Elmarie van der Walt and Charlie who was rescued by Hellen - Working in the Community and adopted through Boxer Rescue SA.
Get your daily happiness boost and celebrate the happily ever afters we all love to read about. To share your story with us - email editorial@happytailsmagazine.co.za
When we met Pingu, she went by the name Liv, short for Lively, which is definitely the understatement of the century. She was a complete blur of energy – jumping, licking, and squealing with joy – all while still being doped up on painkillers from being spayed earlier that day. And we, being the suckers we are, instantly fell in love with this little “pocket rocket”.
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The handsome black-and-gold German Shepherd dog was found wandering around Main Road, Plettenberg Bay, on the 18th of September 2017 and taken to Plett Animal Welfare Service (PAWS). PAWS posted his picture on their Facebook page in search of his owner but nobody claimed him, and so, after the prescribed holding period, the healthy two-year-old, which PAWS kennel manager Tracy van der Byl had named Blackie, was put up for adoption.
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Every year, the farmers on the surrounding farms here in Koringberg, 18 kilometres outside Moorreesburg, bring their half-dead lambs to us and we nurse them back to life. Some make it, some, sadly, don’t. Mikey, who was born on the 8th of April 2017, arrived here on the back of a motorcycle in a milk crate.
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After our last four-legged girl slipped into heaven in January, our hearts were broken and my partner, Johan, and I decided we’d have a break. But we were constantly asked when we’d be getting a new “child”. Having decided to wait a while, my answer was: “The only way I’ll have another is if he or she crosses the road in front of me with a chain around its neck.” I mean, what were the chances of this happening? Well, believe it or not, that is exactly what happened.
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Written by Jenni Davies and professional photography by Michelle Blackie
How two severely neglected dogs found their happily ever after.
Every now and then, when things look at their bleakest, wonderful things can – and do – happen. Aiko and Rusty’s story is one such event. Rescued at different times, rehabilitated by the Lucky Lucy Foundation (LLF), and adopted by one loving family, these two have overcome the odds.
He barely resembled a dog
In October 2010, a mange-ridden,...
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Cougar came to live with us when he was about three months old. His mother, a stray, had only one kitten; my brother and his family took them in, but, as they were leaving for Australia, this wasn’t a permanent arrangement. While the mother cat found a home, the people who’d agreed to take her little white-and-tabby kitten changed their mind. Although we already had elderly cats, we couldn’t turn this kitten away.
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It was the end of a hot, humid Saturday afternoon, and we’d been driving around Fisantekraal township for hours. We’d been called by a resident of the informal settlement to check on his dogs. Problem was that they were in the old section of the camp, which is a higgeldy-piggeldy place, and we were driving around in circles. But, as it turned out, getting lost that day was meant to be…
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The emaciated toffee-coloured boy was passing his day as usual, sitting on a shredded, muddy blanket on stony ground, sore, hungry, and hardly able to see, when an ambulance drove past. An observant paramedic spotted him and reported it us. Off we zoomed, law enforcement in tow, to investigate. Shocked is only a small part of what we felt. The dog’s owner ran off, knowing he was in the wrong – but that was not our concern. All our attention was diverted to the poor suffering animal who just seemed to quietly accept his sad fate.
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When I come home every day, I’m greeted by a welcoming party with a difference: 12 pooches howling, barking, and jumping on me! My house and garden are full of wagging tails, lolling tongues and big doggy smiles. Every morning, 48 paws dash to their bowls for a breakfast of cooked chicken, rice and veg, and every Friday, the owners of those paws get a bath and blow-dry. My family and I are lucky enough to share our home with 12 Spaniels, one honorary Spaniel, and a host of bunnies and guinea pigs – all rescued.
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I still remember the first time I read Tao’s story on the Lucky Lucy Foundation (LLF) Facebook page. I was relaxing with a cup of coffee in my room and, halfway through the first paragraph, I was already in tears. By the end, my heart was breaking into a million pieces. Tao had been rescued from near the N7 highway (Cape Town); she was infested with mange and covered in sores, emaciated, neglected, and afraid. They later discovered that she was deaf – it’s unclear if this was from birth or due to abuse she’d suffered. But none of it bothered her; Tao was still a friendly, loving dog
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