Written by Gayl Basson, Co-Founder of Fallen Angels
Professional photography by Caroline Hartley Photography
Willis was our mini Husky, as we called him! He’s a clever, playful boy, LOVES food, and even though he had a hard life, he still loves people.
Willis was found on a dump in Kraaifontein in 2014. No owners came forward to claim him; surrounding people were asked, but it seems like he was dumped. He had a lot of wounds and was very underweight and, once we took him in to the vets, we found that he needed treatment for quite a few underlying infections. He was only two years old.
Once we got to know him, we discovered quite a few quirky things about his personality. He likes to steal things and he absolutely loves soft fluffy toys! On his first Christmas here on the farm he stole everyone’s toys and then ran around with his fluffy squeaky yellow duck. That duck was the best thing since sliced bread for him! He ran around with that toy until it was just a dirty yellow carcass. All the insides were gone, but he still loved throwing it in the air and playing with it.
He’d been with us for ten long years. He enjoyed living in our camps with other dogs and our staff. He loved walking with our volunteers and running around in the playfields, and he always made us smile with funny facial expressions and little quirks. We knew that one day someone would see how special he is. We wish it hadn’t take this long, but we’re so, so happy that dear Willis finally has his happy ending!
With thanks to Unique Pooches for that extra push in networking him, he finally found his forever home with Kathryn Watson.
After six weeks in his new home he’s taking full advantage of the comfort of a loving home with his new fur friend, Humphrey, who’s already enjoyed the privilege of a home for the past two years (after five years in the shelter).
Kathryn, Willis’s owner, shares...
My story about adopting Willis actually starts almost three years ago!
Let me start from the very beginning… In December of 2022 I was scrolling through Facebook and I saw a post about a very old dog that needed a home. He was already 12 years old and had been with Fallen Angels Pet Rescue for more than five years. My heart just sank. Then I saw the photo of Romeo and I immediately knew he was going to be our dog. At the time, we had two cats and an old Maltese Poodle cross. My husband, Kell, was reluctant, especially since Romeo was a big dog, but I managed to convince him.
In January of 2022, Nicole from Unique Pooches (who networks all the animals from Fallen Angels) brought him to our house. We promptly renamed him Hagrid and he was with us for 11 months before we had to put him down two days before our wedding. He was my soulmate dog, possibly the best dog I have ever owned. Putting him down after only 11 months broke my heart in a way I never thought possible. I still miss him every day.
By this time, our old Maltese, lady Lola, had also passed on, and we only had the two cats left. I couldn’t be without a dog, so I contacted Nicole again and asked her to bring us the next old dog that had been with them for a long time and that was cat friendly. She then brought us Humphrey, who’s luckily still with us! He’s also the most wonderfully sweet dog. He follows me like a shadow but is very protective and not very friendly towards other dogs.
In September of last year, we adopted Buksie from RAD, another rescue organisation in Cape Town. Buksie had been severely abused and mistreated. Despite all the trauma and abuse he’d suffered, he was such a happy boy! Kell always said that we could all take a leaf out of Buksie’s book: even though he had reason to be aggressive and hostile, he was just happy now. In the moment. He didn’t remember all the bad things that had happened to him – he was just happy to finally have a loving, safe home! We had that wonderful little soul for eight and a half months before his health also failed him and we had to let him go.
After Buksie died, I wasn’t ready to take in another dog. I was just feeling an overwhelming sense of sadness from all the pets we’d lost in the last three years.
Then I made the mistake of scrolling through Facebook again. There, as shared by Unique Pooches, was Willis. The write-up stated that he was, by then, already 12 years old. They’d found him on a dumpsite when he was about two and had remained overlooked at Fallen Angels ever since.
I showed the post to Kell and he said, “Ask them to bring him here next week.”
I was quite reluctant, but as my husband said to me, “It’s time to put your big girl pants on – we’re getting that dog!”
Nicole was unable to bring him out to Somerset West the next week, so instead, we drove over to fetch him. We’d never seen him in person before (just like Hagrid and Humphrey), but we already loved him from his pictures!
We brought him home (to an absolute distraught Humphrey!) and spent the next few days getting the two dogs used to one another and settling Willis into a routine. Kell is really excellent with establishing dominance, so although Humphrey can be quite aggressive to strange dogs, we had no major problems with the two of them. We took them both for a vet checkup and now have Willis on Petcam for his joints and hips.
I must say, Willis is an incredibly special dog! The first day he was here, he jumped up on the couch. I looked at him and said, “No, we’re not allowed on the couch, Willis.” To which my husband promptly replied, “This dog has spent his entire life without a home, in a kennel in the sand. If he wants to lie on the couch, he can lie on the couch!” Willis has turned into a total spoiled Prince, of course!
I call him and Humphrey “The Prince and the Pauper”! Willis will jump on the couch and bed, and poor old Humphrey just looks up at us from his bed on the floor! I’ve tried to get Humphrey to jump up as well, but I think he’s actually quite happy in his own space, on his nice bed.
Willis absolutely LOVES his toys! I’ve never seen a dog enjoy a squeaky toy or a ball so much in my life! We’re constantly buying him new toys, because he just destroys them so quickly! He loves playing fetch and tearing up any soft toy you give him!
Willis is also excellent on a leash. For a dog that’s never had a home, he adapted to being walked on a leash very well, and very quickly.
He jumps onto the bed with me every night, and I honestly just don’t have the heart to throw him off! I promised him that his last few months or years would be the best of his life. That we’ll make up for all the years that he was unloved and unwanted by a real home and family. And that we absolutely will.
Willis is really such a precious soul. It absolutely breaks my heart to think that this poor dog has spent his whole life, 12 years, without a home. Everyone who ever passed him by and thought that he wasn’t enough honestly missed out on what is possibly one of the best dogs that I’ve ever owned. And I’m so grateful he’s mine.
If I can encourage anyone to adopt an older pet, please do!
Rescues are the ultimate pedigree breed. It’s really not as difficult to integrate them into your home, and life, as you might think. People have also said to me, “But I have small children,” or “I have cats,” etc. Then you just tell your local shelter that you’re looking for a cat-friendly dog or a child-friendly dog. I promise you that they are out there, and I also promise you that it’ll be the best decision you ever make. You never know what hidden treasure might be stuck in a shelter near you. So go and give them a chance, they need you.
All of our rescues have been some of the best decisions of my life. It’s heart-breaking to lose them, but the joy, love and happiness that we give them in their last few months and years make it all worth it.
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