Written by Carika Roux – Treasurer SPCA Witbank
Professional photography by Boland Weddings
One day, a crate arrived with a litter of the tiniest brown and tan puppies. Their eyes were still closed; they had yet to glimpse the cruel world. When I asked where the mother was, the reply was, “She’s in the car, and we’re taking her back home.”
When I got to the car, a dog with a very sad, white face and a skinny body showing signs of an extremely hard life greeted me.
In the end, she was signed over along with her puppies. The puppies grew bigger, each with a unique personality, and we’re blessed that they were all adopted into good homes.
Becca was left behind, and the hunt to find a home for her began... days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. And once again, that sad white face stared through the bars of the kennel with no interest being shown in her. We shared her photos over and over again with not one show of interest or a glimmer of hope for our Becca to have a chance at a happy retirement home.
But then we received an inquiry for Becca – all the way from Cape Town! And so the journey and process began.
The rest is history – Becca is now living the life in Kraaifontein.
This wouldn’t have been possible without the following angels who assisted to fly her down:
- Victoria Bedritshaia (she shared and prayed so hard for Becca), who sponsored the flight.
- Stephne Jackson of Watershed Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Fund, who made the flight arrangements for us at such short notice.
- Watershed and Bidair Pet Cargo Pet Lounge for flying Becca and taking such good care of her.
- And last, but not least, for Su-marie and her family for opening their home to Becca.
Some days it felt like a dream from which we’d soon wake up. But we still believe in miracles; this story is one of them! And we’ll continue to do what we do.
Su-marie, Becca’s new owner, shares…
I first saw Becca’s photos on social media in October. As with so many others looking for a home, I shared the post to network her. I did this a few times, and it was starting to worry me that, according to the SPCA Witbank’s comments, no interest had been shown in her. These animals sitting in a kennel waiting for a home stir up a whole lot of emotions in me. It was then I decided that I was going to enquire about Becca and see where it goes. The rest is history!
With the help of Carika and many other people, we liaised back and forth, sending paperwork, and having a home inspection done (and a big thank you to Cape of Good Hope SPCA for assisting there). It took a while, but in the end, I think it was worth the wait for Becca. While still at Witbank SPCA, she was in good hands receiving the attention she needed, just like all the animals in their care.
So, Becca finally arrived and we fetched her at the airport. It wasn’t the perfect meet and greet with lots of flair, but despite her nervousness and ours, it still turned out perfectly! We arrived home and introduced her to her new pack and family, and it was as if she’d always been there. My bunch are so used to other dogs that they just gave a few sniffs and carried on.
Becca has settled in very well, given that she’s a rescue and had to integrate into a completely new lifestyle. She loves her food and has already got a good-looking figure going for her. She plays with her brother Frank, the pug, and runs circles in the garden when she’s happy. Then she has the Becca “cheese” face where she grins and smiles at you. Becca is such a loving dog who loves attention; she’s happy just being close to you. She doesn’t ask for much, but I try to give her much more than she asks for and will continue to do so in future.
I wish I could help save them all, but as we all know, it’s not possible. However, there’s no reason to not try to save the ones we can. Each and every one of us can make a difference, especially in the golden oldies’ lives. They’re often overlooked, but I can say from experience that it’s the best feeling opening your heart and home to a senior. Having had another senior recently come into our home, I can see the difference it makes to his life.
So please adopt, don’t shop!
