GEORGE NEWS - Residents of Beukes Street in Pacaltsdorp say they fear for their safety when walking along it because of three pit bulls that allegedly repeatedly escape from a property and have been accused of aggressively charging at people and other dogs.

A reader alerted George Herald to the latest incident, in which children who were playing in the area on Tuesday 11 August allegedly had to scramble up a tree to escape the dogs.

Although the ownership of the dogs could not be independently confirmed, residents told George Herald that the dogs escape from a property where local councillor Rosa Louw lives. Louw was approached for comment.

She initially asked for time to establish what had happened. She said she was unaware of the incident involving the children in the tree. She denied that the dogs belonged to her, but did not respond when asked whether she knew who owned them.

On Wednesday morning, 19 August, she said she was made aware of the tree incident by the paper, and that she was in the process of dealing with it. "That is my response. That is all I am going to say."

Residents and eyewitnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the dogs have been a concern in the area for months. However, according to them, the situation has quieted since the SPCA visited the area last week. Still, they remain wary of the dogs and avoid walking in the area when possible. Some residents, however, have no alternative but to use the road and say they feel their safety is being threatened.

Louw did not respond to questions about a visit by the Garden Route SPCA, what those circumstances were and what steps had been taken to address the situation.

The George Municipality confirmed that it is aware of these complaints about dogs allegedly roaming outside.

According to Debra Sauer, a municipal communications officer, the residents were told to report their complaints to the municipality on 044 801 6350, as well as to the SPCA, when dogs are suspected of being dangerous or posing a risk to people or other animals so they can do a welfare check.

When asked whether any fines had been issued in connection with complaints, the municipality did not directly answer, saying only that it "attends to all complaints as received and handles the issues on a case-by-case basis".

Sauer said dog owners are responsible for ensuring their animals are properly confined and that their properties are adequately secured to prevent their dogs from escaping.

Residents were urged not to approach roaming or aggressive dogs or attempt to handle them. Where there is an immediate threat to public safety, they should contact the relevant emergency services.

The municipality said it would continue to address animal-related complaints in accordance with the applicable by-laws, legislation and established procedures.

‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’