A puppy that fell into an open manhole in Davidsonville was rescued from certain death by staff members from the Community Led Animal Welfare (Claw).
Cora Bailey from Claw said that they had received a frantic call from a Davidsonville resident on the afternoon of 10 January.
“Aunty Beryl, a well known figure in the Davidsonville community, was informed about a dog in distress by a woman who had passed by the open manhole on her way from work.
She heard the puppy’s panicked cries, and, after investigating, found that it had fallen into the open manhole.”
After receiving the call, Cora immediately jumped into her car, and went to the location to see for herself what they were dealing with. “The puppy was very traumatised and scared, and, because of the recent rains, the water was flowing quite fast, causing the dog to panic more. I called one of my trusty staff members, John Mutumba, and asked him if he would be able to help, and he had no hesitation in saying yes.”
She went to pick John up, and, even though he was on his way out and dressed to impress, he did not let that stop him from wanting to help. Cora explained, “When we got back to where the puppy had fallen into the manhole, John quickly used a makeshift ladder and catch pole to try and get the dog out. With the help from two other volunteers, he eventually managed to get the dog out.”
Cora said that the only injuries the puppy had sustained from her ordeal, except for being quite traumatised, was a cut on her one paw, “The cut must have been sustained when she frantically tried to scramble up the manhole, in an attempt to get out. After we brought her out, I took her home with me to ensure she was well cared for.”
She added that the frantic owners of the puppy phoned her on Sunday afternoon, wanting to know what type of dog it was and if she was fine, and they were reunited.
“It seems that the dog got out of the yard after a gate was left open by a little one, giving the dog the opportunity to escape and roam the streets. The owners have been driving around, looking for their dog, and I was overcome with joy to see the love they had for this little girl, who deserved to be with her family who loves her. They will be bringing her back to us to help with a sterilisation and a micro-chip,” said Cora.
Cora urged the community to not turn a blind eye to these open manholes, and to report them to the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) immediately, to ensure they will be able to fix it. “This story could have been so different, it could have been a child that fell in there, and died,” she said.
Missing manhole covers can be reported to the Johannesburg Roads agency (JRA) on 0860 56 28 74 or by sending an email to hotline@jra.org.za.
She concluded by urging the community to find it in their hearts to help the shelter by donating dog food, dog leashes as well as volunteering their time to come and help walk the dogs and spend some quality time with them.
For more information, contact Cora on 076 850 4466.
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