Written by Wallis Watt
Professional photography by Jaco Sapet-Nel
I was looking on the Facebook page of Bark Angel NPC – they had a Great Dane cross dog that I was interested in as a big companion for our Great Dane-Boerboel rescue dog. But I made the “mistake” of scrolling down and seeing this funny-looking little black dog instead… I was instantly in love and contacted them straight away.
Apparently, he’d been given as a gift as a very young puppy to a woman in Queensburgh. She worked all day and he was left locked on the balcony alone, where he just barked and howled all day. She had the sense of mind to surrender him to a rescue organisation.
He came to live with us and, from the first minute, everyone just loved him. Our other three rescue dogs are all girls, and they were totally in love with their new little brother.
We also wondered what kind of dog he was. We used to joke that he was a purebred dog: his mom was a dog, and his father was also a dog! He has these big, floppy ears and barks like a real hound, but he doesn’t quite fit into any category that we know of. We decided we had to find out what his breeding might be.
Watson’s MuttMix Results:
Level 1 Basset Hound
Level 4 Lhasa Apso
I wasn’t surprised at the Basset Hound. He’s like a small version of a Basset, just an unusual colour. Reading the description of Bassets online, he really did seem to get all the best parts: friendly, loving and sociable. The Lhasa Apso must be where the smaller genes come in. But we still have no idea how he’s black, an unusual colour for the breeds.
Watson is just the most cuddly, happy boy. No one is immune to the pure joy and love that he radiates. Even our cat loves him! He loves to swim in the pool and hunt for tadpoles in the pond. He also has a very good nose for finding avocados under the tree which he guards with much ferocity!
After all that, it turns out he’s the best companion for our big girl too; they even wrestle and play tug together, even though she’s easily five times his size! He’s a complete “Mommy’s Boy” and a very precious part of our family.
