Written by Julia Travis – Social Media: PlumPets Animal Shelter
Professional photography by DdV Photography
Rescue dogs Coco and Milo were Dawn Spaan’s treasured companions. When the gentle pair found themselves facing homelessness due to a medical emergency, her granddaughter, Chelsea, teamed up with PlumPets Animal Shelter to find them a new home.
No dogs allowed
On the 7th of July 2025, Chelsea Spaans reached out to Paulette Bousfield at PlumPets Animal Shelter regarding taking in her grandmother’s two much-loved bonded dogs, Coco and Milo. Sadly, Dawn had suffered a massive stroke in May and needed to be moved into a 24-hour care facility, leaving her two seven-year-old dogs without someone to care for them.
Her family had to sell her home to afford her full-time care. Chelsea had taken on the care of her grandmother’s cats, but she wasn’t permitted dogs at the complex in which she lives. Unfortunately, no other family members were able to take the dogs in.
Making a plan
Paulette explained that because PlumPets no longer takes in new dogs she couldn’t take them in – but she’d be prepared to assist with rehoming them. She explained our process and requirements and Chelsea organised to update their vaccinations; both dogs were already sterilised.
Paulette arranged for a dog walker to go to her grandmother’s home to walk Coco and Milo regularly and keep them socialised, and for someone to take photographs for advertising.
The next step was to get the dogs assessed by our volunteer, Andrew Lockwood, who assists with behavioural issues and intros with the PlumPets dogs. This is always a vital part in the success of the rehoming process.
They had to stay together
Finding a home for a bonded pair of crossbreed, medium-sized, seven-year-old dogs can be a little like looking for a needle in a haystack. There was some discussion around homing them separately (when Chelsea looked at her options with other organisations), but Milo and Coco were together with Dawn from when they were rescued as puppies and Paulette didn’t want them split up.
Milo relied on Coco’s more outgoing personality to keep his anxiety in check and give him confidence. Separated, Paulette feared Milo wouldn’t cope.
On the 20th of July, we put out an urgent call for a home for this special duo on our Facebook page. Sadly, two weeks later, there had not been one single phone call for the dogs, in spite of 20K views and 620 shares of the post.
Chelsea and her family started to become concerned as the dogs had to move off her grandmother’s property when it was sold.
Hope on the horizon
On the 2nd of August, Chelsea’s beloved grandmother passed away. The clock was now ticking on finding her beloved boys a new home to avoid separating them or having to surrender them. This was a highly stressful time for Chelsea and for Paulette, who was now deeply invested in trying to help these dogs get a second chance.
Fortunately, Paulette knew someone who’d recently moved to a farm property in Napier. A great friend of PlumPets for many years, Lynne Hakimi had always donated generously to the shelter, covering costs of basic requirements, such as trimming trees in the garden area and providing woodchips for the garden.
Lynne had recently lost a dog but decided to hold off on getting another until she relocated. In addition, her daughter is disabled and can’t have very energetic dogs around her.
Paulette thought of Lynne for a possible home for Coco and Milo – she had the space on her new property and the dogs had lived with an older woman and were quite gentle and obedient. Could this be the answer everyone was looking for?
A second chapter for Coco and Milo
Paulette approached Lynne who agreed to meet the dogs and give it a try. Chelsea drove the dogs up to Napier on the 9th of August to meet Lynne – the agreement was to see how they did over the weekend, with Chelsea staying in the area.
The first night was very unsettled and Lynne wasn’t sure if it would work out, but she agreed to give them a little longer to settle. And that extra week made all the difference. She organised for someone to fetch the dogs for a daily walk and help establish their new routine. Coco and Milo have now settled and are thriving in their new farm life.
Our special thanks go to Chelsea for trusting us with rehoming her grandmother’s precious fur babies and to Lynne for opening her heart and home to these two loving, older dogs who really deserve a second chapter. We hope and pray for many happy and healthy years on the farm for Coco and Milo.
Lynne Hakimi shares how Coco and Milo have settled into their new farm life...
The night of Coco and Milo’s arrival was a wild and stormy one in the Overberg and very little sleep was had by any of us. By morning, I was shattered and quite sure that I wouldn’t be able to cope.
But within a very short while these two beautiful boys had settled and adjusted to their new life in a very different space. It took a little longer for them to recognise farm sounds and not react to them, but now they’re proper rural gentlemen.
They both have very sweet dispositions and are very gentle and careful around my disabled daughter. Milo will often choose to stay near her, while Coco has to keep a supervisory eye on what’s happening on the property and follows Benjamin around all over. They both love water and hunting for field mice, but despite many very intense hours of pouncing and digging, they have yet to be successful. We feel very fortunate to have them in our lives and thank Chelsea for trusting us with her special boys.
Chelsea Spaans, granddaughter of Dawn Spaans, writes…
What began as one of the hardest seasons of my life has ended with a gift I never imagined possible.
After my grandmother suffered a massive stroke in May last year, our family was faced with impossible decisions. She required 24-hour care after being left completely paralysed, and we were forced to sell her home to make sure she was looked after. In August 2025, my gran passed away, leaving behind not only a lifetime of love and memories, but her two beloved senior dogs, Coco and Milo.
The thought of rehoming them was heart-breaking – unfortunately, I lived in a small apartment so couldn’t take them (I took in her two cats, Ash and Messi). They were large, elderly dogs who’d known only one home and one person their entire lives. I was terrified of what their future might hold – until PlumPets stepped in.
Paulette came to our rescue with compassion, patience, and unwavering dedication. She understood not only the needs of Coco and Milo, but the emotional weight this carried for our family. Through her care and guidance, Paulette connected us with the incredible Lynne, who agreed to take Coco and Milo on a trial basis.
We were all anxious, hoping beyond hope that it would work out. Thanks to Paulette’s thoughtful preparation and support, the transition was a success – and more than that, a miracle. Lynne decided to keep Coco and Milo permanently on her farm, where they now live in absolute paradise. Open space, love, safety, and dignity – everything my gran would have wanted for her precious fur babies.
Lynne has graciously welcomed me to visit Coco and Milo and has told me I’m welcome on her farm anytime. Seeing them thriving, content, and so deeply loved brings immense peace and comfort. Knowing they’re safe is the greatest tribute to my grandmother’s life and the love she poured into them.
I’ll forever be grateful to Paulette, to Lynne, and to PlumPets for the extraordinary work they do. Because of them, this story ends not in loss, but in hope, healing, and a beautiful new beginning.
It's the best outcome I could have hoped for and I know my gran is smiling down from heaven too, knowing all her fur babies are loved and looked after.
