Man loses arm after dog attack
2007-03-20 10:10
Johannesburg - A businessman from Vereeniging's arm was amputated after his male boerboel dog mauled him at the weekend.
Arrie Smit was being treated in the intensive care unit of Union Hospital in Alberton on Monday.
He underwent surgery for the second time on Sunday afternoon after his left arm had been amputated almost at his shoulder on Friday night.
The boerboel dragged the 56-year-old man around in his yard for about 20 minutes, attacking him.
'He lay there watching'
A neighbour eventually shot and killed the out-of-control animal on top of Smit.
The dog apparently rushed at Smit after he had broken up a fight between a Jack Russell and a boerboel bitch.
Pieter Smit said the male boerboel rushed at Smit the moment he turned his back on the other dogs and started walking away.
He said his brother was lying on his stomach while the dog stood over him, biting him incessantly. "He lay there watching how the dog nearly bit off his arm."
Arrie Smit is a businessman who works in the engineering industry.
"He is much better this morning. His condition is stable at the moment. He slept well."
Smit underwent surgery for the second time when the wounds to his right arm were stitched up and a piece of tissue was removed.
Werner Vermaak, a spokesperson for ER24, said Smit was admitted to the hospital's emergency unit in critical condition between 22:00 and 23:00 on Friday.
"The dog literally ripped the skin from his body."
Smit was eventually taken to the hospital in Alberton for specialist treatment.