Written by Imogen Tarita, Volunteer and Trustee for the Cluny Animal Trust
Photography by Amanda van Blerk
Heidi’s story began on the 5th of March 2023, but the Cluny Animal Trust team were only alerted to it the following morning. At about 7:30am that morning, our Clarens WhatsApp groups started blowing up with messages of what sounded like a dog in distress up against the cliff face on the Mallen Route hiking trail in Clarens.
Animal lovers unite
If there’s one thing you need to know about the community of Clarens, it’s their love of animals. So, a load of people went up and down the mountain all morning looking for the dog. She could be heard barking and then she’d go quiet for long periods of time, plus the undergrowth is very dense on that part of the mountain so tracking her was very hard. Sadly, the Clarens Village Conservancy (CVC) Rangers were in a completely different part of the Conservancy and couldn’t assist, so it was up to concerned residents to help.
The Cluny team are in Clarens on a Monday, and so Dr Elsa and Jan were alerted to the issue. Because everyone was concerned that the dog might be trapped in an illegal snare, the team were prepped and ready for anything, but they had to leave Clarens around 2pm due to an emergency case in Fouriesburg. At that time, we had no idea if anyone would be able to locate this dog.
A local resident, Joe, decided to take his dogs up the mountain to go and help. Joe is just one of those guys who really loves animals, so he was keen to help – and if anyone could find her, Joe could. He was up there for a couple of hours tracking her.
Eventually he located her – a small little thing, completely terrified, clinging to a very steep and dangerous slope. Joe sat down next to her and spent a lot of time just getting her used to his presence. Thankfully, she wasn’t in a snare, but he knew he had to be patient to bring her down to safety.
Rabies concerns
Once we knew she was off the mountain, Nico raced from Fouriesburg to Clarens to go and fetch the little brown dog. We named her Heidi (because she was in the mountains) and took her back to our clinic in Fouriesburg. She did have a wound but, thankfully, it wasn’t anything too serious. It was checked and cleaned, and Dr Elsa said it would heal.
But there was a greater concern. We live in an area where rabies is endemic. As we didn’t know her history, little Heidi had to go straight into isolation.
This is where the story gets a little hair-raising: when Joe had put the leash around her neck she’d bitten him. Not knowing her history, this started a whole other chain of events as Joe needed to be put immediately on a course of rabies vaccines. Unfortunately, there were strikes at the hospitals at that time, so sitting and waiting in a public hospital just wasn’t an option, and private rabies shots are very expensive. We’re very grateful that the community of Clarens rallied around and donated the R2,500 needed to cover his vaccines.
So, every day, twice a day, for 10 days, whilst Heidi was in isolation, I checked in with Dr Elsa to see if there’d been any change in Heidi’s status and reported back to Joe and Dr Mike. Thankfully, after 10 very long days she was given the all-clear and pronounced rabies-free. We all collectively breathed a huge sigh of relief!
Heidi grabs global attention
We had no idea how Heidi had gotten up on the mountain in the first place, so we started posting about her to try and find her owners. Had she been dumped? Wandered off? We had no idea.
We were contacted by someone via Facebook saying that she belonged to them and demanding that we hand her over. But, when we asked for proof that Heidi was theirs and told them they’d need to pay towards Joe’s vaccines and her time with us – surprise, surprise – their phone all of a sudden remained permanently off and they never bothered to call us back.
But her story doesn’t end there. Our initial post on Facebook went viral and we were contacted by a lot of news agencies from SA, including EWN, Cape Talk, Good Things Guy, and there was even a spread done in Huisgenoot magazine about Joe and Heidi with a professional photographer. And, can you believe, we were even contacted by international new agencies! We were blown away by the fact that this story had caught the attention of so many people.
From healing to happiness
Quite a few people reached out to us about Heidi and donated to her care, which was very helpful as we rely solely on fundraising and donations to do our work. Because the “owners” seemed to have fallen off the face of the planet, we realised that the entire experience had been very traumatising for her, so Dr Elsa decided that, once she was out of isolation, an additional week or two at our clinic with our team and our pack of calm and relaxed clinic dogs would do wonders for her – she just needed some time, space, and love, which we made sure she got in abundance!
About three weeks after being found she’d healed nicely, both physically and mentally. We’d started her vaccination regime and sterilised her, and it was time to start looking for a family of her own. We didn’t have to look too hard.
Interestingly enough, despite all the coverage, Mariann du Plessis hadn’t heard about her story as she’d been away. She spotted her picture on one of the local WhatsApp groups when we posted about getting her adopted and instantly felt a connection. As Mariann is known to the Cluny team – a local and a fantastic dog owner – the adoption process was pretty plain sailing, and we were able to move quite fast.
And the rest, as they say, is history… we have a WhatsApp adoption group for everyone who’s ever adopted from us and we really love seeing pictures of Heidi in her new home. She’s definitely a character and easy to fall in love with. After her 15 minutes of fame, we’re thrilled that she found the very best forever family – a very happy ending, just like a proper fairy tale for Heidi of the Mountain!
Mariann, Heidi’s guardian, shares...
Heidi is an endearing little dog, her charm emanating from her earnest facial expressions and perky ears, right down to her curious yet gentle demeanour. She seamlessly integrated into our family life. Her favoured pastimes include joy rides in the back of the bakkie and cuddling cosily behind her brother Moose in front of the warm fireplace.
Heidi isn’t without her little idiosyncrasies. For example, during our walks, she faithfully stays by my side, always slightly trailing. It’s a behaviour I suspect was ingrained from her previous life. In another peculiar habit, whenever the dogs are summoned to jump onto the bakkie, she opts to dart underneath it instead, requiring gentle coaxing before she inches close enough to flip onto her back, waiting to be lifted onto the vehicle.
Furthermore, Heidi has a distinct aversion to venturing out after dusk. While the other dogs carry out their nightly routines outdoors just before bedtime, she remains firmly indoors. If you attempt to take her outside, she’ll make a beeline for the door, eager to return inside. I only wish I had a deeper understanding of her past, it might help make sense of these unique behaviours that seem rooted in fear.
Heidi (AKA Pixie) certainly lives up to her whimsical names. Her endearing ways resonate in everything she does – especially how her eyes light up with unmistakable affection when you call her name, the interaction often accompanied by an enchanting canine smile. Heidi’s joie de vivre is inspiring, as she not only lives each day to the fullest but also prompts those around her to do the same.
Her innate ability to incite playful energy in her fellow canines is a sight to behold. With sweet persuasion and irresistible cues, she can coax even the laziest dog into a merry game.
The love that they all share for Heidi is palpable, and, over time, she’s lovingly emerged as the heart of their quaint little pack.
We love Heidi and I’m so thankful to Joe and the Cluny Team for rescuing her and allowing us the privilege to enjoy her.
PS: find out more about rabies here: https://www.happytailsmagazine.co.za/articles/health-matters/vet-related/rabies/
