Mr Maphelo Mlaza’s son couldn’t attend training at Funda Nenja with his dog Rex recently, so the helpful dad volunteered to take the beloved pup to class on his behalf.
Mpophomeni, South Africa (14 September 2023) – Funda Nenja shared a truly heartwarming post recently, highlighting how Maphelo Mlaza, a father to one of the students attending the training classes, attended the class in his son’s place so that their beloved dog Rex wouldn’t miss out on class too.
The post had us smiling from ear to ear and praise for dad Maphelo was shared over and over in the comment section. We adore this story, just take a look at the heartwarming pictures to boot!
Funda Nenja, a dog training initiative, runs in the township of Mpophomeni, near Howick, in the KZN Midlands of South Africa. They focus on animal welfare in the area by providing dog training lessons to the children and much-needed vaccinations for their beloved dogs.
These lessons teach the dogs some obedience skills but also help the children bond with their pets to form a deeper connection. The classes help educate children about animal welfare and encourage them to show their families how to treat animals too.
The classes are hosted each week, and as part of the programme, the dogs involved get checked up by the primary veterinary clinic. For any animals not inoculated yet, they get it done right there.
Many of the enrolled children feel quite strongly about their part in the classes. This was evident when Maphelo accompanied the family dog Rex to class, just so he wouldn’t miss a day!
“It’s not very often that we have an adult in one of our dog school classes so last week when Maphelo Mlaza joined the class he stood out amongst the sea of kids on the training field.
Maphelo was standing in for his son who usually brings Rex, their handsome young dog, to Funda Nenja. He told us that he “finds it awesome as everyone is nice and friendly to one another. Rex likes learning and is always well-behaved.”
We always welcome visitors to our dog school and are especially delighted when parents of our learners pay us a visit to see what we do.”
Can you say cute!!!
While Funda Nenja does focus on the child and dog relationship in training, it also provides much-needed family support as well as support for the greater community.
The work being done is shifting the community of Mpophomeni. If you would like to support their endeavours, you can do so via Facebook here.
Sources: Funda Nenja