Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 126, January 2020 | Page 36

On Friday 9 December, Cape Town resident and mountain
runner, Hugh Hacking, took one of those calls that every
dog owner dreads. He stepped out of a meeting to receive
the news from his wife, Jess, that their one-year-old
Ridgeback pup, Rusty, was missing in the Newlands Forest
area. What transpired was an epic example of community
support and canine loyalty. – BY KIM STEPHENS
H
ugh and Jess have two ‘fur-kids,’ Rusty and
an older German Shepherd called Buster.
Although they run them on the mountain
regularly, Rusty in particular needs more than the
usual daily jaunt, so they have additional walks with
a dog-walking service called Cloud Canine. That day,
his Cloud Canine carer parked at the gates of Rhodes
Memorial and took the hounds on a familiar walk up
towards the jeep track. Whilst off leash, a car startled
Rusty, and he bolted out of the gates and along
the M3 towards Newlands Forest. Caro from Cloud
Canine reacted promptly, alerting Jess and various
social media platforms.
By the time Hugh arrived with his hastily donned
running kit, many Cape Town residents were sharing
Rusty’s photograph and relevant contact numbers.
The search was on. Hugh ran his familiar dog-walking
Trail running groups also joined the Friday evening
search efforts, but Rusty remained very much at
large. A dog like Rusty can cover many kilometres in a
short space of time, so it was difficult to know exactly
where he was when night fell, and Hugh and Jess
had to return home. Later that night, a message came
via a Pinelands resident to say that Rusty had been
spotted on the M3 highway, so Hugh went out again,
this time in his car, but to no avail.
Back on the Trail
By sunrise on Saturday morning, the search was
back on. A SANParks ranger reported spotting Rusty
between Rhodes Memorial and the Blockhouse, but
the ranger was on a motorbike, which spooked the
young pup, so he bolted once again. Security guards,
construction workers and neighbours had all joined
the search, or were keeping Hugh and Jess updated
with information.
On Saturday evening, Hugh was once
again combing the Rhodes Memorial
area with Buster at his side, when the
German Shepherd picked up Rusty’s
scent. SANParks confirmed that Rusty
had been spotted in the area, and his canine
brother knew it to be true, but after hours of
bushwhacking, Hugh once again returned home with
just one dog.
The search resumed at sunrise on Sunday morning.
Hugh and Buster returned to the trails surrounding
Rhodes Memorial, and shortly after their arrival, they
caught sight of Rusty. Hugh banged on his food bowl,
which he had brought along knowing that it was a
sure way to bring Rusty running to him on any normal
day. But Rusty, exhausted and confused by now, ran
in the opposite direction.
In the hours that followed, Buster gave Hugh
moments of hope as he repeatedly darted off into
the bushes in pursuit of Rusty, but it always seemed
they were a little too late, or just off the mark. They
climbed in the direction that Rusty had bolted, and all
of a sudden, on a rise, there he was. This time Hugh
sat down on the trail, a tactic Jess had read about in
trying to get a frightened dog to return to you, and
Buster took off. Every bit of his herding instinct was
in play... he was not letting his little brother spend
another night on the mountain!
Heroically, Buster brought Rusty right to Hugh, where
he was promptly leashed and offered a bowl of food.
Hugh laughed at the rapid pace at which he wolfed
down this food, and then spread the word that a now
famous Rusty the Ridgeback was on his way home for
some much-needed TLC.
Pulling Together
Hugh describes the ordeal as the ultimate example
of community support. “Through those 40 hours of
worry, I was so touched by all the care and support
from so many people, including our friends and family,
and all the strangers. Jean from Pinelands, Antjie,
Jamey and Jon from Cloud Canine, the Newlands Fire
Base, Table Mountain Watch, CSCID, the University
of Cape Town Security, and especially SANParks and
their rangers. It is such a counter-narrative to all the
negative media we are exposed to.”
And what of Buster, the hero? Well, he hasn’t let
Rusty out of his sight since his widely celebrated
homecoming. As they say, not all heroes wear capes.
Credit to Wildrunner
This article first appeared in the regular newsletter sent out by
Wildrunner, a Cape-based events company specialising in trail running
events, including the popular Trail Series. In 2020, this series has been
revamped into a seven-race Super League running from January to
November. More info at www.trailseries.co.za or www.wildrunner.co.za.
ISSUE 126 JANUARY 2020 / www.modernathlete.co.za
36
Courtesy
routes, and eventually
came down into
Newlands Forest
at the Fire Base, to
report Rusty missing.
The SANParks rangers
got on board, sharing
images of Rusty with the
crew on the ground. Word
spread to security companies in
the area, and an alert was put out
via the Table Mountain Watch Group,
with some 16,000 shares of Rusty’s
photograph resulting.