Superdog

The Daily Voice, Cape Town's always entertaining tabloid, devoted nearly three whole pages yesterday to a story about a dog who saved its owner from being beaten by her husband. They've dubbed the little mutt "Superdog."

This is the text of the teaser that ran on the front page:

Meet Ouma the Superdog.

This feisty bitch saved Christmas and her owner's life.

She took on a man many times her own size to rescue Carol Isaacs.

Ouma jumped into action when Emilio Isaacs tried to stab Carol to death.

Carol says: "She jumped on him, bit his neck and wouldn't let go. She only let go when he dropped the knife."

The canine crusader then stood guard to make sure Emilio did not get near Carol.

Because of Ouma's dogged determination, Emilio fled with his tail between his legs.

Carol says: "She saved my life. She's my hero."

The story on the inside refers to Ouma as "the Super Bitch," and says that she left Emilio "bloodied and licking his wounds," and with his "ego between his legs."

And there's this: "After biting Emilio into submission, the madman upped and fled the house howling in terror."

You can click each picture for a close-up of the page.

If further evidence was needed that this was not like the sort of journalism I might have found back home, there is also a lengthy and graphic first person narrative in the middle of the story by Carol describing in detail how her husband sexually assaulted her. And there's a much deserved rant by her against the police--and a bit from a woman who runs a domestic violence center--for failing time and time again to protect her from her estranged husband.

You'd think that something of such a serious and disturbing nature wouldn't really fit into the same story as a picture of a flying dog in a Superman cape. You might think that there's a place for humor, and this isn't it. And you might suspect that the woman depicted in the story would have a major problem with the article if something like that did happen.

But you'd be wrong.