Toddler killed by dog

Thabazimbi – A young family is devastated by the tragic loss of their beautiful little girl who was mauled to death on Friday 22 July by a pit bull owned by their family.

Jereldene King and her two girls Liane Jason (1 year, 7 months) and Miane Jason (three-year-old) live in Nylstroom while her husband Christo Jason works on a farm in Australia. They were visiting Jereldene’s grandparents in Thabazimbi and arrived in Thabazimbi a week before the horrific incident. 

Stay-at-home mom Jereldene doted on her two girls. Her life revolves around them, and she cannot come to terms with what happened. She never leaves her children with anyone else so when her grandmother volunteered to look after the kids while she goes to a salon, she was reluctant at first. 

The pit bull named Rocky was just over a year old and already started showing signs of aggression. A few days before the incident, he apparently killed puppies on the same property. For safety, Rocky was kept in the back yard and the children weren’t allowed to go near the dog. 

The grandmother was busy inside the house when she heard a commotion outside. She ran outside and saw the dog biting onto Liane. She screamed for help and did everything she could to fight the dog off. In the process, she sustained bite marks on her hands, arms, stomach and legs. One of her legs were also broken in the process and she had to be admitted to hospital. 

Six men ran to her aid. They jumped over the fence and tried to fight the dog off the baby by hitting it with sticks. A call for help was sent out on the Thabazimbi Emergency WhatsApp group and within five minutes Trauma Rescue and the Thabazimbi Community Policing Forum was on scene. A vet was also called to the scene and the dog was put down. 

Lindy Balfour, a family member said that when she arrived at the scene, she couldn’t get in to assist, as the front door was locked. All she can remember is that there were many people and that a man handed her the body of the little girl over the fence. Jereldene was still at the salon when she received the dreadful call, telling her that her baby was killed by the pit bull. 

“Liane was a real mommy’s girl. She was very stubborn except when it came to me. The three-year-old Miane, does not yet understand what happened and is constantly asking where her little sister is,”

Jereldene says. She also urged parents to always be on high alert when their children are around animals, even if they don’t appear to be dangerous. 

Christo returned to South Africa the day after the heart-wrenching incident. “We would like to thank everyone who responded to the scene. Thank you for every message and for the support we have received during this difficult time,” Christo added.

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