Karnallie Finds Home 13 Years After Being Stolen From Family

Photo Credit: Animal Welfare Society of SA

A scruffy Miniature Schnauzer who went missing more than a decade ago, against all odds, has found ‘home’ again.

Cape Town, South Africa (01 October 2025) – When a Miniature Schnauzer named Karnallie, now named Rufus, was spotted wandering down Koeberg Road in Cape Town recently, he looked like a dog who had just gone through too much.

He was frail and terrified, nervously darting and snapping at the first attempts by his caring rescuer — someone who happened to be in exactly the right place at the right time.

Luckily, this wasn’t a person who was going to give up easily…The stories we love telling rarely involve people who do.

After dashing back home to fetch a gown and a laundry basket, he spent hours that morning gently earning the little dog’s trust. He knew Karnallie really needed help.

“At first, Karnallie tried to escape and even attempted to bite his rescuer. It took the better part of the morning to earn the little dog’s trust, but eventually, Karnallie sensed he was in good hands. He calmed down enough to be gently groomed and finally accepted some food and water,” the Animal Welfare Society of SA (AWS SA) explained.

Once calm, Karnallie was taken to Forest Drive Veterinary Surgery in Pinelands, which then contacted AWS SA to step in. His condition was not good. Completely blind from cataracts, his teeth neglected beyond repair, and a coat so matted it hung in heavy dreadlocks. He looked like a castaway.

“It took Karnallie’s rescuer several hours to cut away the matted hair weighing him down and causing him immense discomfort. Whilst trimming off the ‘dreadlocks’ he found a piece of wire embedded in one of Karnallie’s front legs that must have added to his years of pain and suffering,” AWS SA said.

Then came the twist. A microchip. One quick scan and a phone call later, and a truth no one could have seen coming revealed itself.

It turns out, Karnallie had once belonged to a loving family in Oranjezicht. He’d been stolen from them 13 years ago. The family had searched desperately and eventually had to grieve the loss. By some miracle, he was alive.

Sadly, now with three other rescues now in their care, the family couldn’t take him back.

But Karnallie still had an angel on his side. The man who had spent hours earning his trust already knew what he wanted to do.

“He didn’t hesitate – he offered Karnallie a loving home. He insisted that this brave little dog would know love, comfort, and the gentle touch of a kind hand in his final days,” AWS SA shared.

After years and years of surviving who-knows-what, Karnallie is finally home. It’s not the one he left behind all those many years ago, but one where he will be safe, warm and loved until his very last day.

“We don’t often witness miracles like this – a reunion over a decade in the making, a life saved, and a second chance granted just in time. Though Karnallie’s years of neglect have taken a toll and his time may be short, we take comfort in knowing that the days ahead will be filled with warmth, love, and dignity,” AWS SA said.