Written by Alida Bester
Professional photography by Lien Klokow Photography
Delta was rescued on the N12 close to Soweto early in September when the people who were trying to sell him to passing motorists dropped him. My husband, Michael, was driving by when he just saw something fall. He stopped immediately when he saw it was a tiny puppy on its way onto the highway, gave the seller a bit of money, and took the puppy. Puppy went straight to the vet, who estimated him to be about eight weeks old.
Michael had to choose a name at the vet and chose “Delta”; D for “Dinsdag”, since he found him on a Tuesday. Delta was severely undernourished, had a bad case of worms, and no fur on his tail. Neither we nor the vet were 100% confident he would survive. However, this baby proved to be a resilient little thing.
Delta’s rough start at life was apparent in several ways. It took him a day or so to walk on the lawn since he seemed not to know what grass was. In an environment where survival is a battle, there’s very little space to be a puppy, and he had to learn how to be a playful, carefree puppy with us.
The first two weeks of house training were a nightmare, since he apparently had no idea he could do his business outside. Fortunately, Delta also shares his home with a senior Basset Hound, a young Bluetick Coonhound, and a cat. It’s been interesting to see how Delta learns from them as well as from us.
Last year we learnt the value of attending dog school, and it was obvious that Delta would go as well. So far, he’s graduated puppy school and Elementary Obedience with Canine Focus in Potchefstroom. The support from Eva Michen and her team from Canine Focus has been invaluable on our journey with Delta.
Delta’s Mutt Mix Results:
36% American Staffordshire Terrier
18% Bullmastiff
16%. Presa Canario (Canary Island Mastiff)
15% American Pit Bull Terrier
15% Rottweiler
I decided early on to have a DNA test done since the guesses on his ancestry changed about every week. The whole puppy school waited in anticipation for his DNA test results! While we guessed some kind of mastiff might be present, specifically Boerboel, the results were quite surprising.
He’s growing to be a big boy with a sweet, playful nature. He loves people once he knows he can trust them and has made a few dog friends at school. He’s also crazy about the cat.
