A NORTHDENE man and his wife cut their Deepvali (Diwali) celebrations short after two lost dogs came running into their Cunningham Road home last Thursday.
Geten and Simitha Prithvraj had just come home from handing out sweet meats and the likes to friends and neighbours when they discovered a Scotty in their yard.
“It was just after 6pm and we had lit lamps which were on the window sill and were about to light display fireworks when we heard frantic barking in our back yard, it was a small Scotty, and he was going ballistic from the fright of the fireworks,” said Geten.
The couple, who own a Scotty as well, let the dog in and coaxed and managed to calm him down when they heard more barking.
“We heard more barking in the yard and we then discovered a bigger dog, which looked like a mixed breed. He was bigger and looked rather dangerous as he was going berserk, so we put some water in a bowl for him and some pet biscuits and gave it to him through our security gate,” added Simitha.
The couple believes the constant bang of the large fireworks must have agitated the dog as he then tried to force his way into the home through the small security bars.
“He tried to squeeze in between the small security gate but because he was so large he got stuck, half his body was inside the house while the other half remained outside, he looked like he was in pain because he kept whining but he also made it worse by continuously moving,” she added.
The couple called Mazarat Kennels who advised them to use a jack to widen the space in which the dog was stuck in and as fate would have it, the local neighbourhood watch happened to drive past and the couple flagged them down for assistance.
Shortly afterwards, Malvern SAPS also drove past and they too joined the rescue party, before long, neighbours had joined in, some coaxing the dog, others assisting with the smaller dogs and others assisting Geten cut the burglar bars.
Almost three hours later the dog was freed and moved to a play pen with the two other dogs.
“While everything was going on, we had managed to make a small play area for the three dogs outside. We put blankets and food in there and let our dog, Nessi spend the night there as well.
“We were going to take the dogs to the SPCA the following day but by the time we got up the bigger dog managed to escape by jumping over the small fence and some neighbours from up the road had come to claim the smaller dog,” said Simitha.
Jan Wepener of MNW commended the couple and said they had been selfless in their acts. “The fact that they sacrificed lighting their display fireworks to look after these two dogs speaks volumes about them. We are very thankful for what they did and wish there were more selfless people in our neighbourhood.”
*The couple is concerned about the well being of the dog as they believe he may have suffered injuries to his ribs. Should you own the dog kindly contact either Simitha or Geten via Facebook.
