SABIE – Josh Billings said a dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself. Last week a dog which had been lost for more than a month was finally reunited with her rightful owners after her photo had appeared in Lowvelder.
Although her new caregivers were more than willing to provide her with a loving home, it was obvious to them that she was longing for her “people”.
Mr Gwilym Rees of Sabie contacted the newspaper last week and said he had taken in a Staffordshire bitch which had been found on the Longtom Pass. The people who found her couldn’t keep her and brought her to the Rees couple. “She settled in with our five dogs and was reasonably happy, but we could see that from time to time, she was pining,” Rees said.
“Clearly, she had been well cared for and loved. We contacted the various SPCA branches as well as Pro-Life Pet Rescue in an attempt to find her owner, but to no avail.” That is when he turned to Lowvelder and a photo of the dog was published.
Mr Mauritz Bieldt of Hendriksdal saw the picture and immediately realised that it was Savannah, his nine-year-old Staffie. He phoned Rees late on Friday and was “beside himself with relief” when he learnt that Savannah was still with him. The Rees couple named her Yodel as she would sit at the gate and yodel every time they went out.
Bieldt immediately drove through to Sabie to fetch her. She was the first dog they had acquired and had a very special place in their hearts. Bieldt has another dog, which he says was inseparable from Savannah and grief-stricken ever since she had gone missing. The dog accompanied him on the trip to Sabie to fetch Savannah, and he too was elated when they were reunited.
Bieldt said they had been residing in Hendriksdal for six years and the dogs went missing just after Christmas Day. They scoured the surrounding plantations and eventually found Savannah’s mate caught in a snare. They were able to rescue him, but Savannah was nowhere to be found. She had crossed the R37 and continued through the plantations until she was discovered near Mbulwa Estate on the Longtom Pass. According to Rees, she thus walked a distance of six kilometres.
“We are privileged to have shared a few short weeks with Savannah. She is a wonderful dog and we can only wish her well now that she has been reunited with her family,” Rees said.
