DURBAN’S famous ‘dog in a million’, Humphrey, has had yet another statue made in his honour.
This one will be stationed at the Durban & Coast SPCA and will be used at various fundraising projects planned by the organisation.
Alwyn Immerman, the border-collie cross’ owner, said the idea to create and replicate these statues came to him after a visit in Cape Town.
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“When I adopted Humphrey from the SPCA in 2011, he was nervous but soon warmed up with lots of love and affection. I thought that we have to do something to help the SPCA so we can help Humphrey’s friends. We started with pet-food drives, and that’s how my boy became popular. Soon, people started donating money, and before we knew it, Humphrey had raised R1 million for the SPCA,” said Immerman.
While on holiday in Cape Town, Immerman said there was a statue of a dog on a beach in Simon’s Town. The statue was made to honour the dog who would walk drunk sailors back to their boats.
“I thought, well, if this guy could be honoured for accompanying drunken sailors safely, then surely my boy could be honoured for helping his friends at the SPCA. So the journey began in creating a statue of Humphrey,” he said.
The original statue is the craft of Sarah Richards, a sculptor and artist from Nottingham Road.
It took Immerman four trips to Nottingham and Richards’ 2 000 pictures and pages of notes to create the life-size Humphrey, who was kept distracted with biltong.
“Since then, we have had various sponsors come on board to create more statues, which you can find on the uMhlanga promenade, Medisport Pharmacy, Bellezar restaurant, Village Pharmacy Umhlanga and now at the SPCA. There’s a new Humphrey statue being placed outside Mary and Jo on Chartwell Drive this week,” he said.
Needless to say, Humprey’s fan base is growing constantly, so much so that people want to book him for events. Immerman says his response is: “I have to check his diary.”
He is a hit with locals, schoolchildren and everyone who knows him.
Tanya Fleischer, marketing manager for the Durban & Coast SPCA said Humphrey is a treasured friend and ambassador of the SPCA.
“The statue is for donations at our SPCA, and we will use him for marketing events, as well. We are so grateful for his generous contributions and various fundraising efforts over the years,” she said.
Stuff about Humphrey
He is about 12 years old.
He likes walks, prancing and his dog friend, Max (and only Max).
He dislikes other dogs, pickpocketers and cats.
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