Pippin's Story

Professional photography by Caroline Hartley Photography 

A Happy Tail from Rescued Animal Drive (R.A.D)

Pippin's story starts on a freezing cold day at a small dam in the rural Overberg village of Botriver. He was found huddled in the bushes, utterly alone. A kind member of the public had noticed him and alerted Rescued Animal Drive (R.A.D).

The tiny, shivering scrap of a puppy weighed just 2.8kg – although he was estimated to be five months old. R.A.D took him in and named him Damien.

Emaciated, with patchy fur and gunky eyes, the puppy was a distressing sight. But tests showed that, despite his appalling appearance, he was clear of anything serious. He was just starving, scared, and suffering from a nasty case of mange.

Healing and hope

For weeks, Damien was cared for by his foster mum, Claire, in Somerset West, spending each night snuggled into her neck. With good food and the right care, his mange cleared and his fur slowly grew back in as soft brown fuzz.

Nobody quite knew what he’d grow into – dainty and long-legged, he reminded everyone a little of a greyhound.

R.A.D renamed him Pippin, and once his quarantine was behind him, he was ready to meet his new family.

A meant-to-be meeting

That family found him almost by accident. Candice and her partner, Josh, were out walking their two girls – Bella, a 15-year-old terrier rescued from Jamestown, and Nala, a four-year-old terrier rescued from the UK – when a bouncing, bright-eyed puppy came racing up to them, full of energy.

His foster mum, Claire, happened to be walking him at the same time, and mentioned he’d come from Botriver. Pip and Claire went on their way, but Candice and Josh couldn’t stop talking about him the whole walk home.

The very next day, Candice was scrolling Facebook and stopped on an adoption post for a little brown puppy named Pippin, in the care of R.A.D. Could it possibly be the same dog that they’d met by chance in the park?

She excitedly showed Josh, and as they read through his story, everything matched up. They got in touch with R.A.D, arranged a meet-and-greet back at Radloff Park a few days later, and on the 21^st of August Pippin was on his way home for good.

He settled in from the very first day. Pippin sleeps flat on his back, sound asleep the whole night through, and greets every morning with a big stretch before demanding breakfast. He's a curious little soul, always investigating something new, and he’s slotted into the family pack effortlessly. Bella, Nala and Pippin are now very much a terrific trio, tearing around together as if they’d always been together.

From a shivering, mangy puppy found alone by a dam to a curious, well-loved member of a happy pack – Pippin's transformation is everything R.A.D works so hard for. Go well, Pippin.