Written by Erma Voigt of CSI – Camdeboo Sterilisation Initiative
Professional photography by Leandre Brand Photography
Back in early 2020, Dobbie’s already-sad life took a turn for the worst. For reasons unknown, this little boy, named after a character with long ears in the Harry Potter books and films, was placed in a black bag and thrown off a bridge, resulting in an injured leg. Fortunately, he was spotted by members of the public and a rescue mission was set in motion.
His injury was tended to and CSI (Camdeboo Sterilisation Initiative) began networking him in the hope of finding him an awesome home where he could put all the sadness, neglect, pain and cruelty of his past behind him.
His story – and handsome little face – caught the eye of Lauren Coetzee, a young local nurse who’d recently moved to Graaff-Reinet from Cape Town and was looking for a doggie companion. A meeting was set up, and it was love at first sight. When Lauren took Dobbie home for the first time, the scared pup hid behind the TV cabinet.
But, when fed, he devoured the food – and trust was built from there on.
His new Mommy reported back in 2020: “He’s a happy doggie now that enjoys playtime and mischief. He’s a bundle of energy and loves eating socks. He’s the Light of my life. Being away from home for the first time, alone in a new town, he saved me as much as I saved him.”
Dobbie, how the tide has turned for you. Be happy, little pup, enjoying all the love you’ve been deprived of in your previous young life.
Those bad days will be a distant memory.
Fast forward to 2025. CSI try, as far as possible, to keep in contact with owners of dogs that we rescued and/or rehomed over the years, even if it’s just a quick annual check-in to hear how the pooch and owner are doing. We were therefore delighted to get an update of Dobbie stealing the show on his Mom (and Dad’s) big day when they recently got married. It’s stories like these that make all the heartache we often must deal with worthwhile – and keep us going another day in order to change another life for the better.
Lauren van Rooyen (née Coetzee) shares...
On my wedding day, as Dobbie walked towards me accompanied by my brother, our wedding rings attached to his collar, I involuntarily thought back to the day in 2020 when I first came face to face with my beloved canine companion.
In 2019, I heard that I had to move to Graaff-Reinet for my community service year as a nurse. I had to leave my family behind and move to the Eastern Cape. On the 1st of February 2020 my family dropped me in Graaff-Reinet and I had to start a life on my own VERY far from my home town, Cape Town.
On the 5th of February, I was feeling very lonely and despondent. Scrolling through Facebook, I suddenly saw the face of a puppy that had been rescued after being stuffed in a black bag, thrown off a bridge and then landed in a drain. I immediately fell in love with the little guy.
Fate has a strange way of answering prayers, sometimes delivering them in the form of a simple post on a Facebook feed…
I had to first get past my housemate to get Dobbie. She reluctantly agreed. I straight away contacted my landlord to ask permission to get the puppy, and by chance she was involved in his rescue. The landlord agreed that I could take in the puppy – and took me to meet him.
It was love at first sight.
The day after the meeting, on the 7th of February 2020, we started our life together. He was very skinny and struggled to walk as he’d sustained a very bad injury after being thrown off the bridge. When we arrived home he immediately hid behind the TV cabinet. But then came the miracle – not of medicine, but of a ball. When that ball rolled across the floor, the “rescue” ended and the “life” began.
Dobbie didn’t just come out from behind the cabinet; he stepped into his destiny. This was the start of his ball obsession!
A few weeks later Covid 19 hit and lock-down started... My housemate decided to move out and it was just me and Dobbie. I was completely isolated from society, with Dobbie being my only companion. He stood by me and supported me and kept me going while battling Covid 19 as a frontline worker in Midlands Hospital, Graaff-Reinet. No matter how long the shift or how heavy the loss at the hospital, Dobbie was there.
We did everything together. He joined me on every car ride but developed a sixth sense for my uniform – the one set of clothes that didn’t mean “joy ride”. He’d watch me leave with a solemn understanding, only to explode into goofy, vocal ecstasy the moment I returned.
We played a lot of ball together, went for hikes, and he accompanied me when I went to visit friends. Dobbie loved it when I had friends over for a braai or a party, and he loves sitting on camping chairs at every braai. He became the “King of the Camping Chair”, a social butterfly who moved from seat to seat at every braai, ensuring he was the centre of every conversation. He seems to associate camping chairs with Karoo fun times! Every Sunday we went for drives in the Karoo with the music blasting, with Dobbie’s head out of the window and the wind blowing through his hair.
We often went to Nieu-Bethesda for lunch and a walk next to the dam. He followed wild horses in Nieu-Bethesda, giving me heart attacks and himself the thrill of a lifetime, before settling down to “sokkie” (dance) with his mom, his paws moving to the music of a life well-lived.
During lockdown I managed to cross the border from the Eastern Cape to the Western Cape and took Dobbie along on the eight-hour road trip. This was the first of many. The Karoo became our playground. Together, we turned eight-hour road trips into symphonies, with Dobbie sitting shotgun, ears dancing in the wind, staring through the windscreen like a co-pilot on a grand adventure.
In Cape Town, I introduced him to his dad, Rudi van Rooyen, who absolutely adores him. Dobbie loves people and attention and greets everybody by nibbling on their wrists.
His personality is goofy and fun-loving; he gets excited about everything and is very vocal. Every day is the best day ever! He loves activities like walks on the beach, catching balls, visiting restaurants, making new friends, rolling in lavender bushes and sleeping in my arms at night.
Dobbie has two siblings, Daisy and Fransie, who are both rescues, and he refuses to take a back seat and share his ball with them.
Dobbie is very photogenic and loves being the centre of attention.
On my wedding day, as I stood there, the Karoo sun a distant memory and our life in Cape Town full and bright, I watched Dobbie walking down the aisle. He was the star of the show, walking towards me, the wedding rings clinking against his collar. He wasn’t the broken puppy in the drain anymore.
I didn’t just save Dobbie in Graaff-Reinet, he saved me from the silence. He taught me that every day is “the best day ever”, and that no matter how far you fall, there’s always a way back up – especially if there’s a ball waiting at the top!
We can’t imagine our lives without him!
