More than the bare necessities – Baloo gets his new home
WELTEVREDEN PARK – Resident, opens his heart to give an abandoned pit bull a forever home.
A pit bull has a new home, thanks to the loving community of Roodepoort.
Melanie Bodenstedt explained that she was driving around Allens Nek on 27 September when she came across a pit bull on the road. Bodenstedt said she sent a picture of the dog to the Allens Nek WhatsApp group to see if he belonged to anyone or if anyone recognised him.
“I didn’t get a response straight away and was really concerned about this boy.” Bodenstedt said she picked him up and took him to a vet in Allens Nek. The vet told her that the dog could stay the Tuesday night, but if by Wednesday afternoon he had not been claimed, they would have no choice but to get the SPCA to collect him.
“I could not take him to my house as I have three dogs of my own,” explained Bodenstedt. She shared a picture of the dog on Facebook, but still had no luck in finding his owner.
“When I phoned the vet again, he said one of the neighbours recognised the boy and knew where he lived but they didn’t have a contact number for the owner.
“I [decided I] would do whatever it took to find the owner.” Bodenstedt said she got the address, made a poster, went to the house and stuck the poster on the gate. I kept driving past the house but there wasn’t a sign of anyone.”
She added that Tana Cope, Welview Residents’ Association (WRA) chairperson did everything in her power to help find the dog’s owner. “My daughter, Natasha said that her friend, Glynn Jacobs is looking for a pit pull.” Jacobs collected the pit bull on 1 October.
“Natasha decided that Baloo was a fitting name for the boy.”
Members of the community, WRA as well as Cope, all pitched in and donated two kennels for Baloo and Bodenstedt thanked the wonderful community of Allens Nek for their help.
Cope said this story has such a great, happy ending and just shows how, when the community works together, a big difference can be made.
Jacobs said that Baloo is aged about one. “He is so friendly and I don’t know why anyone would abandon him.” He added that he is extremely happy to have given Baloo his new home.
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