Written by Ingrid Finlay
Professional photography by Nat Gold ZA
In March 2020, a video on the Garden Route SPCA’s Facebook page caught my attention. It was of a dog called Magic, and I fell in love. I sadly lost my dog, Spike, to a neurological issue in November 2019 and thought I wasn’t ready to find a new dog. But clearly, I was! Spike was also a rescue, dropped at my gate by a well-meaning lady who couldn’t afford to keep him. Spike travelled to England and back with me and lived a fine life gallivanting all over.
I called the SPCA and spoke to Dawn. She said it was doable – because I live in Cape Town, I was worried that they wouldn’t let me adopt him due to the distance, but they were incredibly accommodating. They gave me all the information about him and what I needed to do to adopt him. I just needed to find someone to come and do a home check. Fortunately, Marilyn Hoole from TEARS is a friend of mine and she agreed to do the home check.
I live in Lake Michelle so needed to erect a fence on the waterside to stop him from swimming in the lake (and he LOVES swimming). Once the home check was done, Basil was neutered, and I was allowed to collect him. The SPCA agreed to allow me to fetch him on the weekend as I work during the week.
On Friday the 20th of March 2020, I was having dinner with friends and told them all about him and that I needed to get him from George (five hours away). Darryl suggested I go that weekend because the lockdown was imminent. After lots of chatting and discussions about Covid and what was going to happen, Darryl very kindly offered to drive me up to George that Sunday to fetch Basil (I renamed him as we already have a horse called Magic in our family). I spoke to Dawn from George SPCA and set it all up.
We left Noordhoek at 4am on Sunday the 22nd of March 2020 – in the nick of time, as the country went into full lockdown on the 26th of that month. I was so grateful that we went that weekend. I got my beautiful Basil, who wouldn’t have coped with living in a kennel for the duration of those long Covid lockdown months. Although the SPCA has huge runs for the dogs to exercise, I think he would have battled.
Basil has lots of energy. He loves people, loves cuddles, and needs that human contact. He’s very funny, and I just love him. He goes everywhere with me and gets on with all my friends’ dogs, and he’s “now” super well behaved.
Garden Route SPCA is really amazing, professional and helpful, and everything went without a hitch. They accommodated me on the weekend, and I can highly recommend them.
Basil has quite a bad scar on the top of his neck that looks like it was from a bad injury. He has also had the top of one of his ears cut off. I think he had a hard time previously, but not anymore… now he lives a fine life. I love him to bits, and everyone who knows him loves him too!
Welcome to our family, Basil (Faulty)!
