As many of you know and can see, I like taking photos. During a walk on the beautiful Sea Point Promenade, I was looking for the perfect shot to share with you. I decided to head down the stairs to Graaff’s Pool and take a quick photo before returning back to the promenade. But I noticed something in the water which made me think twice. No, it was not a shark but to me, it may well have been.
Since I can remember, I have always had a fear of dogs. This is not a nice fear to have as dogs are everywhere. The fear is not in the dog itself. I go visit friends who have dogs and I have no problem at all. The potential threat of their shark- like teeth sinking into my flesh does scare me.
This particular dog was playing in the water with its siblings and mother. Being a Jack Russell, it didn’t look vicious so I headed down to snap a photo. As I walked along the sand, I was thinking of the perfect place to stand, when suddenly I heard a bark and I knew straight away that the bark was directed at me. This innocent looking dog came running at me with its mouth open showing its shark- like teeth. At this moment, my life flashed before my eyes.
When I was younger, I would have run. But I have learnt that running only leads to two things. Firstly, the dog will run after you. Secondly, you will probably sprain your ankle. I have experienced both a few times. So with courage I stood my ground, shouted “No”, lifted my leg and kicked sand at this vicious creature. With each bark I saw more and more of its shark- like teeth. I thought of those shows on the Animal channel and I hoped that I would not be another episode. The owner shouted for him/her to come back while I continued to shout and lift my leg. I did not at any point hurt the dog. I don’t believe in cruelty against animals. But if a dog is attacking you, you have every right to defend yourself.
Luckily, my shouting and leg movements coupled with flying sand scared the dog off. I quickly returned back to the promenade and took a few photos of the owners and dog. As I said, I like taking photos 🙂
The sign for Graaff’s Pool Beach clearly shows a symbol of a dog with a line through it. On the corner it says August to April and the time 9am – 7pm. So if I am correct, this dog should not have been on the beach in the first place. After the incident, the owner leashed the dog. But later on I saw the dog had been unleashed, waiting stealthily like a shark for its next victim.
This dog nearly attacked me. Sign clearly says no dogs. I just wanted a photo. @bevschafer @helenzille @CityofCT. pic.twitter.com/CawxMIbrKr
— CapeTownGuy (@TheCapeTownGuy) October 9, 2013
The City Of Cape Town spends time and money on making signs to prevent dogs on certain beaches. If you have a dog, please be a good citizen and keep to the rules. I understand that you want to walk your dog on the beach but there are plenty of other beaches that allow dogs. Imagine I was a 5 year old. Would a 5 year old be capable of scaring off a dog? I truly thank all parties of The City of Cape Town’s Sport, Recreation and Amenities Department for ensuring that our beaches are safe. If only it was possible to ban sharks from beaches.
For more info: New dog-related signage for beaches
