'I know when a dog will kill'
2006-11-30 09:52
Cape Town - A Cape Town couple is coming under fire for having their young Boerbul put down after a visit to a so-called dog whisperer.
The pet consultant insisted that the dog was showing "early signs of hunting".
"I know when a dog will kill," said Pam Whyte, 64, from Somerset West. According to her, there was an "aggression epidemic" among domestic dogs.
The couple recently went to see Whyte as they were planning a family. When Whyte told them that their two-year-old pet showed the "six elements of murderer" during the session, they decided to have the dog put down.
The dog expert insisted on keeping the identity of her clients private.
The couple who live in the northern suburbs, have one remaining dog, who apparently eyes their parrot. They said a couple of people thought they had done the wrong thing, but they told Whyte via e-mail that they knew it was the right decision.
Whyte said she had done the profile of a "murderous" dog, but emphasised that she did not tell them to act in a certain way.
Whyte studied psychology at Wits and in the 1980s, she appeared on a TV show where she was dubbed the "dog whisperer". She refers to herself as an animal psychologist. She owns dogs and apparently said all dogs have "murderous intent".
Meanwhile the SPCA said that the organisation had received a record amount of calls about animal cruelty.