, but my pig escaped from my property and got onto the neighbouring property that Terence is renting. There is an electric fence there and in my experience pigs stay away from such. This is the first time the pig has gone through the electric fence that I know of.

'Difficult to catch a pig'
"At one point Terence said if I don't fetch the pig he will take ownership of it. A pig is a very difficult thing to catch and I had nobody to help me, plus he doesn't allow me to go onto his property. I took it for granted that he would look after the pig properly while it was in his possession as he had claimed the pig for himself, but when I finally got my pig back I couldn't believe the state it was in," Barnard said.

In response, Atterbury said the claims that the pig was attacked by a blade or sharp object are unfounded, and that neither the police nor Kaws has pressed any charges against him. "It is his own fault that the pig escaped onto my property as years ago, without permission, he (Barnard) removed a fence there and has not put it back up yet after numerous requests. The onus should lie on him to look after the wellbeing of his animals. We were finally able to remove the pig from my property with about 10 guys to help," he said. Atterbury believes that Barnard making such a fuss about the latest incident is just part of the issues the two of them have had for years.

He added that he gave Barnard ample opportunities to fetch the pig, and denied that he set his dogs on the pig on purpose.

'No evidence of abuse'
After three weeks, a couple of police visits to keep the peace and continuous fighting between the two men about the hog, the animal was eventually returned to Barnard with wounds to its back, neck, ears and hind legs. A visit by a vet from Kaws on 4 January – the day Barnard was reunited with his pig – would get the pig back on its feet. According to the vet, Dr Anesca Loots, the animal was treated for bite wounds on its head neck and body, and a cut possibly sustained by a wire the pig might have got stuck in.

"My assistant on the scene and an inspector could not see or find any evidence of someone purposely abusing the pig. The circumstances were very vague," Loots said, adding that a dog attacking a pig was quite an instinctive action and commonplace. Loots also confirmed that the pig would survive. In the meantime, Barnard said the sow had given birth and that only one out of eight piglets survived. He believes the stress caused to the sow is the only reason for the miscarriage.

Adam Barnard's sow with the wounds it sustained. Photo: Supplied