Brothers Oyiso, age 12 and Luniko, age 8, rescued a dog that had been hit by a car, fashioned a makeshift cast for her leg and carried her to the local vet.
Cape Town, South Africa (08 April 2022) – You can have very little in life, but if you have a big heart, you are considered to be rich in this life. Two brothers showed just how big their hearts were when rescuing a dog that had been hit by a car.
The Animal Welfare Society of SA is based in Phillipi, Cape Town and deals with every manner of rescue, but it’s the ones done by the community’s children that always leave the heart warmest.
The organisation’s communications officer Allan Perrins shared such a heartwarming story with us that we shed a few tears of pride for our nation’s future. He, too, was moved by the sheer kindness that drove these young men toward the vet.
“There is one thing that we know for sure and that is that acts of kindness cost nothing and despite the hardship of many families especially those living in informal settlements, on hopelessly inadequate grants or having to eke out an honest living by doing menial work for a pittance where the word NO is the default response to a reasonable request there are still many with a kind heart who give selflessly without the expectation of compensation.”
Oyiso, age 12 and his brother Luniko age 8, live in a rusted corrugated iron shed in the nearby informal settlement of Philippi. Allan believes that they are an example of the huge difference someone with very little other than a kind heart can make.
The brothers found a young dog that had clearly been struck by a car. She was left lying in pain on the roadside. The brothers stepped in to help her.
“They suspected that she had a broken leg so before finding something to carry her in they fitted a crude splint made from what appears to be a disposable nappy and duct tape to her injured leg.
The area where they live is littered with municipal refuse bags so they grabbed an empty bag and slide her in making sure that she was comfortable and could breathe before Oyiso gently slung the bag over his shoulder to carry her to our hospital.”
Oyiso and Luniko carried her as far as they could. Soon, younger brother Luniko grew tired and was no longer able to help. Oyiso shifted her full weight onto his already heavy shoulders and carried her the rest of the way. Every step he took was followed by a determination to save her life.
“When they took their place in the queue Oyiso still had the bag slung over his shoulder with the little dog’s head just visible to our alert receptionist who ensured that they were helped almost immediately.”
Allan shared that the brothers chose to stay by her side throughout the examination, sharing kind murmurs and stroking her calmly to keep her safe. They listened to the Nursing Assistant’s every word, learning just how badly injured the poor dog was. The Nursing Assistant commended them for helping the dog.
“An x-ray later revealed the full extent of her injuries and excruciating pain that she would have endured had it not been for these two young boys whose brotherly love knows no bounds.”
These stories always bring tears to our eyes. To see such dedicated kindness in our youth fills us with hope and pride.
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