Written by Jessica Smit
Professional photography by Meraki Photos
We rescued Monster from a tragic life four years ago. He was terribly sick and undernourished. It was touch and go as to whether he’d survive. And while he was recovering, he contracted cat flu! He spent 10 days in hospital, his life hanging in the balance. But… Monster fought to live, and we were over the moon when he made a full recovery!
He’s very playful, full of boundless energy, and very affectionate to our family and people he knows (although he can be stubborn at times). Monster has two other four-legged friends at home – Midnight, a one-year-old rescue Pit Bull, and Papawiny, a Min Pin, but Midnight is his BFF.
Our beloved Monster went missing on the 13th of December 2021 when we left the house for about 10, max 15 mins. When we pulled back up the driveway, we couldn’t hear him; he gives this particular bark when he’s excited to see us. We were distraught and immediately began searching for him and posting on Facebook.
On the 14th of December 2021, while we were at TAG (The Animal Guardians) rescue organisation, we received a picture of Monster – he’d been seen. But, by the time we got to where he was spotted, he was gone; we drove around until late that night, but sadly there was absolutely no sight of him.
I posted on all the Facebook pages that I could find. I posted about three times a day every day until the night he was found; I swore I’d never give up on him! Midnight missed Monster terribly… she wasn’t eating properly and kept looking for him around the house and garden. She refused to play with us, and when we went out, she’d cry!
We’re so grateful for all the help we received, even from people we didn’t know!
The troops rally round
Mandy Davidow was searching with us from the second day. She’d pick me up during the day when my husband, Ettien, was at work, so we could search the neighbourhood and visit the various SPCAs to check if Monster was there.
Angela Hunt-Tutton and Margi Port, from the UK, sponsored the fee for the Healthy Hound K9 search unit, but, unfortunately, they weren’t successful in finding Monster.
Melissa Rautenbach very kindly sponsored reward money. Cassandra Duarte designed and created a poster and flyer for us, and Kim Meyer sponsored the printing of posters and flyers.
Dean Van Vuuren and Tammy Bray drove around helping us search for Monster.
Tamara Mackenzie was there for us every step of the way; she bought treats for us to lure Monster with if we saw him. Julie Wolfaardt provided unwavering support and was my rock when I needed it most.
We also had a huge amount of emotional and physical support from the members of the public – this was very heartwarming and most welcome. And the kind admins of the various Facebook groups (including Tamara and Diane Lavis) approved my “Lost” posts every day. (Thankfully, Diane warned me of scammers that prey on owners of lost animals!)
On the 3rd of January 2022, I received a call at 10h15 from Debbie Noble to say that there was a possible sighting of Monster at St. Francis Primary School. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in the area, but a few people from our WhatsApp group went to check. However, once again, Monster wasn’t to be found anywhere.
At 19h43, Leon Crouse posted a location to the group and phoned me straight away.
Leon shares…
Sherry-Lee Grobler and I were patrolling the area using the last known location of Monster, and as we were driving past the school, we saw a dog shadow through the fence. We immediately stopped, but the dog ran away from us when we called him.
We quickly made contact with Jessica, who promptly joined us. Luckily, one of the groundkeepers saw us and opened the premises’ gate. We walked through almost half the school before Ettien spotted the hiding Monster. He called out to him, and a very happy Monster, with his little tail wagging non-stop, came out, knowing he was now safe.
Jessica continues…
Heartfelt thanks to Leon Crouse and Sherry-Lee Grobler; without you we wouldn’t have been reunited with our precious Monster. Many thanks to Leon and Lee for donating towards Monster’s vet bill.
I’d like to thank everyone who helped and supported us; I wish I could name them all, but the list would be endless.
We’re overjoyed and so grateful to have Monster back home after 22 days! Since his return, Monster’s BFF, Midnight, has been so excited. Despite Monster not allowing us out of his sight, life at home has returned to normal.
