PICS: Beer bottle shows pitbull flames!

SEVERAL people have died from pitbull attacks.

But this 16-year-old teenager from Duduza, Ekurhuleni, is lucky to be alive.

It was on 23 December 2023 when she wrestled a pitbull and screamed for help.

A quick-thinking resident grabbed the dog by its mouth while another community member stuffed a bottle of beer in the pitbull's mouth to stop it from biting the teenager, and that's how she was saved.

Today, the teenager has scars on the head that remind her of that fateful day.

Although she sometimes experiences headaches, she said she thanks God for being alive.

The teenager said that on the day of the incident, she was coming from a local park when she saw a group of children running and calling for help, with a dog chasing them.

"I joined them, but I slipped and fell. The dog grabbed me and started biting me."

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She said the alleged drunk owner tried speaking to his dog, but it failed to leave her.

She was saved by a resident who was bleeding profusely and had to be rushed to the clinic.

The mother, Idah Makwakwa, from John Dube village in Duduza, still wants the owner to be held responsible.

"My daughter has been experiencing headaches since the incident. It pains to see her like this," said the angry mum.

The tennager's dad, Pedro Makwakwa, said: "What made us angry is that when he said his dog injured our daughter, he was arrogant, saying he didn't send his dog instead of apologizing."

Daily Sun spoke to the dog owner, Bongani Mthimkhulu, who denied being cold towards the family.

"We went to the police station, and I offered to take care of all medical costs, and I'm still willing to do that. The family is getting influence from the community. That's why things are like this," he said.

Bongani said that on the day his dog attacked the teenager, it ran out of the security gate as he was driving in.

He said his dog was frightened by firecrackers as a group of children were playing with them nearby and as he was chasing it to bring it back home, it had already attacked the teenager.

Jerry Selloane of Soweto Animal Rescue and Advisory Centre said cases of animals causing injuries to humans are taken seriously by the courts.

He said the owner could be liable both civilly and criminally, and he could be arrested and sued for damages.