In times of selfishness, silly Facebook posts and intrigue on the local Council, it is heart-warming to hear that old fashioned good neighbourliness still exists in our town.
The Murdey family of Friis Street experienced this first hand when their much-loved family pet, Zack, went missing two weeks ago.
Dion Murdey said his children had gone to hockey practice at the Oval after school and while his wife, Michelle, was inside the house, Zack, the Staffie, managed to get out of the gate.
“When he does that he normally just waits outside the gate for one of us to return.
“This time, unbeknown to any of us, he decided to go walkabout,” said Dion.
When it came to feeding time, Zoey, the Labrador, was there but Zack was still missing.
The Murdeys went looking for him in the neighbourhood without luck. They also left messages on their local neighbourhood watch WhatsApp group.
With their three daughters and themselves starting to panic, Michelle called the SPCA to check if anyone had brought him in. Again, there was no luck. She even called Mbube Security to ask if any of their guards had spotted Zack.
“Everyone was helpful but no one had seen him. We drove around at night looking for him and Michelle posted a photo of Zack on Facebook appealing for help.”

“We were so thrilled as was Zack. We immediately called Uelzen so the kids could hear the good news. Their classmates also cheered when they heard Zack was back at home,” smiled Dion.

Zack has been with the family for six years and their three daughters, Robyn, Cameron and Michaela were beside themselves with worry when there was still no sign of him when they got ready for school the next morning.
The SPCA spread the word and alerted Dion that a Mr Sibiya of Begonia Street had posted on Facebook that he had found a dog the previous night and anyone claiming the pet should contact him.
Dion immediately did and Mr Sibiya who was ‘polite but insistent that to ensure Zack goes to the rightful owner, Dion should bring a photo of the dog that would also include members of his family’.
This Dion did and went to Mr Sibiya’s home who explained that he had returned home only at 1am in the morning after attending an education meeting in Pietermaritzburg and saw the dog outside his house. Seeing that the Staffie was a family pet, which was obvious from his condition and collar, Mr Sibiya brought him into his property for safe keeping.
Sadly, another person who had also seen Mr Sibiya’s post had also tried to claim Zack but when he was also told to bring a photo as proof, the imposter never returned.
“We were so thrilled as was Zack. We immediately called Uelzen so the kids could hear the good news. Their classmates also cheered when they heard Zack was back at home,” smiled Dion.
The Murdeys paid tribute to the Sibiya family for their caring nature and for showing true good neighbourliness.