Man convicted for kicking ex-girlfriend’s dog to death

MORE than two years after it happened, an animal abuser has been convicted and given a hefty fine for kicking a Yorkshire terrier to death.

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA (CoGH SPCA) said in a statement that justice had finally been served for the little dog, named Stamford. The dog was killed in 2019. “Ozayr Schüller was found guilty on two charges of animal cruelty, each carrying a sentence of a R6 000 fine or six months' imprisonment, suspended for five years – and he now has a criminal record for animal abuse.

“Tamlyn Sylvester, a witness in the case, had seen her neighbour kick and stomp Stamford in his small backyard. She immediately called the CoGH SPCA – but it was sadly too late for little Stamford, who died before SPCA Inspector Elani Graham arrived. Stamford had belonged to Schüller's ex-girlfriend. In court, Schüller pleaded not guilty, saying that he had kicked Stamford because he had messed inside the flat. But there's no excuse for animal abuse,” the organisation said.

Meanwhile, a Mitchells Plain family are grieving the loss of their female pitbull, Molly, which saved her family from a house burglary on September 5, but died shortly after from injuries she had sustained, the Animal Welfare Society (AWS) in Philippi said.

“Pitbull terriers are arguably the most misunderstood of all dog breeds. Humans have sadly exploited and abused the breed for centuries, to the detriment of the breed and society as a whole. Molly has been hailed a heroine by the Van Wyk family of Rocklands who, thanks to her protective instincts, survived a horrific home invasion.

“It took Molly mere seconds to realise that her family's life was in grave danger and she unhesitatingly flew into action to protect them from the armed assailants. Despite being beaten and stabbed countless times in her head and body, Molly put up a very brave fight and the assailant quickly realised that he had more than met his match and decided to beat a hasty retreat, leaving Molly dying in a pool of blood on the floor,” AWS wrote.

Despite their efforts to save the family dog, Molly died after losing too much blood.

Members of the public can anonymously report incidents of animal cruelty and abuse by emailing inspectorate@spca-ct.co.za or call 021 700 4158/9 during office hours.