Bruce and Harris steal hearts at Stonecroft
After a delicious tea and a delightful musical interlude provided by multi-talented singer Ria Hackland and brilliant pianist Hawkin Hansen, it was time to hear about the harrowing ordeal of Harris the Great Dane.
Stonecroft literally ‘went to the dogs’ but in the nicest possible way, at its May meeting held at the Methodist Church in Shelly Beach.
When guest speaker, WO Porra da Rosa, from the police`s K9 Search and Rescue Unit in Port Shepstone was called away to Durban to help recover bodies from the recent floods, Anthony Apostolides, from Maser Security, stepped in and up to the podium at the last minute to talk about the outstanding work done by the company`s four-footed employees.
Maser`s K9 unit has proved its worth by ably assisting security guards to track suspects successfully. According to Ant, dogs have more than 200 million scenting receptors while humans can only boast about five million. He described the intense training undertaken by both the canines and their handlers as well as the bonding processes. German and Belgian Shepherds were favoured for their excellent tracking capabilities. “One of our dogs recently helped the police hunt down a serial rapist in Gcilima, after their dogs lost the spoor,” said Ant. It was interesting to note that commands to the dogs were given in Afrikaans. According to Ant dogs respond better to a more guttural language.
Stonecroft guests moved outside for a demonstration by handler Morne van Heerden and his dog, Bruce. Brave, Armand van Reenen ‘played’ the criminal. Bruce won.
After a delicious tea and a delightful musical interlude provided by multi-talented singer Ria Hackland and brilliant pianist Hawkin Hansen, it was time to hear about the harrowing ordeal of Harris the Great Dane.
Swapping mics, Ria, spoke about the collective power of prayer. Her and husband Rod own Royston Hall, a magnificent manor house located in a dense coastal forest on the banks of the Mzimkhulu River.
A month ago their beloved pets, Lily, a dachshund and eight-month old Harris did not come in for their supper. The couple immediately set off to look for the missing mutts.
They were stopped in their tracks when they heard a muffled cry but after a fruitless search in fading light the Hacklands returned to home, Rod to get a stronger torch and a distraught Ria, who was recovering from a bout of Covid-19, to turn to social media to send out a desperate plea for help and prayers on every local WhatsApp platform.
Within a few minutes the caring community sprung into action and joined in the search for Lily and Harris. Alas, the dogs were not found. Among the searchers was the anti-snare group members who found snares on the property but not the dogs. There was great relief when Lily was discovered curled up in the living room the following day but still no sign of Harris.
After many hours the search party left. Then a lone man arrived at the gate, he said he would like to assist and set off through the rugged terrain. Within a short while he made a horror discovery. The hapless puppy had been caught in a snare, miraculously he was still alive. His head was so swollen his rescuer battled to find his mouth to drop in water. And his side had a huge, bleeding gash where the wire had ripped through his fur.
Harris was rushed to a vet and his life saved. The next day the hero returned to Royston Hall to enquire about Harris`s wellbeing. “How did you know where to look for him?” asked Ria.
“With so many praying for his safe return – the Lord showed me where to go,” he replied.
* Next meeting is on Friday, June 24 where it will be Design a Rock of Hope with Laura and Vanessa and My Stonecroft Story with Elaine Daly. To book, contact Vanessa Howard-Tripp on 082 8282449.
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