Covered in mange, Zeus was hardly recognisable when his owner Matthew Harebottle went to collect him nearly two years after he went missing.
Western Cape, South Africa – Get ready to sob! This story is a heartbreaking but an equally heartwarming one. Nearly two years ago Matthew Harebottle’s dog Zeus went missing during load shedding. They had to leave the gate on a manual setting so everyone could get in and out of the house and Matthew thinks the gate may have been left open enough for Zeus.
The weeks and months that followed, Matthew kept hoping that Zeus would pop up as he had often heard stories of dogs being returned home after a few weeks. Eventually, a year passed by and then it was nearing on two years.
Over in Athlone, a volunteer, Yvonne Read, from the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) received a call from one of her neighbours. The neighbour told her about a sickly looking dog that was spotted roaming around the neighbourhood.
Yvonne went to go find the dog, caught him after three hours and took him in to the PDSA vet. He was covered head to toe in mange, a painful and contagious skin disease. It causes hair loss, scabbing and skin lesions. Once the dog’s necessary exam was done, they scanned him for a microchip and got a hit.
They called the number, and Matthew answered. When he heard that Zeus had been found, he rushed to go see him. Zeus was not very responsive as he was in a bit of pain and quite tired, but once he was let out of his cage, he was delighted to see his dad!
If you want a proper cry, watch their reunion video below.
Zeus has been given regular baths and is already making a brilliant recovery. Since his story moved so many people, Matthew set up a Facebook page where people can watch Zeus as he returns to his old self. You can join them here.
“It really is amazing to see how far he has come in the few short days of being home. The little soldier is getting noticeably better by the day in both spirit and appearance with most of his scabbing already gone.” – Matthew Harebottle
Matthew cannot stress enough, the importance of microchipping pets. He is also deeply thankful for everything PDSA did for them. Matthew hopes people will support the organisation as they do some incredible work. You can contact them via Facebook here.
We are so happy to see the best friends reunited and to see Zeus already thriving being back with his dad. We cannot wait to follow their journey.
You can see the latest post below.
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