Suspicions turn to Appreciation
When Education Field officers Junior Komani and Bongani Giyose spotted a group of children huddled together they immediately thought the worst! Not only are they both fathers but they work with children everyday – teaching them the value of compassion and kindness for animals – and experience has taught them that when children look as secretive as this, they’re usually up to no good. They pulled over their vehicle and when some of the children fled, they thought they were about to confirm their worst fears.
Instead what they found, was two young boys desperately trying to figure how to help a dog they had found abandoned and tied to a tree. They had heard the dog’s cries for help from their home in Ithemba Farms.
Junior and Bongani to the Rescue
Field Officers Junior Komani and Bongani Giyose immediately recognised the symptoms of heat exhaustion and dehydration and had to act quickly to remove the tethers from around the dog’s neck so that she could pant effectively and to offer her as much water as she could drink in her weakened, deteriorating state.
Abenathi and Jayden, stayed close at hand, eager to help and learn.
As soon as they were able to, Junior and Bongani loaded the dog into their vehicle and brought her straight to our animal hospital to be seen by a Vet.
We Called Her Muffin
Although traumatised and terrified, Muffin had responded well to Junior and Bongani’s first aid efforts and was a lot more alert on admission to the SPCA. We thought the worst was over for her, but her veterinary prognosis was still poor. Not only had Muffin been abandoned and tied to a tree with no access to water on one of the hottest days of the year, she was also desperately ill battling a tick borne disease. She was admitted to our High Care ward and her second fight for her life began. At least this time she was surrounded by loving hearts and hands, sheltered from the heat, had all the water she could drink and veterinary science in her favour. Unfortunately, as if she hadn’t already experienced enough, Muffin was also harbouring Canine Distemper and it was all too much for her little body to handle. Muffin didn’t have the strength to recover from abandonment, heat exhaustion, a tick borne disease and Canine Distemper. While we couldn’t save her, we’re still thankful to our two little heroes, Abanathi and Jayden whose rescue efforts first alerted us to her plight. Without them, Muffin would have been invisible to our Field Officers driving by and she would’ve suffered terribly, dying alone, afraid and never knowing a day’s kindness.
