SIPHAMANDLA Emmanuel Gwabeni’s dedication and love for all animals has earned him the nickname and title of the African Dog Whisperer.
The 30-year-old has been a part of the Mazarat Farm family since he was a child and says he is lucky enough to have grown up surrounded by animals.
He was born at King Edward Hospital and moved to the Mazarat Kennels with his mom, Grace, where they joined his grandmother, Dorris, an employee at the NPO. “Animals are my passion. When I was young, I started working with horses and would sometimes go through to help my grandmother clean the kennels. When I see an animal that is hurt or injured I feel a pain in my heart and I do my best to help them,” said Siphamandla, better known by the Highway community as Emmanuel.
Despite taking on a few other jobs outside of Mazarat, he felt a continuous draw to help with animals and eventually, 12 years ago, took on a full time position at the NPO. His role is to train rescue dogs “Some of the dogs that come to us are very aggressive towards other dogs and sometimes people, and my job is to help to teach them commands, to be social with children and other dogs,” he said.
“I feel that I understand them more than humans. There is something that just draws me to them. It feels like they understand me as well. Sometimes, the way I am able to communicate with the animals, even I don’t believe it myself,” said Emmanuel. “I am brought a very aggressive dog and, if you look at it and not at the problem and try to think of what could have made it that way and show that you don’t want to fight with it but want to help it – you see a completely different side of the dog. Once a dog has your trust you can learn a lot from it and they will become your companion for life.”
He also dips into his own savings each month to host outreach exercises in the rural areas surrounding the Highway area. At the lessons he teaches both children and adults how to treat their animals, the necessity of two bowls of water, a separate shelter for the dogs, the repercussions for teasing a dog as well as the importance of vaccinations. “I have a vision. I am young and African and it is the general belief that black people in the community do not treat dogs right and I feel that it is because of a lack of education on their part and I am hoping to change that belief,” said Emmanuel.
During the outreach he discourages dog fighting and abuse and emphasises that the animals also feel pain. He encourages owners to show their pets love and compassion. He also offers them free obedience training for their dogs.
He also visits disabled schools and gives the children an opportunity to spend some quality time with the dogs. “I believe that you can see the changes on the children’s faces. It brings them so much happiness and joy,” said a smiling Emmanuel.
Emmanuel was given the nickname by a volunteer at Mazarat whose dog had turned violent and was due to be euthanased. After a few short weeks of being seen to by him, the dog’s personality did a complete switch around.
You can see his work on his Facebook page, African Dog Whisperer. To make a donation towards his outreach, contact Sharon on 082 775 5867.
