KRALENDIJK – Residents of the Lagoen Hill neighbourhood in Bonaire say they do not feel at all reassured, after a ‘final warning’ was sent out by the Dutch Caribbean Police Force (KPCN) following a vicious dog attack on an elderly neighbour last week.

During that incident, a defenceless 86-year-old resident was badly attacked on his own property by several dogs from a group of 11 pit bulls that the neighbours keep in their yard. The victim had several serious – and potentially fatal – bite wounds to his lower leg and had to be treated in hospital for his injuries.

KPCN did investigate the incident, but after please from the dog owners closed the case with a “serious warning”. The warning, partly shared with local media, pointed out to the dog owners that  to the fact that the dogs could be euthanized in a ‘new incident’.

Unchanged

Alarmed neighbours point out that ‘nothing has changed’ in the fencing on the property of the dog owners, and that the same number of dogs continue live in the yard. Residents also point out that the incident could happen again at any time. “This poor elderly couple feels completely unsafe in their own home,” said a resident in the neighbourhood who witness the incident and the results of the attack. “There was blood all over in the house. It was just a terrible sight”. 

According to the concerned resident, parents in the neighbourhood are also terrified of letting their children walk alone or play in the street. “Soon those dogs will grab a child, with fatal consequences. You don’t want to even think about that, do you?”

Investigation

In the meantime, various parties believe that the case has not been handled correctly. For example, dog experts should be brought in to assess the behaviour of the animals involved, over which the owners seem to have absolutely no control. This in order to assess whether they can be kept in the yard, with certain improvements made to the fencing, or should be moved elsewhere.