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32-year-old man appeared in the Pretoria magistrate's court on Monday for allegedly dragging his dog behind his car to "teach it a lesson".
Oupa Jan Seemo is alleged to have tied his dog behind his Mercedes Benz car and dragged it all the way to his Faerie Glen, Pretoria home.
Testifying in court on Monday, a witness to Seemo's deed, Jacobus Kriel said he saw Seemo driving at "high speed" with his dog Lamina following behind with a rope tied to its neck.
Another witness, Thomas Vosloo told the court he was shocked when he saw the dog.
'It couldn't stand up'
"As the car went around the corner, the dog swung through the air like a merry-go-round swing... I followed the car, but the driver just sped up."
He said the dog kept "falling and being dragged" and when he later confronted Seemo he had replied by saying he was "teaching it a lesson for running away".
Kriel and Vosloo told the court they both saw that the dog's paws were bleeding and that it lay gasping on the pavement of Seemo's house.
What also upset them, was that there was a young child with Seemo in the car during this whole incident.
That is when they decided to contact the police, the Wet Nose Animal Rescue Clinic and the SPCA.
But Seemo decided to rather drive away, leaving the dog to go inside the house to his wife.
The dog was later found in Seemo's kitchen by SPCA inspector Petrus Diale Ratsela who was responding to the call.
"It appeared to be in pain. Its foot pads were scraped off and there were abrasions on the animal's face and shoulders... It couldn't stand up."
Ratsela told the court that he had taken it upon himself to take the dog to a veterinarian.
"On returning to Seemo's house, his wife said he had fetched the dog after it ran away and punished it."
But defence attorney Jabu Bembe said Seemo's wife would deny that she had said that.
Seemo was since served with a summons and his dog confiscated and later put up for adoption.
He has since pleaded guilty to a charge of animal abuse, saying he did not intend to injure the dog.
According to him, the dog had refused to get into his vehicle after it scaled the wall.
He told the court he had then decided to tie a rope around the dog's neck and slowly drove home with the dog "trotting" next to the car.
But Magistrate Chester Roux later changed Seemo's guilty plea to a not guilty one, saying he did not admit to all the elements of the crime. - Sapa
Oupa Jan Seemo is alleged to have tied his dog behind his Mercedes Benz car and dragged it all the way to his Faerie Glen, Pretoria home.
Testifying in court on Monday, a witness to Seemo's deed, Jacobus Kriel said he saw Seemo driving at "high speed" with his dog Lamina following behind with a rope tied to its neck.
Another witness, Thomas Vosloo told the court he was shocked when he saw the dog.
'It couldn't stand up'
"As the car went around the corner, the dog swung through the air like a merry-go-round swing... I followed the car, but the driver just sped up."
He said the dog kept "falling and being dragged" and when he later confronted Seemo he had replied by saying he was "teaching it a lesson for running away".
Kriel and Vosloo told the court they both saw that the dog's paws were bleeding and that it lay gasping on the pavement of Seemo's house.
What also upset them, was that there was a young child with Seemo in the car during this whole incident.
That is when they decided to contact the police, the Wet Nose Animal Rescue Clinic and the SPCA.
But Seemo decided to rather drive away, leaving the dog to go inside the house to his wife.
The dog was later found in Seemo's kitchen by SPCA inspector Petrus Diale Ratsela who was responding to the call.
"It appeared to be in pain. Its foot pads were scraped off and there were abrasions on the animal's face and shoulders... It couldn't stand up."
Ratsela told the court that he had taken it upon himself to take the dog to a veterinarian.
"On returning to Seemo's house, his wife said he had fetched the dog after it ran away and punished it."
But defence attorney Jabu Bembe said Seemo's wife would deny that she had said that.
Seemo was since served with a summons and his dog confiscated and later put up for adoption.
He has since pleaded guilty to a charge of animal abuse, saying he did not intend to injure the dog.
According to him, the dog had refused to get into his vehicle after it scaled the wall.
He told the court he had then decided to tie a rope around the dog's neck and slowly drove home with the dog "trotting" next to the car.
But Magistrate Chester Roux later changed Seemo's guilty plea to a not guilty one, saying he did not admit to all the elements of the crime. - Sapa
