'If it wasn't for him, I probably would be dead by now' - dog attack victim praises whistling stranger

Johannesburg - Phumlani Shazi is relieved after surviving a dog attack in Randfontein.

According to the Daily Sun, four dogs attacked Shazi, who was on his way to visit a friend's house.

The 29-year-old was attacked as he passed a property where the gate had been left open.

Luckily for Shazi, a stranger who witnessed the attack, distracted the dogs by whistling.

"That person really saved my life. If it wasn't for him, I probably would be dead by now. My entire body is still in pain. I had to go see a doctor, who gave me an anti-rabies vaccine," Shazi told the Daily Sun.

Shazi said that the dogs' owner had refused to believe his story and became angry when he was confronted.

Also read: Family's rottweiler kills 14-month-old baby

News24 reported in November that a family Rottweiler killed a 14-month-old baby at their small-holding near Riverlands, in Malmesbury.

In Primrose, Johannesburg, a dog killed a six-month-old baby boy.

ER24 said that, in 2017, the emergency services organisation had responded to 103 dog attacks across the country.

"This is probably due to two reasons; namely size and knowledge. A child's smaller size and their more active body movements could simultaneously cause a dog to feel less concern for potential retaliation and their prey drive toward smaller animals could be triggered by a child's erratic movements," said Shannon McKay, chairperson of the Animal Behaviour Consultants of SA.

"Most children are also less skilled at interpreting canine body language and are thus less likely to diffuse or avoid an aggressive encounter. For these reasons, parents should not allow unsupervised interaction between dogs and children," Mckay added.

ER24's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Robyn Holgate, advised that it is best to seek medical attention in the event of a dog bite.