Update: Vet reunited with beloved dog after car theft tragedy

Retired Pretoria veterinarian Dr Selma van Schouwenburg is overjoyed to be reunited with her dog Haiku, who was found today.

The 11-year-old border collie was missing for 10 days. She was in Van Schouwenburg’s car when it was stolen from a shopping centre in Lynwood Road.

Community members have been rallying together to find Haiku since September 22. Although the car was recovered in Selepe Street, near the Mamelodi Baptist Church, the dog was nowhere to be seen.

Family member Ferdinand Loubser explained at the time that a trolley was bumped into Van Schouwenburg while she was shopping, but she did not think anything of it. 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.

Tebogo Maredi, the director of Soshanguve Animal Shelter, who has been actively searching for Haiku, shared the news of her safe return with Rekord.

He says a homeowner lured Haiku into her yard, then closed the gate to trap her inside.

Maredi says it was as a result of the community spreading the word and coming together that they could finally capture the dog.

“We posted on many different groups. When she made her way into the bushes towards Derdepoort, we went to most of the houses that we could access to spread the word… to be on the lookout for her,” he adds.

Haiku was spotted near Mamelodi West Cemetery last week, and search teams said she was heading towards Eersterus, where she was seen on Saturday evening.