A new ‘leash’ on life
An Emmarentia couple have given a dog another chance in life after finding it seemingly at death’s door at a resort in Mozambique.
Harry and Myra Picker were on holiday in the country when they came across the dog named Pembe. It looked sickly and malnourished, and the couple’s compassionate nature compelled them to enquire about the dog.
“When my husband and I discovered Pembe, he was extremely thin spotting a swollen eye,” said Myra. “The manager at the resort we had been staying at told us that the dog had no owners and was abandoned.” The couple were able to take him to a vet in Maputo who advised that the dog have his swollen eye operated on.
Pembe has since made a remarkable recovery and found a loving home with the Pickers in Emmarentia.
Candice Scorer of the SPCA said similar cases of abandoned dogs were nothing new as the organisation dealt with them on a weekly basis.
“People bring in their dogs and ask us to get new homes for them or to take them in but fortunately we don’t deal with as many cases of abused dogs,” said Scorer.
She said educating people, especially children, was key to reducing cases of neglected pets in the future.
Scorer added that the SPCA’s main function was to find homes for abandoned or abused dogs.
“We encourage people to give old or abused dogs a home by coming in and adopting them instead of buying one at the pet shop.”
