Donor steps in to help the dog who saved the day
A house robbery at a home in Benoni that cost distraught family members one dog, while badly injuring another, may yet have a happy ending.
On 3 October, two armed men entered the Lamont family home in Lakefield. After the alarm went off, the husband heard one robber moving towards the bedroom.
The intruder began to fire shots and the man retaliated, hitting him. He was later declared dead. The gun found at the scene was linked to a spate of armed robberies in the area.
The second man then went into the eldest daughter’s bedroom, where her companion, rescue Malinois cross Kei, was keeping guard on the bed. Kei attacked the intruder, leaving him bleeding and shocked. As the man fled, he shot and killed the family’s other dog, Holly, a Yorkshire terrier.
Although hurt, Kei ran outside and tried to alert a neighbour. But she was unable to bark due to her injuries. CCTV footage showed Kei pacing outside the neighbour’s property before running towards a nearby lake to look for help. Kei was later found lying on the grass near the water.
Veterinarians found the bullet entered the side of her nose, shattered her two top molars, injured her tongue and broke her jaw.
She had surgery and her tongue and bullet wounds were repaired, and she was referred to a specialist for reconstructive surgery on her jaw. Kei will need a plate in her jaw and a possible bone graft.
Kei’s medical expenses will come to R60 000. The family started a Back-a-Buddy campaign to pay the vet’s bills, but when pet insurer Dotsure heard the story, it offered to foot the entire bill.
“When we heard about the ordeal the family went through and Kei’s brave actions to save them, despite her serious injuries, we knew we needed to step in and help,” said Dotsure’s David Roache.