Dog owner claims teasing led to attack
The father of Eli Barnard – whose face was mauled by a bull terrier which tried to grab a chicken thigh out of his mouth – is claiming R322 000 in damages from the dog’s owner. A Weekend Argus report says Eli is now six, but he was four when he was bitten. Marius Barnard told the Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) that Martinus Ras knew his dog was vicious. Ras had a duty to ensure the dog could not escape from his backyard, where it was usually kept.
Ras countered that the child had teased the dog by waving the chicken thigh in front of it. When the dog wanted to grab it, the child had placed the meat into his own mouth. ‘It was an error of judgment on the part of the dog,’ Ras told Judge Johan Louw. According to Ras, his dog was not vicious at all, but was well-behaved and friendly. The court reserved judgment.
Article disclaimer: While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of this article, it is not intended to provide final legal advice as facts and situations will differ from case to case, and therefore specific legal advice should be sought with a lawyer.
