FOR THE LOVE OF MEISIE
Two brothers have become heroes after heaving their sick dog 5km on foot to get help
THE brothers had no idea the reaction their labour of love would evoke. All they wanted was to get their sick pet to the vet – so off they set, the youngest barefoot, the eldest with R7 in his back pocket. It was all the money he had to offer to pay for help for their furry friend. Their destination: the Animal Welfare Society (AWS) 5km away. They had no choice but to walk – if they didn’t get Meisie there, she’d die.
So Peter (14) and Gerry (8) Cedras cajoled and carried their 20kg dog all the way from their burnt-out cottage on a farm near Philippi, Cape Town, to the animal hospital, a trip that took four hours.
Meisie was in bad shape. A veterinary nurse drew blood from her and found she had ehrlichiosis, a bacterial illness known as biliary that’s transmitted by ticks and affects white blood cells.
If the boys hadn’t brought her in she wouldn’t have made it. Meisie was immediately put on a drip, then given a blood transfusion.
And as far as the boys were concerned, that was that. Mission accomplished.
Little did they know they’d soon be regarded as heroes and young ambassadors for animals as their story spread around not only South Africa but the world. Their journey has touched the hearts of millions of people – and also improved the lives of the boys and the animals that live near them.
It’s freezing cold when we arrive at the AWS where nurse Jaque le Roux tells us how the boys have put the organisation on the map. Jaque posted the story of Peter and Gerry on Facebook a few weeks ago and since then the AWS has been inundated with enquiries and offers of help from as far afield as New Zealand, England, Sweden and the USA.
Many people have wanted to reward the boys, and donations of money, clothing and food – for humans and animals – have poured in.
Jaque says Peter offered to pay the R7 he had in his pocket when he and his brother arrived but “we didn’t care about money – we just wanted to save Meisie”.
“Peter and Gerry are extraordinary. Full stop,” AWS spokesman Allan Perrins says.
“What struck me is how blessed the Cedras family feel by the kindness they’ve received and how they’re sharing all the gifts people have given them with the small community on the farm.”
We’re chatting in the office above the day hospital. The kennels next door always hold up to 60 dogs and up to 20 cats waiting for their forever homes. The premises also house horses, donkeys and sheep in enclosures.
At the entrance to the emergency room a woman sits waiting with her bull terrier wrapped in an old T-shirt. The dog looks as if it’s been in a fight.
“We don’t put down any animal we’re able to save as we believe each animal deserves a second chance,” Jaque says. Then the Cedras brothers arrive. “We’re missing Meisie,” Peter says. He and Gerry look dapper in baseball caps with their names and the words “Junior Animal Ambassador” embroidered on them – gifts from a benefactor.
For the first time in their lives the brothers are kitted out in new clothes and shoes.
Once again, they’ve walked all the way
from the farm, this time bringing five friends with them.
“We’re so happy Meisie is alive,” Gerry says shyly.
“Meisie is only one year old,” Peter tells us. He recalls the day they decided to seek help for their beloved pet. “She wouldn’t eat and only drank a little water and she struggled to walk. That’s how we knew she was sick.
“We had to help her because she protects us and she’s always playful with us.”
Then they tell us about the disaster their family recently survived. The Friday before the trek to the vet their home caught alight.
“A candle fell over while we were sleeping,” Peter says. “I woke my brother and we helped our mom put out the flames.”
There’s no electricity or running water in their two-room home and neighbours had to scramble for buckets of water from a nearby dam to put out the fire. “My dad came,” Peter says. “He screamed, ‘My kids, my kids!’” Gerry says softly.
“We’re fixing the house now,” Peter adds.
The boys have been appointed animal ambassadors of the AWS and they take their new roles seriously. Everywhere they go they deliver the message that it’s important to treat animals with love and respect.
This is the central message the AWS is spreading across the Cape Peninsula. The organisation is running a campaign in the Cape Town suburbs of Elsies River and Mitchell’s Plain to persuade pet owners to have their animals sterilised.
The brothers and their friends head over to visit Meisie in the kennels. Her treatment lasts 21 days and if they’d gone to a private vet it would’ve cost about R25 000, but the AWS is covering the cost.
She’s here for two more weeks before she can go home, where bags of donated food are waiting for her and the other dogs on the farm.
The minute Meisie sees her boys she starts jumping up against the gate. The brothers grin as they’re smothered in doggy kisses.
“Meisie, are you coming home soon?” Gerry asks.
The AWS’s Lawrence Mkotha arrives with a bag of doggie treats. Across the kennels barking reaches fever pitch.
Next year the AWS will have been offering its services to the Cape Flats for 90 years – it’s one of the oldest animal welfare societies in the country.
Staff have encountered many heartbreaking stories recently, such as the one involving Benji the pitbull. In March he was beaten, kicked and stabbed to death in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
Then there’s Buster, also a pitbull. Half his teeth and a section of his jaw is missing after he was shot two months ago in an armed robbery.
Ellen, a four-year-old bull mastiff cross, has been at the AWS for two years. She’ll be here until she’s adopted or dies.
On the gate of the kennels is a sign encouraging people to adopt rather than shop for a pet. It reads, “Rescued. My favourite breed.”
WHEN we arrive on the farm in the Sandvlei area of Philippi, Peter and Gerry’s mom, Henna, is waiting for us. The AWS bakkie is loaded with food, clothes and bedding.
“I just want to say thank you to everyone who’s been giving us things,” she says.
Peter and Gerry start sharing the donated mealie meal and bread among their neighbours.
From a distance the family’s home looks like a burnt-out shell but they’re still living here. There’s only a single bed between the four family members – Peter, Gerry, their mom and their dad when he’s home.
Dad Jerome is often away. He works in the city, cleaning pavements and spraying weedkiller.
“I’m bringing you a bed and a mattress,” says Allan, who’s accompanied us to the family home.
A small fire flickers in the fireplace of one of the two rooms. On one of Allan’s earlier visits he saw a mouse nibbling on the family’s food. When he pointed it out, Henna told him, “No, leave the mouse to fill his belly.”
“Ever since I was little my parents taught me to be kind to animals,” she says. “I’ve taught my kids the same.”
It’s a lesson her boys clearly took on board.
‘We believe each animal deserves a second chance’