Written by Reneé Huysamen
Professional photography by Strike a Pose Studios
Everything changed on the 14th of November 2023. We received a phone call informing us that acquaintances of ours had saved a few puppies from a really bad situation and that they needed homes for them as quickly as possible. There was no hesitation at all and we were immediately handed this little bean that could barely open his eyes.
The vet confirmed that he was between 3-4 weeks old and that everything we did now would impact his life going forward. I set an alarm for every 1.5 hours to bottle feed him. I took him everywhere with me, and when I couldn’t, I made sure that my sister or someone else whom I trusted could. I even went to a black tie engagement party and held him against my chest the entire evening.
Even though he was the tiniest thing I’d ever seen, that personality shone through like the sun. He was so feisty and funny, and the more he grew, the more his quirks showed.
Fast forward a few weeks and we decided to introduce him to my sister’s three rescues. He immediately made sure that they KNEW he was there and he’s been lovingly annoying them ever since.
I call him my beautiful hurricane, because one second he’s chasing down hadedas and chewing up teddy bears, and the next he’s on my lap, napping with his head against my cheek.
I take him to puppy classes every Sunday and he loves a good social event like a day market.
My favourite thing he does is whenever he wakes up, he’ll bring a teddy bear to me, bum wiggling uncontrollably, and while he's showing it to me he gets too excited, so he tries to howl with it in his mouth. I call it his “La Wooooooh” sound, because it sounds so muffled!
I decided to do the MuttMix DNA test because my vet recommended it after I expressed to him that I’d always wonder exactly which breed he is because he’s a rescue. He’s so beautiful and wonderfully weird, so I wanted to understand him better.
Pablo’s MuttMix Results:
48% Staffordshire Bull Terrier
20% Labrador Retriever
17% American Staffordshire Terrier
15% Rottweiler
He presents as a Pit Bull, and no one has ever questioned that, so the results actually completely caught me off guard. Oddly enough, it makes complete sense now, looking at some of his traits, but I wasn’t expecting that mix, especially when you look at his eyes and his colouring. I’m just so happy that I know now, because he’s only eight months old, so we still have years of adventures before us.
I did break the news to him and he’s completely unfazed – I had an identity crisis as a dog mom for about 24 hours, but I’m good now! (I’m joking – but it was a shock.) Everyone was most surprised by the Labrador part, but I think that’s the part that surprised me the least.
Either way... Pablo holds the key to my heart!