A lucky pup
They believed the dog came from pretoria as it was highly unlikely the dog entered the Bedfordview property
Despite a traumatic and rough start to life, a young dog, now named Lucky, who was seeking warmth in an engine compartment of a car has been adopted into a loving home of family members who will ensure that she never seeks out engines for warmth again.
Lucky was found trapped and entangled in the engine compartment of a car on May 23 on the premises of the Hyundai head office in Bedfordview.
A security guard found the dog after becoming concerned that something was not right. “Initially staff members thought it was a dog on a neighboring property,” said Mrs Carin Veitch, internal communication manager
After further investigation it was found that the squeals were coming from underneath the bonnet of one of the cars parked on the premises.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Mr Angelo Albasini, one of the technical trainers at the Bedfordview office who took the car apart to rescue the dog.
“The dog was trapped near the exhaust manifold and was also intertwined with the steering shafts of the car,” said Mr Albasini.
“It took about 15 to 20 minutes to dismantle the car in order to rescue the dog,” said Mr Albasini.
“He worked at the speed of light,” said Mrs Veitch.
The driver of the vehicle had come to the head office for training that day and had driven from Pretoria.
Mrs Veitch said that they believed the dog came from Pretoria as it was highly unlikely the dog entered the Bedfordview property.
She said that because the dog never had a collar, they believed it to be a stray.
“The dog was full of ticks and fleas,” said Mrs Veitch.
She said that it was possible that the dog was looking for warmth.
“The dog was completely dehydrated and was salivating,” said Mr Albasini.
He said that over the years he found many things inside engines, some snakes, but never a dog.
Once the dog had been taken out of the vehicle no expense was spared to ensure that the dog recovered.
The dog was taken to the Kloof Road Animal Clinic, where it spent five days under the care of the vets.
“The vet was phenomenal, they really assisted and offered good care,” said Mrs Veitch.
Although the dog was stressed, the vet said that it had sustained no major injuries.
After the five days at the vet the dog was adopted by a member of the staff at Hyundai, Mr Patrick Nagel who said that he has had the dog for about two or three weeks,
“The dog is much happier, it is a still a bit scared, but it is fitting in fairly well. The dog has been named Lucky.”
Because it is winter, animals are seeking warmth.
“People must check their engines and their wheel arches,” said Jade Nel an inspector for the SPCA.
“It’s a traumatising experience for the animal, People need to be vigilant,” Inspector Nel said.
“When you come home and turn your engine off, the engine stays warm. During the winter months, a kitten, who doesn’t have very much body fat, gets cold outdoors. They want to warm up. When they feel the warmth coming from your engine, up they go, probably under the tyre well. Because they are small enough they can easily get sucked into the motor,” she said.
Preventive solutions
r If your home has a garage, park your car inside it. If not, you’ll have to rely on daily awareness, making sure to scare any little ones snoozing on top of your engine before you start the car.
r Bang the bonnet once or twice, then stomp on the floorboards by the peddles.
r Check on top of your tyres.
r If you feel it’s necessary, open the bonnet and check, just to make sure.
r The SPCA suggests that if you work in factories or places where you may have a feral colony, to always open your bonnet before you start your car or truck.
r The best preventive solution for small kittens is to keep them indoors, if at all possible.
r The sudden loud noise startles the animal, and they will often go out the same way they got in.
“Please note this information goes for any type of small animal, although bigger dogs have been in this situation as a result of chasing after small animals. Birds, rodents and reptiles have also been seen climbing into engines for warmth. Keep checking at all times as we can promise you, accidents happen and it is extremely traumatic for animals and humans when the animals can’t be saved,” said Inspector Nel.
Contact the Edenvale SPCA on 011 974 9268, 0721839794 or 0762364647 if needed.
