Perky pup is home again
2009-07-16
Lise Beyers
PAARL POST has once again reunited a pet owner - this time after a stolen puppy was spotted by readers. Last week, Irene Mattei of Dorp Street, Paarl, endured anxious days after her three-month-old miniature doberman pincher-cross, Romena, was stolen, almost from right under her nose. According to Mattei a man who regularly begs from door to door in the area, gained access to her property, pocketing the pint-sized pup, before disappearing. With tears in her eyes, Mattei approached the Paarl Post for help, and after a picture of the puppy was published in last week’s newspaper, Mattei’s telephone started to ring. The first call was received from a woman who was offered two puppies for sale by a man holding a box at the Paarl Mall. She declined the offer. The woman told Mattei that after she had seen the picture of Romena in the Paarl Post, she realised she had been one of the boxed puppies. Shortly after this call, a man contacted Mattei to tell her that he was convinced that he had bought Romena from a man who was selling puppies, also from a box, in Klapmuts. The man bought both puppies, just to save them from the clutches of the seller. He was going to give Romena to his grand-daughter, but when he saw her photograph in the newspaper, he immediately contacted Mattei. “I couldn’t believe it,” said Mattei. “I had started to think that I would never see her again. “The days following her disappearance were almost the worst in my life, because she is like a child to me. “I lay awake at night wondering whether she was warm enough and whether she was being fed.” And when the good samaritan returned Romena to the doorstep of her owner, tears of joy flowed. Within just a few hours, the perky pet was up to mischief again, raucously playing with her Jack Russell brother and lovingly chewing the fingers of her owner. A spokesperson for the SPCA said that they are fully aware of the illegal trade in animals, but due to loop-holes in the law, they find it difficult to put the culprits behind bars. “The public can however assist us by not buying pets along the roadside, but rather contact the emergency number of the SPCA immediately on 082-510-6387 if the incident occurs in Paarl. “But we are aware of this person who sells pets in Klapmuts. If he is noticed by the public, please contact the Klapmuts police at 021-875-8000.”
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