Owners of rescued pit bull share their gratitude for hero
'He is a true hero and we will always be grateful for Zander for risking himself to get our dog.'
While Rango now enjoys the uninhibited freedom of his home, he may be blissfully unaware of the gratitude his owners feel for his return.
On Valentine’s Day morning around 7.30am, Zané Esterhuyzen and André Louw discovered their four-year-old male pit bull was missing from their Silverfields property. The notoriously energetic powerbreed is fully capable of forcing an exit at will, so foul play was not considered immediately. “We had believed he jumped over our wall into the front side of the yard and made his way out of the gate into the road,” explained Zané.
Read initial article here: Roodepoort security boss risks life to save stolen pit bull
The couple flooded social media with heartfelt cries for information on their missing dog, and via the digital grapevine, suspicions were aroused that criminal elements were involved in the disappearance. Two posts on Facebook mentioned that Rango had been seen in the possession of men in the Princess area and the couple’s instinct was to call the Roodepoort/ Krugersdorp SPCA.
Pit bulls are known to be high on many criminals’ wish list and Zané was beginning to fear the worst upon being instructed to report the incident to police. “A case of stolen property must be reported at the police and police must investigate the case. The owners are very lucky to get their dog back. Powerbreeds are stolen for fighting and for breeding, and these dogs live in the most horrendous conditions,” stated Roodepoort/ Krugersdorp SPCA Manager, Mandy Cattanach.
By Monday morning, the frantic social-media activity had spread throughout the West Rand and beyond. Cue the involvement of Cordiguard Security boss Zander Schlemmer and his sidekick Alfred Mungani. In the space of a few hours, Zander and Alfred had tracked Rango to a location deep in the Princess informal settlement, freed him from his captors and delivered him safely to André who was waiting at Princess Crossing, praying for a miracle.
The gratitude of Rango’s owners is limitless, expressed wholly by Zané, who said, “Zander is a true hero for us, one we will never forget. I don’t think we will ever have enough words to say thank you, but he will be blessed! He is a true hero and we will always be grateful for Zander for risking himself to get our dog. There are not a lot of people who would do it and we will always make everyone aware of the greatest hero, Zander Schlemmer.”
