When you bring a pet into your life, you expect to have a lifelong companion but you don’t expect that they’ll try to save your life one day.
A recent tragedy saw a Cape Town resident lose his life in a drive-by shooting, during which his pitbull tried to protect him.
“We understand [from the family] that a local man in the Hanover Park area, Mujaahid Diedricks, was fatally shot during a drive-by shooting and his dog, Savage, tried to protect him by leaping in front of him,” Tara McGovern, of the Cape of Good Hope SPCA said.
“As a result of her loyalty, she was shot in her hindquarters.”
Savage was taken to the SPCA animal hospital where she was treated after being wounded in the crossfire.
According to McGovern, the pitbull has made a full recovery and is back with her late owner’s family.
“We’re seeing more and more animals become victims of violent abuse such as shooting and stabbings. A well-known example would be the case of Benjie – a dog stabbed in Khayelitsha in 2018,” McGovern told YOU.
She says Savage was a rescue pup when Mujaahid first found her and that her ears had been mutilated by a previous cruel encounter.
“Our thoughts are with the relatives and friends of Mujaahid Diedricks, and we hope that Savage’s recovery and return home will bring some measure of comfort to the family in their time of grief.”
