School secretary, granddad and tuckshop owner mauled

Two dogs euthanised, owner shares heartbreak

- YOSHINI PERUMAL

TWO pet pit bulls in Phoenix have been euthanised after they mauled a school secretary, grandfather and a tuckshop owner in two separate attacks.

While one owner described her heartbreak at losing her “special needs baby” after it attacked her father, experts said the dog attacks were often the result of irresponsible ownership rather than breed-specific issues.

Vani Govender (not her real name), 28, of Rockford, said her 52-year-old father, a carpenter, sustained serious injuries after her 9-year-old pit bull Mojito attacked him.

Mojito escaped from the gated area in which he was kept, she said.

Govender described Mojito as her “special needs baby” because his eyeball was removed when he was a puppy.

“When my husband and I returned home from an outing, we noticed that Mojito was not in his gated area. My husband and I did not open the main gate to enter the yard because we did not want the dog to run out.

“I saw my dad using food to try to and get Mojito into his gated area. Suddenly, Mojito grabbed my dad’s thigh. He bit him and refused to let go. My husband and I tried to get him to release his grip from my dad, but he was vicious and not letting go,” said Govender.

“He then released his grip from my dad’s thigh and attacked his hands and arms.

“We threw water on him, and my husband and brother hit him with a metal pipe for him to let go of my dad. I was not afraid for my life. I eventually pulled Mojito off my dad. He did not attack me,” she said.

“My hands were hurt by the pipe that my brother and husband had used. There were false reports that I was also bitten,” she added.

Govender said she was heartbroken to see her dad and her dog injured, and she was even more devastated that Mojito had to be euthanised.