THERE WAS BLOOD ALL OVER

A fun family day turned to horror when a pit bull attacked three siblings, severely injuring the youngest. Their parents speak of their ordeal

- ROBYN LUCAS

THEY had high hopes for their new home – they wanted a sanctuary for the kids, a place where they could ride their bikes freely, play with their friends and spend precious time outdoors. And for the first three weeks after moving into the three-bedroom property in West Village complex in Krugersdorp on the West Rand, they experienced just that.

But Willem Coetzee and fiancée Martie Louw’s sense of suburban bliss was shattered when their three kids, Verushka (10), Diwan (8) and Amorey (4), were attacked by a pit bull in the complex.

The children had walked to a tuck shop a short distance from their home when the dog launched itself at them. Little Amorey was the most badly injured, suffering more than a dozen bites and had to spend a week in hospital.

“Some of the cuts were so deep you could see her bone,” her father says. “There was flesh that was torn out by the dog.”

Willem, who owns a security business, is still battling to come to terms with what happened.

“When we moved in, we thought this was a lekker safe place,” he says. “But it wasn’t as safe as we thought it would be.”

Willem has laid charges against the dog’s owner and also intends pursuing a civil claim against the owner to compensate for his daughter’s ongoing medical bills. “But at the moment I’m just worried about my daughter,” he says. “Once this is sorted, I’ll turn my attention to the legal side of things.”