Written by Bernice Mong
Professional photography by Rogue Republik
I was lazily scrolling through Facebook on the 17th of June 2022, with no intention of looking for or wanting to adopt another dog, cat, or any other animal, when my eye caught a photo of a dejected, fluffy little “bear” named Rolo at Pekingese Haven. It was love at first sight.
Without any hesitation, I immediately sent a WhatsApp to enquire about Rolo.
He was blind and depressed
Diann van Heerden, who runs Pekingese Haven, informed me that he desperately needed to get a home. He’d lost his second eye a few months ago. Having lost the first a few years back, he’d been left completely blind and was deeply depressed. (Eye loss is a common problem in the Pekingese breed.)
Rolo wasn’t eating, his hair was falling out, and he was just miserable. At eight years old already, this sad little dog deserved to be in a home of his own.
The following day, Diann arranged for an urgent home check as I was determined to go and collect Rolo without delay. The home check was done that morning, approved, and I was on my way to Pekingese Haven in Kempton Park to meet and collect Rolo.
He had a heart condition
Meeting Rolo for the first time I was instantly overcome with love, and I knew I’d be taking him home. I then learned that apart from being blind, he also had a heart condition which I’d not been aware of. Everyone at the Pekingese Haven’s heart sank as they thought this would be a factor that would make me decide to not adopt him.
Well, needless to say, I was still not phased. Although he has a mild heart murmur and needs daily medication, this didn’t bother me. I went ahead and adopted Rolo, and of course, there were tears of joy all around.
When I first got him he was extremely skinny, his hair was matted and thinning, he had a fungal ear infection and needed to have nine teeth extracted. After a good shave, however, his hair started growing back beautifully. He soon began to brighten up.
A bundle of love and joy
It’s now been a few months since Rolo joined our furry family, and although there were some challenges in the beginning for him to learn to navigate his way around his new environment, he’s doing exceptionally well.
Rolo is no longer depressed; he’s a fat, happy boy with the cutest personality and quirks that make me laugh – he’s just a bundle of love and joy!
Rolo is my real-life teddy bear, and I’m so happy I decided to adopt him!
