ProjectUthando rescues Rosie the ‘monster dog’ from informal settlement near Bethal
“Residents at the settlement insisted that we do not return Rosie because she is a demonic monster,” said Pietersen.
A dog called the “demon-possessed monster” by the informal settlement community was finally rescued by ProjectUthando and is undergoing the necessary medical treatment.
In a lot of pain and fear for humans, the demon-possessed monster that is now named Rosie has a long road to recovery ahead and will possibly be on medication for the rest of her life.
Rosie was rescued from an informal settlement and has been a project that ProjectUthando has been working on for several months before her final capture.
Through one of ProjectUthando’s outreach programmes earlier this year, Dada Pietersen and her volunteer Nicolas Ngcongwana came to learn of the “monster” through people in the community.
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“We were told there is a dog with a skin problem on a property. We looked but could not find her.
“We found her when we went back later and tried to lure her with food but she ran away,” said Pietersen.
According to Pietersen, the locals also tried to catch and tie her up, but Rosie kept on escaping. Months would go by without finding Rosie.
During a follow-up visit to another dog owner at the informal settlement, they decided to find Rosie again. Rosie was finally found and successfully cornered off before she was caged for transport to her foster home.
“It is a miracle that we even got her into the cage,” said Pietersen.
Because of the severity of the mange and extreme neglect, Rosie is in a lot of pain and can not be physically handled.
So much so that injecting her with medication is not an option.
Through the medical advice of veterinarians, Rosie is now on NexGard and also on a strict nutritional diet to boost her immunity.
Although treatment can take up to three months, Rosie is expected to take much longer because of her severity and possibly be on medication for the remainder of her life.
“She has no hair, her paws are swollen and her nails are extremely long.”
While Rosie is being quarantined, Pietersen said scabs and parasites can be seen falling off of Rosie. Rosie is being kept separately to not infect other animals.
Pietersen said that Rosie will be up for adoption once she has made a full recovery.
It is not known for sure who was Rosie’s owner, but when Ngcongwana rescued her, he made it clear to the community that she will be in their care.
“Residents at the settlement insisted that we do not return Rosie because she is a demonically possessed monster.
“We were even told that Rosie will be shot dead if she is left at the informal settlement. That is how she ended up in our care,” said Pietersen.
She said mange is not a death sentence and that it can be treated.
“We have treated a few dogs in our informal settlement suffering from mange. It begins at the eyes and ears and spreads over the body. Treatment is done out of our own funds and medication.
“Mange needs to be treated as soon as possible to not spread and end up like Rosie.”
Pietersen said Rosie just cowers in a corner since she came into their care. Rosie will need special care and attention to have her trust in humans restored.
“She is damaged. I am willing to walk this road with her. I sit and read my book out loud when I am near her so she can get used to the sound of my voice and not fear when I am around her,” concluded Pietersen.
ProjectUthando is a Because Dogs & Co initiative.
Chantél Vorster of Because Dogs and Co saw the need to join forces with Pietersen because of all the outreach programmes she does in Bethal and rural Bethal.
Funding is always needed in cases like Rose where medical treatment is required. Besides medication, there is also always a need for food, blankets, kennels and more.
If you would like to support Because Dogs and Co and ProjectUthando banking details are as follows:
Because Dogs and Co
First National Bank
Account number 627 7310 1557
Branch 250655
You can also follow their Facebook page for more details.
You can also contact Chantél Vorster via WhatsApp message only on 081 013 4952 if you wish to know more about ProjectUthando and other projects.
