A simple Facebook post on the Ladysmith Gazette Facebook wall had us wondering how we could help a family devastated after their beloved pet was stolen.

The post by Marshalette Oosthuizen Wilmot read as follows.

“I hope I can post it here. Someone stole one of my daughter’s puppies from our yard. It’s a golden-brown puppy with fluffy hair and a pink collar with a bell on it.

“A man that is always looking for things in the rubbish bags took the dog. He’s slim looking with Rasta hair. My daughter is heartbroken because someone stole her puppy, so if anyone has information about where I can locate our puppy, please give me a call on (phone number censored). A reward will be given for the safe return of Angel. Thank you”

Ladysmith Gazette editor Rod Skinner contacted Marshalette initially to find out more details and to warn her against posting phone numbers on an open web page.

The story was so heart-wrenching that we immediately asked her to forward us a photograph of the dog. The puppy, one of six puppies at the Wilmot residence, had been given to her daughter, 4-year-old Marshaley. After the dog was stolen, they tried to comfort her by giving her one of the other puppies, but she kept on telling them: “That is not my Angel!” Both mother and daughter were sobbing uncontrollably as the story was related to the Ladysmith Gazette.

Hours later, no photograph had arrived.

While the editorial team worked on gathering information, a true miracle occurred. Advertising representative Anitha Persad, who was totally unaware of the missing dog, received a phone call from her husband to say that there was a man selling a puppy near where he worked. It was “so cute and had a pink collar.”

With two dogs at home, Anitha was not prepared to listen to her husband and forbade him from buying the dog. “My husband always listens to me, but for some reason, he decided he would buy the dog anyway. When I confronted him later that evening, he told me he could not imagine what fate the dog would suffer if left with the man.”

When Anitha got home and saw that her husband had bought a puppy that clearly was well looked after and was obviously someone’s pet, she decided they would have to look for the owners.

The dog spent the night in the company of the Persads’ two children.

Once back at work, she discussed the dog with her work colleagues. It was then that the photo of Marshalette’s stolen dog finally popped up in the inbox on the Ladysmith Gazette’s email.

“That’s the dog my husband bought!” she exclaimed.

Within minutes, Marshalette was informed that the Ladysmith Gazette had found her daughter’s dog.

Twenty minutes later, Marshalette and Angel were reunited. A chain of events so unlikely that anyone reading this will be forced to conclude that there is such a thing as divine intervention, or at least a higher purpose or a guardian angel for Angel?