Local dog Nala was released from Beacon Bay Vet last week, following emergency surgery after sustaining a bullet wound to her abdomen, while trying to protect her owners during an attempted robbery near their home.
On the evening of June 24, in Reeston near Mdantsane, Nala and her family were attacked by two armed men while making their way on foot to the nearest shop for bread.
According to her owner, Lebogang Michael Moshesh, Nala tagged along with him and his wife, as she usually does.
The trio were a few minutes away from the shop when two-armed men accosted them for valuables with their firearms drawn.
Moshesh said that as he and his wife froze in fear, Nala fiercely sprang into action positioning herself between her owners and the armed men.
Moshesh said: “With a fierce bark, Nala defended us by jumping in front of them, causing the robbers to lose their cool and panic. My wife screamed but Nala continued to confront the gun-wielding man.
“In their panic, one of the robbers shot Nala in the stomach, near her heart but miraculously, the bullet passed through. Nala’s bravery had given us just enough time to run.
“The moment she was shot is etched in my memory forever because it was traumatising seeing her lying on the ground, bleeding out.
“My heart shattered into pieces even though I knew that it was either us or Nala. Nala took a bullet for us.
He said he used his trousers as a makeshift bandage to stem Nala’s bleeding while they tried to find transport to East London SPCA.
“That night was one of the darkest of my life because Nala was in pain and I was consumed with worry about her.”
With the help of SAPS, the family was transported to ELSPCA and from there, to Beacon Bay Vet, where Nala was attended to by Dr Willie Delport.
Delport said: “When they brought her in, it was quite bad. She was struggling to breathe, lethargic and was bleeding quite a lot. I could immediately see there was trauma on both sides of the rib cage.
“She was in the theatre for over an hour. Luckily, the perpetrator missed the heart and the lungs, otherwise, it would have been fatal.”
After a week of treatment at Beacon Bay Vet, Nala was discharged on July 3 was seen jumping and barking with excitement when her owners came to fetch her.
She is still in a moderate amount of pain and currently on a course of antibiotics combined with other post-operative treatment measures.
Delport said: “She survived because she is a young and very fit dog. Upon being discharged, she was so happy to be reunited with her family whom she clearly loves so much.
“Her courage shows the extent of our pets’ loyalty to us.
“They never ask anything back except a little bit of care, a little bit of food, and cruelty free treatment. When we take care of our pets we are rewarded with loyalty like Nala’s.”
