Written by Janeen Nichols, member of Grabouw Animal Welfare Society and an outreach volunteer
Professional photography by Jackie Wernberg Photography
Snowy (who was named James whilst under our care) was homeless and hungry.
We received a call one day from a kind person who’d seen him wandering, lost, dirty and in a terrible state, around the Two-a-Day apple packing shed. GAWS responded and attempted to catch him, but to no avail.
We left a trap on the premises, but he was too clever for that! Although he desperately wanted the food, he wouldn’t enter the trap.
Then, one morning, two of our volunteers were walking to the Elgin Railway Market to help out and attend our regular weekend adoption days held there when they saw him.
Dumi Magapla and Amber Wentzel set out to catch him there and were successful!
He was immediately taken to Grabouw Dierekliniek, our amazing supporting veterinary practice, for an assessment, vaccinations, and deworming, and then moved to our kennel facility to begin his healing process.
He was so dirty and his coat full of dreadlocks. We trimmed him and gave him countless washes before we began to see his white coat. He had regular dips and mange treatment. Soon, his coat began to grow again, and once he’d picked up condition, he was sterilised. It took about four months before he started to look and feel frisky again.
Sue Fraser Jones, from our wonderfully GAWS-supportive Lakeside group, contacted us about meeting him, and I arranged to take him from Grabouw for a meet-and-greet. Well, needless to say, it was love at first sight!
He’s now living in luxury, much loved, with a sibling, and he goes off to the doggie parlour for a hairdo every now and again and sports a bow for a few days on his return.
Sue calls him “Grabouw Skollie”, and she loves him dearly.
We at GAWS are so grateful to Sue for adopting Snowy and giving him a life he’d never had, and would never have had, had Dumi and Amber not come across him that one fine day!
Sue Fraser, Snowy’s owner, shares…
My little Snowy arrived in a little wire container six months ago, and I fell in love with him immediately. Although he had a childhood on the streets and alleyways of the Two-a-Day Apple Pack Store, he was still so trusting. He fitted in immediately, and my other dog, Charlie, took to him from the get-go.
When I was allowed to take him to the groomers, he returned another dog! He’s so beautiful. He was quite naughty… he’s chewed carpet ends, pillow ends and chewed holes in blankets – an obvious learned behaviour and coping method from being alone. Thankfully, this has slowed down.
He loves to give little love bites and is the most affectionate little dog. He loves his daily walks around the Vlei, or the beach. We’re still working on his listening skills, as he tends to bark his butt off and chase bicycles and skateboards!
We weren’t sure how old he was when he arrived, but a vet check confirmed that he wasn’t a day older than nine months. He’s my darling little Skollie from Grabouw, and I’m ever so grateful for Janeen and her colleagues at GAWS for rescuing this dearest little fur baby, nursing him back to health, and neutering him. I urge anyone who’s lost their animals due to age or ill health to please adopt a fur child. Rescue dogs will thank you forever for adopting them. They know... and will forever be so grateful.
