Cape Town - A Pinelands family have been reunited with their canine companion after nearly two gruelling weeks of searching.
Vanessa Duff, her husband and two children were travelling from Cape Town to Nature’s Valley for a holiday when their vehicle was hit by another car at around 4am outside Grabouw on the N2 on March 21.
Their double cab bakkie with a canopy flipped due to the impact and the canopy was ripped off.
The family’s two dogs were in the back of the vehicle.
The family were able to retrieve one of the wounded dogs from beneath the car, however 10-month-old Lupin, who was a rescue dog, was missing.
The family searched the area for as long as they could, but were told by the police that they had to leave the scene.
“By some miracle we – my husband, my two girls (ages 11 and 7), and I were unhurt.
“We spent the next four days searching the area.
“The Grabouw Animal Welfare Society (GAWS) and members of the community were incredible.
“They got permission for us to access closed-off farms and municipal lands, organised search parties and distributed 400 fliers.”
She said the searches continued day and night, even when they were not there.
On Tuesday, Duff received a call from a child living on a farm in Grabouw, saying they had found the dog.
Duff requested Shirley Surridge from GAWS to check whether it was their dog and she received a call from Surridge with the good news.
She said children had found Lupin trapped in a twine snare.
Surridge met with the nine cheering and excited children to fetch the dog who was in a forest area.
The emaciated dog received food and water and had his wounds tended to, while his owners made their way to fetch him.
“It’s a miracle he stayed alive. His ankle is broken and the bone was exposed.
“The snare caused a nasty injury and he is thin – but otherwise alive,” Duff said.
She expressed enormous gratitude to the Grabouw community.
“We can finally start closing this hideous chapter of our lives, although the trauma of the accident will remain, I suspect forever.
“Lupin may end up losing his leg but we are okay with that – as long as he is alive and with us.”
Surridge said: “One thing about Grabouw, when something like this happens, people stand together, which is absolutely amazing.
“In my seven years as a full-time volunteer for GAWS, for me it’s very important to build up that relationship with the community.
“So we asked all the little ones on the farms around where the accident took place to please look out for this dog and gave pamphlets also.
“This is why I do what I do, because you can see the love for humans and the love for the animals.”