ICE MELTS CHIEF INSPECTOR JACO PIETERSE ’ S HEART
by the many cases of cruelty I see , but this boy stole my heart . I named him Ice ”.
Just look at Ice now !
Ice was rescued following a tipoff received by the SPCA late at night . He was found in a little heap , chained to a tree on a property in Eerste Rivier . It was like he was trying to make himself as small as possible in the hopes that he wouldn ’ t be seen . The undeniable scarring patterns we saw on his face , chest and limbs were enough to make our blood run cold . Ice was a victim of the cruel world of dogfighting . Every scar on his body told the story of the abuse and neglect suffered by a bait dog
( a dog who does not demonstrate gameness / willingness to fight and is then used as bait to train other fighting dogs ). Despite his suffering at human hands , our approach was met with much nervous hand licking , a submissive posturing and a low but rapidly wagging tail .
Of Ice ’ s rescue , our Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse says “ It is so hard to try and stop myself from falling in love with every animal I rescue . I always put on a brave face and try to pretend that I am unaffected
Ice became a regular visitor to our Chief ’ s office where he lay quietly on a blanket most of the day , only approaching Jaco now and then to rest his head on his knee . “ It was like he wanted to remind me of the reasons why I need to stay strong and continue fighting for others like him ,” said Jaco . “ There are many days when emotions take their toll and I want to throw in the towel . But then a gentle soul like this crosses my path and reminds me that while my job can be indescribably difficult , I have to keep going . The animals need me .”
With Ice safely in our care , we expected his healing to begin . We were in for a bit of shock . A few days into his recovery , Ice suddenly lost the ability to walk straight . It was heart-breaking to see him trying his best to greet with his usual enthusiasm only to veer off to the side and fall over . The veterinary diagnosis was inflammation of the brain caused by long term Canine Distemper . Ice had been tested for infectious disease on admission and his test for Distemper had produced a negative result . This is because while the course of the disease may be as short as 10 days , the
12 FOOTPRINTS 2020