Written by Sandy Clifton – Adoptions, African Tails
Professional photography www.jackritzinger.co.za
When the African Tails team is on the road with a well-planned-out schedule for the day ahead, nothing ever goes according to plan. Each day is peppered with unexpected events. The day Holly was rescued was no different.
It took our breath away
Alma Schaap of African Tails and Tanya van Tonder from Four Paws were en route to a meeting in the impoverished rural community of Mamre, Western Cape, when they spotted what they thought might be a wild animal scurrying along. We knew that, whatever animal it was, he or she needed help.
Alma recalls the day Holly’s new life started: “We pulled over on the dusty road, and the dog approached our vehicle. What we saw took our breath away: a skinny and scared Rhodesian Ridgeback-type dog with a massive, festering wound on the side of her head. We were terrified to move for fear that she’d instantly disappear into the field and frustrated that we didn’t have anything with us to lure her except a few bread crusts.
“The skinny red-brown dog was extremely wary of us and did not want to come too close. Yet she was strangely drawn to us and kept circling the car. We could smell the horrible stench of her wound from far and see how weak she was. It was like she wanted help, wanted to be with us, but she just didn’t feel like she could trust us.”
Rushed to the vet
“Eventually, with loads of patience and sending out good vibes to her, we managed to catch her. The dog – a young female of maybe 10 months old – was petrified; she tried to defend herself by snapping and biting, but, fortunately, she couldn’t do much damage – she was simply too weak.
“We got her into the car, cancelled our meeting and rushed her to the fantastic vets at Vet-Clin Tableview. She was in a bad way; the wound was big and deep, and she had suffered severe tissue damage. She was in a lot of pain and, to make things worse, she was underweight and riddled with parasites.
“The dog, whom we named Holly, had a long stay in hospital ahead of her. We didn’t know if the infection could be cleared or if she was too weak. She was whisked off to surgery to deal with the wound. All we could do now was manage her pain and encourage her to eat on her own.
“But the one thing was clear: this dog wanted help. Holly had a strong spirit and had wanted us to save her. And we were not going to give up on her!”
In recovery
“It wasn’t easy. Holly hated the bandages and constantly tried to pull them off, and she seemed to have an old injury in one of her elbows. But, slowly but surely, her true personality began to shine through. She discovered playing and started to enjoy life.”
After a long and arduous road to recovery, Holly is happy, healthy and completely healed today.
Holly was nursed back to health by her wonderful foster mom, Janine, with the assistance of Alma and Lauren, where she received all the TLC she needed. She also got lots of exercise, fresh air and nutritious food to build up her strength and make her fit and healthy again. We discovered that she adored other dogs and that she was playful and lively; she was even fine with cats.
All too soon, it was time for Holly to find her forever home.
A home for Holly
Adoption applications started coming in, and with them I received a lovely email from Jenny Parsons explaining why she’d like to adopt Holly and describing the idyllic surroundings where Holly would be living.
Jenny’s application immediately struck a chord with me; I was convinced from the start that this family and home would be perfect for Holly. And it was.
When we checked in with Jenny a few weeks later, she was delighted to tell us how well Holly was doing: “Holly has made herself at home! She’s part of the gang and has learnt to trust all of us and has bonded with both Roger and me. She plays all day with Georgie, her “big sister” Ridgeback who is 8 years old and her playmate. Her typical day includes a walk, either on the beach or in the fynbos and mountains. She’s enjoying both off- and on-lead walks and responds well when called. Her trust and confidence just keep growing each day.
“She still enjoys going to sleep on her blanket next to our bed, but during the night, she sneaks back to her bed in the lounge with the other dogs. During the day, she guards our deck from the local rock dassies (hyraxes) or curls up beside me in my office. She gobbles her food and has put on some weight. She still has the wacky habit of chasing her tail!
“All in all, Holly has proved my theory right: the dog finds you! We love her to bits; she is gentle but full of energy. Her nature is to please, so we hardly have to scold her (unless she’s checking the counter tops for snacks).
“Her being saved from a terrible experience and gaping wound, your nursing and fostering of her back to health, and finding her way to us is testament to why we rescue dogs.
“Thank you to Janine and Lauren and everyone else at African Tails! Holly is awesome, and we are so happy she is part of the family.”
Check out Holly in action on African Tails’ Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/AfricanTails/videos/10155469157318450/
Gratitude
African Tails and Holly would like to thank everyone who shared her plight, who rooted for her, and who donated towards her care. Without you, this rescue mission would not have been possible at all. Lots of tail-wagging thanks to the fantastic veterinarians and nursing staff at Vet-Clin Tableview who gave Holly the best care – we know she grew very fond of all of you. Thank you to Doggobone Active Raw Foods who sponsored her food to ensure the best chance of a full recovery with good nutrition.
About African Tails
African Tails has been working to help animals in need in the severely impoverished areas of Du Noon and Joe Slovo townships since 2006. Their aim is to curb overpopulation and suffering of animals. They’ve since teamed up with Four Paws to form a side project – Mending Mamre Mass Sterilisation Campaign.
Find out more by emailing contact@africantails.co.za or call (021) 510 5471. Visit their website at www.africantails.co.za and follow them on Facebook @AfricanTails (https://www.facebook.com/AfricanTails/)
