Jett the beautiful search and rescue K9 that put his life on the line for others has been declared “presumed deceased” – Today we honour his life and legacy.
Johannesburg, South Africa (29 November 2022) – A life gone too soon – Jett the specialised K9 Search and Rescue dog has been missing too long so the team have sadly declared him “presumed deceased”. It was a heartbreaking post to see the Healthy Hounds Missing Pet Search Team share yesterday. Our hearts go out to his handler Diane Logie and the Healthy Hounds family.
Jett went missing in Kilnerpark, Pretoria after he fell down a storm drain. A fellow handler saw Jett disappear and went in after him, not realising the water below would sweep her 40 metres away from her entry point.
It became quickly apparent that Jett had gone missing and was now in need of his own search and rescue team. Calls went out for assistance and the community rallied. They searched in every drain they could access, calling out to him in the hopes of finding him somewhere along the sewerage line.
The team shared that throughout the stress of the search, the Tshwane Emergency Services Department has played a pivotal role and has treated Jett’s case as if he were a missing human. This is such a touching thought, knowing the team have done everything to aid in finding Jett.
Suné Steenkamp took the time to share how the events of Jett’s disappearance unfolded in a detailed post. The details are gutwrenching and make us deeply saddened for all involved, but show how no one was willing to give up. This was yet another freak accident and nobody could have imagined such an outcome.
“Jett always put his life on the line as a working search and rescue K9 for the sake of finding other lost or stolen pets. He was an amazing dog.
Jett was on the job searching for a lost dog and he jumped on top of a platform in a dense reed area not knowing there was an open manhole. He fell into the sewerage system and a water stream of 60km/h swept him off into the tunnels. One of the handlers reacted and jumped in after him to save him but she also got swept away by the strong current. She then managed to miraculously hit a bend and after a while climb up the little steps to the sealing where she banged on the manhole from below in hopes someone heard, thankfully the security guards that were helping heard the noise and opened up the manhole and pulled her out 40 meters from original entry point.
A post was put out that Jett fell down a manhole and the community responded instantly!!! Police, water rescue, Afriforum, search and rescue and other parties came rushing to the scene.
On Sunday we searched from 12 pm till 02:30 am in the morning and today we searched till 16:15 pm before the rescue was called off.
Jett fell into a sewerage system with copious amounts of methane gas in an enclosed system. The search was called off at 16:15 pm. 28hrs after the incident and after all possible resources and experts assisted on the scene.
He is presumed dead due to the time, the extremely poisonous gas, the water and the fall.”
The loss of Jett is being felt by the entire community. Many have been devastated by the news and have shared their condolences and support with the team.
The search isn’t over, they now plan to reclaim Jett’s body, so he can be laid to rest with the honour he deserves. The Tshwane Emergency Service Department will continue to aid in this search.
Rest in Peace Jett, your legacy will live on in all the lives you saved and all the lives saved by the team you continue to inspire.
Update: Jett’s body has been found, and he can finally be laid to rest. The team are taking some time to recover and mourn the loss of Jett. He will be cremated and his life celebrated in a private ceremony.
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