When an ill mother of five fell to the ground, a battle-scarred stray dog became the unlikely guardian angel who helped her regain consciousness and forged a bond that saved them both!
Cape Town, South Africa (05 November 2025) – Life has a strange way of blessing us with exactly what we need when we least expect it.
Labeeqah, a 39-year-old unemployed mother of five from Kensington who survives on a social grant and the kindness of Pinelands residents, experienced one of these moments last Thursday, when she fell ill.
Frail and unwell, Labeeqah set out for one of her sponsors’ homes to ask for a taxi fare to go to Tygerberg Hospital. But she collapsed before she could reach help.
According to the Animal Welfare Society of SA (AWS SA), while lying on the ground, a gentle, battle-scarred Pitbull with a deep open wound on his left shoulder appeared out of nowhere. The homeless dog began licking her face until she regained consciousness.
“Despite repeated attempts by security guards to chase him away, the dog refused to leave her side. Weak but moved, Labeeqah begged them to stop, convinced that this loyal stray was trying to protect her,” Animal Welfare Society’s Fundraising and Communications Manager, Allan Perrins shares.
Labeeqah eventually received the medical attention she desperately required, spending two days in the hospital on a drip.
When she was discharged from the hospital, she was taken aback to find her new furry friend waiting for her!
“She couldn’t explain the bond they shared – only that she knew this brave boy, whom she named Junior, would never spend another night on the streets. Though she couldn’t afford to care for him, she made sure he received the help he desperately needed,” Allan explains.
Labeeqah managed to convince a taxi driver to take her and her new companion back to Pinelands. There, she and her sponsor arranged for Junior to be seen by Dr Mac at Forest Drive Veterinary Surgery. After initial treatment, Junior was transferred to AWS SA for further care and rehabilitation.
“Letting him go was one of the hardest things Labeeqah has ever done. But she finds comfort in knowing that Junior’s act of unconditional love will soon be rewarded when he joins a forever family who will cherish him as much as he deserves.”
Labeeqah and Junior’s brief yet deeply moving journey is a true story of love, loyalty, and the unbreakable bond between a woman and her dog who found each other at just the right moment.
Sources: Animal Welfare Society of SA
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