East Rand Runner Mauled by Pit Bulls Lays Charges Against Owner, Recovering at Home After Traumatic Attack

• An East Rand Runner, René Memmel, was attacked by two pit bulls while running in Edenvale
• Memmel endured a three-and-a-half-hour operation on the day of the attack to repair his wounds
• The marathon runner has laid criminal charges at the Edenvale police station

JOHANNESBURG - An East Rand man's routine jog turned into a terrifying ordeal when he was attacked by two vicious pit bulls early Friday last week.

René Memmel hit the road running in preparation for the Soweto Marathon in early November. The seasoned runner had just started his training session when he noticed two pit bull terriers roaming outside an open gate.

The Citizen reported that Memmel was running on 12th Avenue when he saw the dogs.

“I sort of stopped and waited to see what they were going to do. They slowly came toward me and for a moment I thought they would just sniff me and be on their way. But then, out of the blue, they attacked, both at the same time.”

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The marathon runner recounted the terrifying attack of how the dogs clawed into his skin. According to Memmel, one of the pit bulls grabbed him in his groin while the other leapt up and grasped his right wrist.

While Memmel could fight off the dog on his wrist, the second had locked in on his groin, refusing to let go.

"I started screaming. I knew that if they got me to the ground they’d kill me.”

A neighbour who heard his panicked and painful screams came out to see what was wrong and successfully distracted the dogs from their victim.

According to TimesLive, Memmel was rushed to hospital where he underwent a three-and-a-half hour-long surgery. Upon his discharge from the hospital on Monday morning, Memmel went to the Edenvale police station and laid charges.

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The dogs were put down following the vicious attack and the owner reportedly presented herself to the police.

On reflection on his ordeal, Memmel has pleaded with dog owners to ensure the dogs are kept safe inside their properties.

South Africans can't understand why people keep pit bulls as pets. Here are some comments:

@MarumoMashigo tweeted:

"Good for reporting with the police, people don't learn that keeping of vicious dogs is an offence, when you neglect keeping them locked in your premises not to roam the streets"

Tumie Mashiane commented:

"I still wonder why people are allowed to keep pitbulls, those mini lions will never be pets no matter how you try to convince us... the owner deserves to be punished."

Melany Engelbrecht added:

"Ban this breed and only allow people who have a licence to obtain them with a proven track record!!"

Thugs trying to break in come face-to-face with pit bull, SA loving the video and praising brave hero

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Briefly News previously reported while crime remains a concern in Mzansi, at least one can still rely on man’s best friend. A brave pit bull saved the day after it stopped a trio of thieves in an attempt to break into a SA home. A video showing the heroic and hilarious video was posted on TikTok and Saffas are loving it.

The video was posted by user @Oodub who appropriately captioned the post:

“Sometimes God sends an angel in the form of a dog to protect you.”

Source: Briefly News