Storm goes home

At the beginning of October, we got a call to collect a stray dog from Phoenix. As with all strays, he was taken straight to our clinic for a thorough health check. Although thin and dejected, with a matted coat, this black Labrador cross got a clean bill of health from our vet.

Best of all, he was microchipped! So we were able to call his owners to let them know we had their dog. To say the family was shocked is an understatement. Storm had been missing for an entire year, after running away during the 2024 fireworks season. They had given up hope of ever finding him, and had even adopted another dog. They were so excited to hear we had him and came to collect him straight away.

No one will ever know how how Storm spent his ‘missing’ year. But he managed to travel from Newlands to Phoenix, and may even have found a temporary care-giver.

But one thing is clear – fireworks have a devastating effect on animals. This wasn’t the first time Storm had run away during fireworks season. Or the first time he’d been rescued by our SPCA.

Back in November 2020, Storm went missing and ended up here. When his owner came to claim him, we insisted that he micro-chip the dog. If he hadn’t done so, Storm would never have found his way back home.

We urge pet owners to have their precious dogs and cats microchipped. It’s a quick, painless procedure that can be done by your vet or at our SPCA for as little as R220. Call us on 031 579 6547 to make a booking.

If you adopted a dog or cat from our SPCA, it will have automatically been microchipped before being allowed to go home with you.