Deadly misunderstood: Activist fights back against pit bull panic in SA
Tragedy and misinformation: The pit bull panic sweeping South Africa.
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While pit bulls are often splashed across headlines as symbols of danger, one local animal activist insists the real problem is not the dogs, but the ignorance surrounding them.
Nicole Jack, the founder of non-profit organisation SerendiPitty Rescue, is fiercely protective of the breed.
The Durbanite believes they have been unfairly demonised and that much of the fear stems from misinformation and a lack of proper education about responsible ownership.
"In this country, we don't really have pit bulls; we have pit bull-type dogs. Any dog that has a box head is often classified as a pit bull and just mislabelled," she said.
The outspoken advocate, who shares her home with two pitbulls of her own, told IOL that the narrative around the breed has been shaped by sensational stories rather than facts.
She maintains that with the right training, socialisation and care, pit bulls can be loyal, affectionate and deeply intelligent companions.
Just a few weeks ago, a brutal dog attack up the road from her left a woman and a child injured.
Her voice trembles with frustration, not only at the violence of the incident, but at how quickly blame was placed on the wrong breed.
According to Jack, a neighbour had been building and knocked over a fence. When dogs spotted a woman walking with a child and another dog, they bolted.
"When the dogs spotted the woman and a child walking up the road with another dog, the dogs ran after that dog, and the woman picked it up and got attacked. They were never pit bulls; they were actually fluffy dogs."
Yet within hours, she says, the label had stuck.
"Because someone claimed it was a pit bull, it got published everywhere."
For her, that alleged rush to judgement is part of a wider and deeply damaging pattern. "Any animal can attack; it doesn't matter what it is. Until people actually go and look at the dog and see it for themselves."
The activist does not deny that the breed requires careful handling. In fact, she insists on confronting the realities many others avoid.
"Understanding what breed you have is very important. Most pit bull-type animals don't like small animals, cats and small dogs. It is in their genetics not to like small animals...The tolerance of a pitbull-type dog is smaller than that of the average breed."
She speaks with urgency about what she calls 'latent aggression', warning signs that are often ignored or misunderstood.
"These dogs have what's called latent aggression; they show you signs that they are unhappy, but people often think it's funny, it's not, because one day, when they have had enough, they will snap, and people think the dog became immediately aggressive, it was never immediately aggressive, it gave you signs that it was unhappy."
Across South Africa, the debate over pit bull‑type dogs has moved beyond community arguments and into formal civic pressure.
In 2023, the Sizwe Kupelo Foundation delivered a petition with more than 139,000 signatures calling on the government to ban pit bulls as domestic pets — and demanding stronger regulation to protect people from deadly attacks.
The petition was handed to the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, who acknowledged public concern about pit bull‑type dog attacks and announced steps to improve identification and owner accountability.
However, Jack's frustration is not directed at the dogs, but at owners who fail to educate themselves.
"You can't blame a dog; you must blame the person for not doing the research before they got that dog," she added.
Through her work, she rehabilitates severely neglected animals but draws a firm line.
She refuses to rehome family pets surrendered on impulse and will not attempt to 'fix' dogs that are actively attacking people.
Instead, she focuses on those who have suffered abuse and abandonment, animals she believes deserve a second chance.
For her, the debate is not about defending pit bulls blindly. It is about responsibility, research and refusing to let fear replace facts.
Now, another incident has reignited the fierce debate.
According to Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA), a pit bull named Amy was allegedly shot after attacking the owner of a neighbouring property on High Street in Grangetown, Kwazulu Natal 2am on Thursday.
Rusa said that the homeowner went outside to investigate a noise, believing there were suspects on his property.
"Rusa received a call for assistance from the family after the homeowner exited his residence to investigate a noise in the yard."
The organisation says the man discharged his 9mm firearm in self-defence after being attacked.
Responding officers reportedly found the wounded animal and recovered a spent cartridge at the scene. "According to the owner of the animal, the dog was taken to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), where Amy was euthanised."
But the story does not end there.
Amy, aged just under three years and had seven five-week-old puppies. Her family has since approached Rusa with what they describe as an alternative account.
They provided a ten-minute video which, they claim, shows the dog on a wall at the time she was shot, with no visible attack captured.
They allege tensions between neighbours may have contributed to the tragedy.
Jack does not excuse negligence; she condemns it.
"The dog was outside its property. That is irresponsible ownership; the dog should have been contained in its own yard.
"Why was the dog out? And I think the guy already had an issue with the fact that the dog had killed his bird."
For her, the heart of the issue is accountability. She has repeatedly warned that powerful breeds require informed, disciplined ownership.
She does not romanticise the breed. In fact, she repeatedly stresses that pit bull-type dogs are powerful animals with genetic traits that require management.
But she insists that the central issue is neither hysteria nor denial — it is competence.
Adding further gravity to the debate, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA has issued an urgent appeal for lawful dog ownership, sterilisation, and responsible breeding following the mauling of a Mitchells Plain woman by two pit bull-type dogs last week.
Police confirmed that officers were called to a property in Maralize Street, Morgenster, at about 1.53pm following reports of a dog attack.
The 44-year-old victim was transported to the hospital by private vehicle but later died from her injuries.
The dogs were removed from the premises by law enforcement officers, and an inquest docket has been opened to investigate the circumstances.
The SPCA warned that incidents like these highlight the need for responsible ownership and proper socialisation, emphasising that aggression is rarely 'sudden' and that pit bull-type dogs require careful management.
Jack's passion is not theoretical; it is forged in experience.
Over the years, she has nursed pit bulls who were starved, abused, and even burnt, bringing them back from the brink of death and helping them reclaim trust in humans.
"These dogs come from severe neglect. They deserve love," she said.
Her rehabilitation work, she stressed, is about more than saving animals — it is about showing the public what responsible care can achieve, even with dogs that many have already written off as dangerous or hopeless.
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