On May 13, my friend and colleague from Cape {town} Etc, Anita Froneman had a getaway planned to visit her family in the Free State. She asked me if I could please look after her doggo, Luna.
I felt nervous because I have never done this for someone before and I had the fear that Luna might not take to me while her mommy was away. What if she doesn’t eat, what if she bites me? The list of concerns weighed heavy with this huge responsibility. Nevertheless, I met Luna for the first time on Tuesday, May 11.
As any doggo would do to protect her mommy, she growled and ran to the door.
Anita sat with Luna and me on the couch and told her it was okay and that I will be looking after her. I gave her a treat and in no time, Luna calmed down and became welcoming.
Thursday afternoon came and by this time, Anita had left and Luna was in my care. It took her a while to come into the house and she sat at the door waiting for her mommy to come.
I felt so much emotion from her and that was when I thought to myself: if a dog whose owner is only gone a few days longs so much, how do dogs in shelters feel when they are either abandoned or put up for adoption?
Monitoring Luna’s emotions inspired me to write this post about a puppy who had the comfort to be content, but it wasn’t enough.
I was not her mommy and could never replace her. I hugged Luna and she rested her face on my shoulder and I heard a small moan and all I could say to her was that it would be okay and that Anita would be back in no time.
Luna and I formed a bond over the next couple of days. I would talk to her and her head would turn sideways, sometimes with her tongue hanging out like she understood every word and other times turned her into a springbok with endless jumps of excitement. A pup with her personality is truly loved and cared for by her mommy.
Wherever I went and if I could take her along, I did. My heart could not bare to leave her even for just a few hours. Of course, her mommy longed for her too. The kind that not even a picture a day could suffice.
I decided to ask Anita about Luna’s background and I found out that Luna is a rescue pup.
Anita adopted Luna when she was just 8 weeks old from the Howlelujah Foundation. I then asked Anita, what made her adopt Luna.
This is her response:
“At some point during lockdown, I realised I would love to share my life with a doggo. I have always loved dogs, but never had one that was completely my own. Living alone can get lonely, especially during COVID-19 times. So I decided adopting a dog would do two things at once: giving a homeless pup a loving home and giving me a best friend and flatmate.”
Luna and her siblings were found with no mom or owner.
“The shelter came across a litter of pups in a township area, that had no mom or owner. They were very young and undernourished, in fact, because they had no mother, they suckled each other’s little noses and tails as if trying to feed. By the time they were rescued, none of them had any hair left on their tails and noses and were quite starved. She was then bottle-fed until she was ready to adopt,” says Anita.
I call on all Capetonians and say, if you have the ability and space, consider adopting rather than shopping.
To this day, I miss Luna, not only for the bond we had, but because of who Luna grew up to be thanks to Anita Froneman. Luna is my inspiration and I hope she will be for many others too. Shelter animals need love, care a furever home.
If you would like to adopt a companion of your own, visit one of these lovely shelters:
The Animal Welfare Society of South Africa
Picture/s: Anita Froneman