With February being the month of love, we thought it quite appropriate to celebrate one of man’s oldest and most enduring relationships. And probably the only one that doesn’t involve chocolate. The special bond that exists between humans and their dogs is undeniable and one that can be traced back to our hunter-gather roots, and probably even further. And it’s a love that was meant to be.
Scientists have recently discovered that when we think of our dogs, the same parts of the brain light up as when we think of our children. This suggests that we might have developed some evolutionary bond with dogs and are hard-wired to connect with them. And it would seem they are too.
Here are few stories that have warmed our hearts and speak to this unbreakable bond we share with our furry family.
I’d rather lose my house
Like the case of a Durban woman, Rita, who went to court to keep her 3-year old Saint Bernard, Theodore, on her property. It turned out that, at a hefty 75kg, Theo was bigger than the allowed 20kg weight limit for dogs on the estate where Rita lives. She was informed of this and told to remove Theo. Lucky for him, Rita did not budge and ended up fighting the battle in court, stating that Theo was part of her family and that some homeowners on the estate had larger dogs.
Although the judge ruled in favour of the estate, Rita has stated that she will not give up and is currently gearing up to appeal the decision.
And if the appeal doesn’t succeed? Well, then the house will have to go.
“How would Theodore feel if we turned our back on him? If it means selling this house and buying another, I would do that,” Rita stated.
Abandoned Kai becomes most wanted
Or the story of Kai, a shar-pei cross-breed that was abandoned at a train station in Glasgow earlier this year. He was found tied to a railing with a suitcase containing a blanket, a pillow, toys, food and a bowl. Upon his rescue, it was also discovered that he had a serious eye condition that caused inverted eyelids and needed urgent surgery.
Within hours this touching story had made headlines and calls started pouring in from countries all over the world to give Kai a new home, including the US, Canada, Germany, Hong Kong and the Philippines. And Kai’s good fortunes didn’t end there.
After an online charity was set up, well-wishers quickly funded Kai’s £600 surgery to correct his eyelids so he could be rehomed.
We’re happy to report that after a long process of trying to find the right owner, Kai moved in with Ian Russell, an engineer from Glasgow, in the beginning of February.
Bella is carried down Table Mountain
Finally, there’s the story of Bella, a Golden Retriever that was carried down Table Mountain after badly cutting her paws. Her owner, Peter, had taken hours to try and get the 40kg dog down the mountain. But with the sun going down and complete exhaustion setting in, he made the difficult decision to leave her there until the next day.
While on his way down, Peter ran into two hikers and explained Bella’s predicament. The two graciously agreed to rescue Bella and disappeared up the mountain. 45 Minutes later they returned, one of them with Bella over his shoulder.
In his emotional state, Peter completely forgot to take down the two hikers’ details and only knew their first names; MG and Andrew. What ensued was a massive hunt to track down the two men so Peter could thank them properly.
The two heroes have since been identified as Andrew Geel and MG van Dorssen, and have humbly said that they simply did what anyone would have done.
