In the name of Paco, who was needlessly shot dead by a SAPS officer on 21 March 2016, we call on Minister Nkosinathi Nhleko, South Africa’s Minister of Police, and Professor Fikile Mazibuko, Chairman of the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSiRA), to institute the following provisions with immediate effect:

1. Prescribe stringent and uniform disciplinary steps (preferably dismissal) to be taken against all officers who, while performing their duties, needlessly kill dogs.
2. Include the non-lethal handling of dogs in the Code of Conduct of all officers in the employ of the South African Police Service (SAPS), Law Enforcement and PSIRA.
3. Inform all officers as set out in 1 & 2 above via priority circular transmission.
4. Introduce a mandatory training programme for all officers, educating them on basic K9 behaviour in a threatening situation, how to react when encountering dogs and how to restrain them humanely.  
5. Ensure that all officers are issued with teargas which is endorsed by the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute as safe to use on dogs.

Our dogs are our family, our devoted companions and our protectors in a country where, on average, 50 people are murdered by criminals every day.  A number that exceeds those in war-torn countries and our men and women in uniform are unable to stem the tide.  Yet they do not hesitate to kill those who are often our first line of defence or alarm when asleep.  As soon as they encounter a situation where dogs are involved, they simply reach for their guns and shoot them, and they do so;  1) while believing, mistakenly, that they have a right to, 2) out of fear and/or cowardice, 3) as a result of ignorance, or more likely 4) because it will make their jobs easier.  A disgrace and travesty which can no longer be tolerated.

We believe it is criminal behaviour to kill our dogs, and those doing so cannot uphold the law nor protect us from ‘other’ criminals.  In terms of our antiquated legislation dogs, who are sentient beings just like us, are still regarded as ‘property’ and killing them is therefore malicious destruction of property – a criminal offence.   All criminals should be stripped of guns and lethal weapons – whether in uniform or not.  They do not belong in a civilised society, much less in our Police, Law Enforcement and Security services.  These services were established to protect and serve the public, not to harm, injure or destroy them, their possessions or their families.

More and more dogs are killed by those who are tasked to protect us, and we cannot allow this to continue.  In March alone, the three incidents below were reported, and sadly the majority go unnoticed because people are not aware of their rights or the fact that killing our dogs is a criminal offence.

7 March 2016:  ZEUS a much loved family pet and nine month old puppy gunned down by a Reaction Officer in Benoni for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  No response from the security company yet.

12 March 2016:  IZRA – a much loved family pet shot next to her owner’s son by SAPS in Mossel Bay because of fear and ignorance.  No response about the killing of Izra or endangering the life of the owner’s son from the SAPS yet.

21 March 2016:  PACO a much loved family pet – callously gunned down because he attacked an intruder who scaled the fence in the absence of his owners in Cape Town.  The SAPS officer was not attacked by Paco, but he killed him from the ‘safety’ of the fence to ‘safeguard’ the trespasser (who was there with criminal intent), and he was fully aware of that when he pulled the trigger.  His irresponsible and immediate reaction – reaching for his gun to kill Paco - was clearly a foregone conclusion.  We are awaiting feed-back and official confirmation regarding the disciplinary steps allegedly taken against the officer for killing Paco and endangering the lives of the bystanders (children included).

And who can forget Deja?  In Bryanston, almost a year since the beloved Deja was gunned down by a security guard, her human family is still haunted by her needless and cruel death.  The owner’s elderly mother, who was pleading with the officer to stand still and stop shooting, will never forget how she was spattered with the blood of Deja who suffered for more than an hour before she was ultimately declared dead at the Vet.  The Security Company involved failed to launch an investigation, and this officer has never been disciplined – not even for endangering the life of the owner’s mother.

Almost every household in South Africa has one or more dogs.  All confident dogs will protect their homes and families from intruders.  Furthermore, dogs cannot tell that those in uniform are ‘safe intruders’, which puts all our dogs at risk of being gunned down summarily. 

More and more people are relying on dogs to help protect them.  The failure of officers to deal appropriately with incidents regarding dogs will lead to the public fearing to call them for assistance when confronted with crime, and they will likely take matters into their own hands instead.

In the words of Roger A Caras:  “Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.”

Therefore, by signing this petition we say with one voice: 

“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH – STOP KILLING OUR DOGS”!

Minister Nhleko and Professor Mazibuko hear the call of the citizens of South Africa - act for our dogs now!