Dog walkers’ joy with furry pets amid lockdown
Knowledge Nyamutowera came to Cape Town from Zimbabwe almost three years ago. He has been walking dogs at Paw Pets in Sea Point for over a year and a half now.
“I’m just doing this for a living,” says Nyamutowera, who works from 8am to 5pm on weekdays and two Saturdays a month from 9.30am to 2pm.
Nyamutowera says he and his older brother are supporting their parents and two sisters who live in Delft.
On any given day, he says, he walks about 25 dogs. He likes his job because he gets to interact with people from different walks of life … and dogs, he joked.
At Paw Pets, dog owners have the option to either drop their pets off for the day or staff can arrange to pick them up from their homes.
Another dog walker, Pam Buttner, has been volunteering twice a week since July.
She says it has been a struggle “finding joy in life” and “staying motivated” during the pandemic.
But she says she found joy spending time with the furry companions.
Buttner has been volunteering to walk dogs twice a week since July.
She lives with her partner who works in the film industry which was also brought to a halt during the hard lockdown.
The couple live in a flat where no pets are allowed, so she decided to volunteer.
Walking three dogs on a leash along the Sea Point Promenade, Buttner says: “I go play with dogs in a doggy day care twice a week to bring me joy.”
Buttner and Nyamutower can regularly be found walking with a bunch of dogs on the Sea Point promenade. – Groundup