Update: Dog taken by car thieves spotted in Pretoria cemetery

There is hope for the safe return of the 11-year-old border collie Haiku who was inside a car that was stolen from Willow Way Shopping Centre in Pretoria on September 22.

Retired veterinarian Selma van Schouwenburg was heartbroken when Haiku and her car were stolen. Although her car was recovered in Selepe Street, near the Mamelodi Baptist Church, on Saturday morning, the dog was nowhere to be seen.

According to family member Ferdinand Loubser, a trolley was bumped into Schouwenburg while she was shopping, but she did not think anything of it at the time. When she went back to where she parked her car, it and the dog were missing, and the keys were no longer in her bag. It is suspected that the keys were taken from her in the shop during the trolley incident.

Haiku was inside the car because she recently had surgery on a hind leg and was struggling to walk.

Spotted at cemetery

Haiku was seen by locals and security guards at Mamelodi West Cemetery, just outside of Pretoria, last night.

The family has left dog food with the cemetery’s security guards so they can lure Haiku to them.

Loubser is concerned that she is traumatised and has pleaded with the public not to scare her by trying to grab or chase her.

He asks anyone who sees the dog to give her food, but not too much, and sit at a distance so they don’t scare her. They can call her by name to build rapport.

Tebogo Maredi, the director of Soshanguve Animal Shelter, posted this morning on social media that his team saw Haiku last night.

They visited the cemetery early this morning and saw her sleeping under bushes in a ditch. When she heard their approach, she was startled and ran away. Maredi remains determined to find her and take her home.

Schouwenburg’s phone was in the car when it was stolen, so she is unreachable at the moment.

Anyone who might have more information about Haiku can contact Loubser on 082 468 3818, or Waterkloof Animal Hospital on 066 047 3473.

“There is a reward on offer for anyone that can supply information that leads to Haiku’s safe return,” says Loubser.