The North West community has supported Letlogonolo after he used his last R40 to get his dog Ricky to the vet.
North West, South Africa (22 April 2024) – Joanne Wilson, from the Cat Angel Refuge, shared a deeply moving story of how dog owner Letlogonolo used the very last R40 he had to get his dog Ricky help after Ricky was intentionally hit by a car. To honour the effort and sacrifice Letlogonolo made, Joanne and the Cat Angel Refuge supporters came together to make sure he didn’t go hungry for the rest of the month!
Letlogonolo arrived at the refuge with a badly injured Ricky and explained to the team that a man in a Ford Ranger drove at him and Ricky and hit her. He was stuck with worry, but thankfully, someone had recommended the Cat Angel Refuge and helped get the traumatised pair to the vet.
When Ricky was taken to the vet to assess her injuries and prepare for the surgery she needed, Letlogonolo took the R40 he had and offered it to the team to go towards her medical costs.
The R40 was hard-earned the day before, and as Letlogonolo works odd jobs, it might have been the last of his money for a while.
Joanne was moved by his offer to pay for Ricky’s care, so she turned to her supportive community for help in supporting Letlogonolo.
“I did a Facebook post about Ricky and her owner and asked if anyone would be willing to donate a small food hamper for her owner as he gave his last R40 that he had earned the day before to pay her vet bill and he had nothing.
The post went semi-viral with 317 shares, Ricky’s vet bill was paid in full and Letlogonolo had 4 food deliveries which we gave to him on Monday when he collected Ricky.
But it didnt stop there, someone sent money for us to give to him so he could stay home a few days with Ricky, another sent him toiletries, another sent money for new shoes and another has sent from the US which once it clears will buy both Ricky and Letlogonolo warm winter blankets.
We received a message from his brother telling us that Letlogonolo was ready to give up on life because he had struggled for so long and that this small community of animal lovers had changed his life.
Sometimes we don’t know how hard life is for people and by 1 small post reaching out asking for a little something we changed a life.”
There are many people like Letlogonolo that the Cat Angel Refuge encounters daily. You can support the work Joanne and her team do by reaching out via Facebook here, or email Joanne here.