THE adage ‘two hands are better than one’ may not be applicable in Humphrey’s case, but ‘four paws are better than two’ might fit more aptly. The rescue dog has become somewhat of a celebrity in uMhlanga and recently raised more than R20 000. To be precise the mutt raised R20 175 which was used to buy cat and dog food for the SPCA. It’s his soulful brown eyes that no one can resist insists his owner, Alwyn Immerman.
Alwyn who works at the uMhlanga Medisport Pharmacy brings Humphrey in every Thursday to help raise money for the SPCA. “When I found Humphrey, he had been at the SPCA for seven weeks, they found him wandering the streets of Phoenix. A week later and he would’ve been euthanized as per the organisation’s policy. I’ve always liked scruffy dogs and his eyes were more soulful than a James Brown song,” he joked.
What started out as a lifelong companionship also developed into a charity drive. Every Thursday, Humphrey joins Alwyn at work with a sign saying ‘Support the SPCA, that’s where I came from’. “I wanted to do something positive and try and raise money for charity. Humphrey just became a huge hit in the village, people would come in on Thursday just to see him,” he said.
In December alone Humphrey managed to win the hearts of locals and visitors alike and raised R5 000. He’s even got a speciality drink at the coffee shop. “It’s called a Humphreychino. People love it and for every one of them, R5 goes towards the drive,” he said. Alwyn recounted two stories that he feels best sums up Humphrey’s impact on the residents in uMhlanga. “There’s an older lady who is extremely ill and her brother who cares for her said she would only get out of bed with excitement every Thursday because she got a chance to walk him.
“In December I was walking along Ridge Road when a blue Rolls Royce drove past us and then stopped a little ahead. The driver reversed and rolled down the window and asked if this was Humphrey and I said it was and he just gave me a R200 note. A total stranger who I’ve never seen since,” he said.
Alwyn said he hoped to raise more than R30 000 for the SPCA this year. “We just haven’t told Humphrey that we use the money to buy some cat food,” he joked.
