Written by Adele Torrington CA(SA) – (Manager & Treasurer) of Giving Is Living – Cape Town
Photography by Tesquenita Diergaarth
From scavenging the streets of Parow to co-piloting a sports car, Venus may just be the luckiest dog in Cape Town.
Venus looked like she’d been fending for herself for months when she was rescued from the streets of Parow, near Cape Town, and brought to Giving Is Living for rehabilitation.
A terrified, cowering, limping little skeleton, with thickened mange-infested skin and patchy coat, a cauliflower ear, and infected eyes and ears, the Rottweiler was much smaller than her breed should be. Her sagging teats suggested a life of being used as nothing more than a “puppy mill”. A vet-check with x-rays and scans revealed spinal damage – likely from being hit across the back by a hard object – and possible arthritis in her hind leg due to a previous injury.
They named her Willow and she was taken into foster care where, with good food, a bit of medical care and lots of love and attention, she bravely blossomed into a loving, special girl. Everyone who met her was amazed at how sweet, stoic, gentle and forgiving this little girl is.
Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t too long before she found herself in the home of her dreams, where she was renamed Venus – the goddess of beauty and love.
Now she’s an adored part of a family, enjoys having another Rottweiler for company, and gets to sit up front in her new owner’s racing car. Venus makes her owner feel safe – not because she’s going to attack anyone who comes near, but because she looks scary… even though she’s actually just a little teddy bear.
After rehabbing and rehoming a number of Rottweilers, it’s so encouraging to see how these unjustly feared, gentle companions and family protectors are being given another chance. There are many other Rotties in need of homes at various shelters countrywide who’ll be your best companion, friend and soul mate. And they all deserve another go at being part of a family.
GUY DAVIES, VENUS’S NEW OWNER, SHARES...
Finding Venus
I’d lost my previous rescue dog who’d been adopted through the Great Dane Rescue – although she was no Great Dane, probably a Boerbul, we think. She’d lived to a good age, and I was obviously heartbroken and unsure whether I was even ready for another dog.
But we have a two-year-old Rottweiler bitch, Skylar, who’s fairly highly strung and clearly was missing canine company, so we put out feelers and began to pay attention to social media postings.
We came across Venus – then known as Willow – but we were unsure. She’d be coming with some baggage and we weren’t sure about adopting an older dog; all our previous adoptions were much younger.
Adele, her foster mother, kindly offered to bring Willow around so we could meet her and see if the two dogs would get on.
How she won us over
I’m a wheelchair user, and I know from experience that some dogs are slightly unnerved when they first encounter a wheelchair. So, when Adele and Willow came into the house, I retreated so I’d not be the first person she’d see. Willow was still very much in a shell and had been through a lot of trauma, but she made her way directly past everyone else in the room and rested her head on my lap, looking me in the eye with such sad eyes… and I was sold! She claimed me.
She then proceeded to ignore Skylar, who was over-excited at the possibility of a new playmate. She inspected our garden, decided it met with her requirements, and then she lay down.
Even though I was sold, that wasn’t really a proper test between the two dogs as Willow was clearly still very withdrawn and uncertain. She needed to be sterilised too, so Adele agreed to let us have Willow on a month’s trial basis, as soon as she was fit enough after being spayed.
When Willow arrived, she didn’t respond to “Willow” – or any other name or command – so we decided to go with our original chosen name of Venus.
Venus then claimed her spot – on her bed, next to my seat.
She slowly began to come out of her shell, to reveal a complete sweetheart underneath. It was heart-breaking to watch her flinch as we’d go to pat her. Clearly her interactions with humans were most unpleasant judging from her reactions. So it was a slow journey to gain her trust. Sadly, this was complicated at the end of our month’s trial, but the decision to keep her had already been made (when she first rested her head on my lap, if truth be told!).
An unexpected injury
She suddenly started limping on her hind quarters. The vets diagnosed a torn cruciate ligament, and again, Adele jumped to our rescue. Not only did she secure some assistance with the vet bill for the surgery, but she offered to take Venus back for the month-long strict rehabilitation that the vet had indicated she needed for the ligament to heal properly. It would have been very difficult to provide that in our house, given our circumstances.
But I’d make the weekly commute from Paarl to Hout Bay, just to spend an hour or so with Venus. It was so hard to have to leave her behind each time.
Now she’s back, but the wound from her surgery is taking its time to heal. Venus opened up the first stitching attempt, and so our vet chose to staple the wound, and we’re having to use a “lampshade” collar to avoid her licking it open again. But she’s slotted into our family perfectly.
The perfect match
Being a wheelchair user, I didn’t want to have a very active dog. Venus is about as lazy as I am! We’re happy to let her run circles and figures of eight around us while we stand there throwing the odd ball, or attempting to grab the occasional toy that’s offered by a flying Rottweiler.
We both have spinal issues and take medication accordingly, and we both have problems with our joints. It’s said by others in the family that we even snore and fart the same!
She’s quickly becoming my best friend, and I’m looking forward to taking her off for drives around the countryside in one or other of my race cars!
