Dog buried alive finally gets his fur-ever home

A dog named Courage has been given a second lease on life after he was rescued from being buried alive in Delft, Western Cape.

The Cape of Good Hope Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said it received a call from a resident who had seen a dog take shelter under a concrete slab, after which an unidentifiable group of individuals filled in the exit and completely covered the area under a mound of sand. 

He was rescued by the SPCA and later taken in by the Mentoor family.

His new family

Speaking to The Citizen Jarryd Mentoor, Courage’s new dad said: ” Our story started when we lost our dog of 15 years. In those years of having her, she gave us all the joy and happiness. Unfortunately because of her illness and her age, we had to put her down. That was difficult to let go of someone you love. She was part of our family. It was heartbreaking. We decided we wanted to adopt a dog from the SPCA. 

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“At the end of August, we adopted Courage. We saw him on the SPCA website and when we saw him there was an immediate connection. We are blessed to have him in our life. We are giving him all the love and attention he needs.

“The family at SPCA were very helpful, I want to thank every one of them. He is a very happy dog now. He still has a little bit of the trauma but we are working gently with him. We will make sure he gets the perfect home and the environment he deserves,” said Mentoor.

‘I thought I was too late’

Detailing Courage’s traumatic rescue, SPCA inspector Lee Prins said he dug through the mound of sand with a sinking heart.

“It was taking too long but I had to keep reminding myself that if I start to panic, I won’t be of any use to the dog that needs me now”.

“When I finally reached him, he was curled up in a ball and he didn’t move. I thought I was too late” said Prins.

Fortunately, Courage was still alive.

“It’s such a heartless thing to do” added Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse.

He said the organisation would do everything in its power to identify those responsible and ensure they are brought to book. 

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Treatment of Courage

Once at the hospital, Courage was assessed by the veterinary team. He tested negative for a range of diseases the SPCA had suspected based on his levels of lethargy and the condition of his skin.

“Thankfully, he was only dirty, neglected and emaciated. He is being treated with a liquid nutritional supplement and vitamin B to support his immune system, improve appetite, aid in digestion, and enhance overall vitality. He was also fed intermittently on Hills a/d to aid his recovery,” said the SPCA. 

Courage was also prescribed an F10 (Germicidal Treatment Shampoo) bath to treat his skin condition.