Big walk to help furry friends
2010-12-15
Lise Beyers
A MAN is planning to push a wheelchair from Ceres to Johannesburg - all for the love of his dog. When the beloved 12-year-old pug of Marné van den Heever (66), a legal consultant and perennial student from Prince Alfred Hamlet, became too old to keep up with him on there daily walks, van den Heever decided to make a plan. He acquired an old wheelchair on which he made a comfortable bed for Puggy, attaching a rear-view mirror for safety and a South African flag to broadcast their allegiance. And so the two bosom friends are almost seen daily on their walks between Prince Alfred Hamlet and Ceres. But there is much more to Puggy than just being a beloved pet. “I have a slight disability in my hands. Years ago I was involved in a serious motor-vehicle accident, which apart from physically injuring me, sent me into a deep depression. I entered a world of quiet despair, seeing everything around me shatter and fall apart.” But after van den Heever adopted Puggy from the SPCA, he started looking forward to life again. “From when Puggy arrived into my life, it was as if a dark cloud lifted from over my head. I immediately changed my attitude and started to enjoy life again.” But as age caught with Puggy, he could not keep up with their daily walks and is now confined to a wheelchair during walks. “It became clear to me that pets can play a crucial part in the lives of people who are depressed and lonely. And it is often elderly and disabled people who battle with this. “These people often do not have the facilities to care for pets and thus do not have the pleasure I have had with Puggy. “And in turn, there are countless unwanted pets at the SPCA who are just begging for a good home.” This has led to van den Heever to committing himself to giving something back to these furry friends which bring so much joy and healing to many. He is currently in training to push his wheel-chair more than 1400km from Ceres to Onderstepoort (Pretoria) to raise funds and awareness for his welfare project, The Push Project. Hereby he wants to raise funds to assist those who would benefit from owning a pet, but who are not able to keep one due to various circumstances. Unfortunately Puggy will not accompany van den Heever on his travels, because of her frailty. He plans to complete his journey within three months. Van den Heever recently travelled through Paarl pushing his wheelchair on an exercise walk to Cape Town. “On this trip I have no back-up team or plans on where to stay. I have received wonderful support from the public on the way, who open their homes and hearts to me.” And the most important part of van den Heever’s Push Project, is to give loving homes to a multitude of abandoned pets. Van den Heever can be contacted at 082-742-5000 or 084-927-6000. .
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