Written by Animal Anti-Cruelty League – Durban & Pietermaritzburg
Some happy endings are worth waiting for. Oscar arrived at Animal Anti-Cruelty League – Durban & Pietermaritzburg as a puppy and, for five years, he watched other dogs leave while he remained behind. Like several of our long-term residents, he spent his entire life growing up in the kennels, waiting for the day that someone would choose him.
We never gave up hope that his person was out there. Then Pam walked into his life. The connection was instant, and it wasn’t long before Oscar was on his way to the home that he’d waited so patiently for.
Today, he’s settled beautifully into family life and is enjoying everything that comes with having a place to call his own.
Stories like Oscar’s remind us why we never stop believing in our long-term residents. Sometimes the wait is measured in years, but the right home is worth waiting for. Oscar’s story also gives us hope for the seven other dogs at Animal Anti-Cruelty League – Durban & Pietermaritzburg who’ve now been waiting five years for their own happy ending. We dream of the day that each of them finds the family that they’ve been waiting for.
A heartfelt thank you to Pam for opening her home and her heart to Oscar, and for welcoming him into her wonderful gang. We couldn’t have wished for a happier ending for this very special boy.
Pam McNamara, Oscar’s new owner, shares...
Professional photography by Clickit! Imaging
Oscar and his brother had been at the Animal Anti-Cruelty League for five years – since puppyhood. I’d been thinking about adopting a male dog as mine were all girls but sprang into action when told that some dogs had been at AACL for five years. So a friend and I drove out to Hamarsdale the next day and I asked to see only the dogs who’d been in their kennels for five years.
Oscar was the first dog I met and I liked him immediately. So I didn’t look much further. The following morning Chris came to inspect the property and, that afternoon, delivered Oscar.
He was understandably very nervous at first as he hardly knew me. I took him around the garden on a lead to introduce him to the paths and steps and he met his new dog friends aged from thirteen to five years and from small to large. There was no friction at all but also little interest shown on his part or theirs. It took many days for them all to start interacting. Oscar also avoided all the dog beds on the veranda and just lay on the paving that first evening, but at least with his head on my foot, so obviously he felt secure with me. He did pace up and down next to the pool fence with his tail tucked between his legs but didn’t go far afield.
Despite reading the guide sent with Oscar, I did take him for a walk the next day, as my dogs have a walk in the park every day and I felt it wouldn’t be fair to deprive them of the highlight of their day.
The walk went well as Oscar was used to walking on a lead and he appeared to enjoy every scent and every moment. He’s quite a big, strong dog, so the walk was plenty of exercise for me too. I noticed he was eating grass and plants on the walk, perhaps caused by the change of diet. After one dose of Canigest there were no further problems.
He panicked when he saw two other dogs and pulled the lead out of my hand but was good about coming back to me when I called him. He still is most of the time, but occasionally he has a bit of fun teasing me before he finally returns.
After a couple of weeks of walking on the lead, I let him trail it for another two weeks and now he walks off-lead like the others, apart from the runner who has to be kept on her lead. Walk isn’t the right term, as he runs all the time that we’re in the park.
Oscar’s energy and fitness amaze me. He’s always ahead, then he looks back to see where we are and comes racing back and past us and is in the lead again. On one occasion, getting him into the car after our walk, he slipped his head out of his collar and was off down the hill, with me looking rather foolish holding the lead and empty collar. He thoroughly enjoyed his game but did eventually return to me, looking very pleased with himself. He now jumps into the car and out with no problem.
On the day of his arrival, he twice jumped up with his front paws resting on the cross piece of the fence. I’d been warned that he likes water, and he proved that by splashing much of the contents of the dogs’ big water bowl all over the veranda.
The following day, my gardener was painting the pool fence and I was nearby when I heard splashing and Oscar was in the pool. Of course he can swim, but he was in the deep end. The gardener had him out in seconds and, fortunately, Oscar hasn’t shown any interest in the pool since, but I will get advice from my handyman should there be a repeat performance. Fortunately, when I go out, Oscar prefers to remain in the house with the other dogs.
There’s been good progress in interacting with the other dogs, and Rosie even got him playing one morning in my bedroom. He’s also started to use the dog beds in my bedroom and on the veranda, so he’s feeling at home at last. His confidence has improved hugely, though he’s still a bit nervous, especially in the confined quarters of indoors. He’s very comfortable with the gardener and house help and lets them pat him – but not Peter, whom we often meet in the park and was the man who set his adoption in motion in the first place. Of course, Oscar doesn’t know that so is still wary.
He’s a happy dog in his new home and has coped so well with his new life. The tail says it all: when he first arrived, he kept it between his back legs. Now, when he follows the girls to the gate, it’s curled confidently over his back.
