Written by Bronwin Meyer – Foster Mom of Domestic Animal Care, Port Elizabeth
Photography by Mariaan Browne
Skyla, previously named Leila, was discovered by an organisation that were preparing a spayathon in the small farming town of Misgund, situated in the Langkloof Valley. They were notified by a young lad about a sick dog.
On arrival at the property, they were horrified at her condition and the filth in which she was forced to live. Her owner, a farm worker, explained that Leila – a Labrador – had been given to him as a small puppy, as she was no longer wanted by the people who’d bought her from a breeder. She’d endured five years of living in a small dirty backyard and was fed scraps, if anything at all.
This dog clearly needed help and was immediately removed. Domestic Animal Care in Port Elizabeth was contacted and asked if we could help. Leila arrived with us late that Sunday evening, emaciated, starved and very frail. As sick and mistreated as she was, she had the gentlest demeanour.
We’d prepared a warm meal and comfortable bed for her. It broke our hearts to see her curl up into a ball next to the mattress, as she didn’t know the comforts of a bed or blanket. We gently lifted her onto the bed where she continued to sleep in the same position until morning.
In daylight, her body revealed the scars of a very hard life. Rope marks around her neck, covered in ticks and fleas, hanging teats from several litters of puppies, wounds on her head and tail, no teeth, and notably deprived from food for a very long time. Renamed Skyla, she was given a full veterinary examination and weighed a mere 16kg – half what a female Labrador should weigh! She was put on a special diet and received the best care: warm baths and much love and affection from her foster mom.
Slowly her eyes came back to life. Her coarse fur gradually turned white and soft, and Skyla was learning to be a playful, happy golden Labrador. Her progress was phenomenal and finally she reached her target goal weight of 25kg and was spayed and vaccinated.
It didn’t take long for families across the Eastern and Western Cape to offer Skyla a loving home. We were flooded with applications and blessed with generous donations. There were many tears (happy tears) when she finally met her new family. She was perfectly matched to join Ricky and Shaun Paardenkooper from Mill Park in Port Elizabeth, where she’s living her best life with her furry siblings Maggie Mae, Daisy, Nugget and Domino the Cat.
Ricky, Skyla’s new mom, shares...
It feels like she's always been here! She’s so gentle, always trying to nibble us with her non-existent front teeth. She still loves her squeaky ball – sits chewing on it for hours in the garden. Her best friend is our chocolate Lab and it’s playtime ALL the time.
She follows me everywhere and when she knows I’m heading to bed, she promptly takes herself off to her bed, which is on the floor next to me, and won’t move until I get up in the morning. She used to have quite hectic nightmares – now she just snores.
We have to watch her weight as she’s getting that middle-age spread, but you’d never say she’s five going on six years old. She’s a teenager all day playing with her best friend.
