Little Jock gets a happy ending

KLOOF residents, Christian van Heerden and Joe Swart rescued an extremely emaciated Pug and Jack Russel cross in the Krantzview Gorge on Saturday, 25 January.

The residents, who are honorary officers of the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and members of the Kloof CPF, were patrolling the gorge searching for poachers and criminals.

Two hours into their hike, the residents noticed the little dog, now known as Jock, on a ledge across a river in a remote area. Swart and van Heerden suspect that Jock had followed hikers into the gorge and had got lost. Swart said, “I stuck my hand out and called him over. He was a little apprehensive and frightened at first, but eventually came over and licked my hand. I picked him up and I carrier him in my arms for a while. He was so weak, he just lay in my arms with his head against my chest. When we reached rough terrain I rolled him in a towel and put him in Christian’s back pack. There he fell asleep.”

According to van Heerden, Jock was covered in ticks and fleas. “He was so hungry that he gobbled up the peanuts, raisins and half an energy bar Joe gave him. I believe he would not have survived another day,” said van Heerden.

Jock stayed with the van Heerden family over the weekend. “He made himself at home, and just wanted to lie on the couch,” said van Heerden.

On the Monday, van Heerden took Jock to the Kloof and Highway SPCA, to check if he had a microchip or had been reported as a lost pet. An extensive search did not yield any reports. At the SPCA, Jock was also examined by a vet, who determined that Jock had contracted a serious tick born bacterial infection, ehrilichiosis.

After a week at the SPCA Jock has fully recovered and has been adopted by the van Heerden family. “He has just such an interesting personality and had stolen our hearts. It just made sense for us to adopt him,” said van Heerden.