On the 10th of April, the story of Gerry Brand and his beloved dog Bella moved many hearts!
Bella needed vet care after Gerry brought her in with lacerations to her face, but Gerry didn’t have the means to pay for the treatment even at welfare rates. The love for his dog moved us so much and thanks to our donors who support the work of our hospital, we were able to assist the much-loved Bella at no charge to her favourite human. READ THE FULL STORY …
Deborah Boltman saw the post on social media and reached out to the SPCA to find out how she could help support Mr Brand with a dog food purchase for Bella.
The SPCA connected her with Lionel’s Choice who helped this donor stretch her rand sufficiently to cover 12 months of food for Bella. The Boltman family’s donation is in remembrance of their beloved Tusk 💜 a rescue bully who suddenly passed away last Sunday. In Tusk’s memory, we would like to extend our deepest appreciation for reaching out a hero’s hand to help a man and his dog in need.
We caught up with Gerry earlier today to share this wonderful news and he was moved to tears by the Boltman Family’s kind and generous hearts. In a very touching conversation with Gerry, he said that nobody has ever helped him in his life and this is his first experience receiving kindness from a stranger.
More heroes are stepping up to support Gerry & Bella
The incredible bond between these two continues to inspire more heroes to help and a recent of R1 000 gift was given to Gerry by one of our followers. He decided to spend the money, not on himself, but entirely on treats and comforts for Bella. He bought a second-hand dog kennel for comfort, a huge chew treat, dog shampoo and a brush. He also received a Shoprite voucher from another follower and used this to buy electricity as he was about to run out. The love between these two continues to melt our hearts and bring out the hero in all of us.
A distressed Gerry Brand brought Bella to our hospital with lacerations to her face, she needed sedation, shaving and cleaning and depending on the vet, suturing.
Please listen to the sound clip below
Gerry was very emotional and shared what Bella means to him “She is so close to me; without her I am nothing. I didn’t know what to do”. It is hard to be vulnerable, especially for a man, and to share his love for his dog in such a caring and unconditional way moved most of us to tears.
Gerry works security patrol in Sea Point to cover his basic needs, and this month after his uniform costs were deducted from his salary, he had no means to give Bella the care she needed.
He loves his dog so much that it brought tears to our eyes when he told us he couldn’t afford the amount quoted, even at welfare rates. Thanks to you, our heroes and donors we were able to treat Bella at no charge to her favourite human.
After hearing the good news Gerry was in tears of joy: “I feel very happy, thank you for helping me like this, it means a lot to me.”
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