Community join hands to help find Doppies
Although Doppies was found, it was unfortunately not good news for his family.
A bittersweet story of heartbreak showcased the immense support the community of Honeydew gives each other when one of their own is in trouble – even if that one has four legs and a wet nose.
This is the story of how the community united in search of Doppies, a three-year-old Dachshund, who met an unfortunate end after being hit by a car. His family only found out about his passing days after he’d gone missing.
Just like any other Monday morning, the Lamprecht family got dressed and went to work, not knowing that later that day, November 6, one of their precious fur-babies, Doppies, would have escaped their yard and was free-roaming the Honeydew area unattended.
Klarisa Lamprecht explained how the gardening service called her husband, Wian, to inform him that Doppies got out of the yard.
• Read the initial article here: Help locate Doppies the Daxie in Honeydew
“He immediately went home and started looking for Doppies and posting on the estate group for our neighbours to keep an eye out for him.”
She added that when she got home they walked all around the house and their estate looking for the black and brown Dachshund.
“Doppies always brought us so much joy and is extremely loving. He helped us get through difficult days by just being there and making us laugh at his silly antics,” she remembered fondly.
It seemed like Doppies might still be inside the estate, but Klarisa later found out that he was already out.
“That night I asked all our family members to post on any and every group they were on to help us find Doppies. The following morning I called all the vets in our area and the areas surrounding us asking them to keep an eye out for our little bundle of joy,” recounted Klarisa.
Later that day, November 7, they were still waiting for some type of sign or message to help them find Doppies. “We prayed someone saw him and picked him up because of the severe thunderstorms that day,” she added.
Wian then received a message stating that Doppies was seen on the corner of Florin and Krugerrand Road, near a local doggy parlour.
“He called me immediately and relayed the message – I practically jumped in the car and rushed there, only to find out that he ran away again,” she continued.
Fortunately, Klarisa said, the woman who contacted her husband was in the area and she and her daughter also patrolled the area in hopes of spotting him.
After that, another message came through saying Doppies was seen near Retail Crossing’s SPAR.
“We went there as fast as we could but saw no sign of him. It started feeling like it was a lost cause as each time someone saw Doppies, we were just too late to catch him. The lady who called about Doppies earlier called my husband and told him they would meet us at Retail Crossing around five in the afternoon, and then we could all walk around and search for our beloved dog,” stated Klarisa.
More people from our estate and surrounds came and helped them search for Doppies. “I brought his little brother, Blikkies, with us on the walk in hopes of Doppies hearing his barks and coming out to find his brother,” explained Klarisa.
Unfortunately, they were unable to find him. Community members started vouching monetary contributions to help hire someone to search for Doppies, it was heartwarming and gave the community hope for a happy ending…
Then the news broke, Doppies was hit by a car and a good Samaritan informed his owners. Although Doppies’ story did not have the ending the community hoped for, it made them realise just how lucky they are to be a part of a community like this.
