Ally finds her way home

A MUCH-LOVED family pooch that went missing for three weeks was reunited with its owners recently. There were tears of joy, smiles and a lot of tail wagging as the Durban North family was reunited with their beloved German shepherd cross, Ally. Northglen News recently caught up with Darran Dix-Peek, who said his wife and daughters were devastated when they couldn’t find Ally.

The beloved pet, that escaped from her owner’s yard on Kenneth Kaunda Road (Northway), was found three kilometres and more than 60 houses away on Clarendon Drive.

“To this day, we’re not sure how she got out. The fence around the yard has been raised to prevent Harley, our great dane, from getting out. We were devastated when we couldn’t find her. We frantically called the SPCA and the vets in the area, but each of them said there had been no dog brought in matching her description. As each day passed, we got more desperate and despondent.

“At one point, the SPCA suggested we call DSW because if there had been any animals knocked down, they would know. We also posted an appeal on the Durban North Neighbours Facebook page, which in the end proved to be our saving grace. I did wonder if we would ever find her again. When we got the news that a local resident had spotted her, we were just overwhelmed with joy.

“Marshall Security officers had helped catch her after the messages spread on social media. She was so happy to see us, she tried to stick her nose through the dog mesh in the vehicle,” said an elated Dix-Peek.

Darran said Ally’s belly and paws were caked in mud and she had lost weight but added it was a miracle that she was safe.

“Our eternal thanks goes out to everyone who helped go out looking for Ally when we couldn’t. We are truly grateful she is back home,” he said.