Those who know Montusi, know our resident canine furbabies. From the very beginning, we have always had a few family dogs scuttling around the lodge, pushing rocks around the garden, pouncing on molehills, racing motorbikes, chasing hadedas and lazing in the sunshine.
Rags and Nala were the first Montusi dogs. Golf joined the team after being found abandoned on the local golf course.
Rags used to spend his days finding large rocks to push and nudge around the lawn, while attacking any blades of grass that might threaten his “Precious”. When he wasn’t finding rocks, he would hike with the guests or sit at Ant’s feet waiting for treats.
After Rags, Nala and Golf crossed the rainbow bridge, Cath and Andrew and Mic and I returned to Montusi to settle. Along came Brown Dog and Joey to complete our homes.
Brown Dog was a lovely little girl who accompanied Cath on many runs in the mountains, despite her short little leggies. Joey spent every morning on the guided hike with Shadrack, who always packed an extra crunchie for his assistant-guide “Joseph”.
Brown Dog and Joey’s adopted brothers, Rigby and Lincoln, joined us a couple of years later. Rigby was an incorrigible hunter of beasts. His diminutive size did not stop him from searching for kilometres in pursuit of a scent. He would go missing for hours and hours as he dug up mole tunnels in the wild, eventually earning himself an embarrassing cat’s bell on his collar!
When Cath and I were several months pregnant, we took him walking to the Bushman’s Cave. He was behaving, until he spotted a herd of eland (South Africa’s largest antelope!) and decided to give chase.
Both of us, very round, pregnant-fairies, tried our utmost to capture him, practically driving into the veldt, tummies and all. He evaded us, and we spent the next hour trying to get him back. Walk abandoned!
After Brown and Joey passed along, Gunner, and AJ joined the family. Gunner arrived as a precious little pup with an old man’s posture and very concerned eyes. He grew into a spectacular hound who loved to run and point. He was the happiest dog and brought endless smiles to all he encountered.
Action Jones – AJ – was the scruff that spent his puppy days hanging off Gunner’s jowls and taking on all the big animals from the safety of my legs. He has become my shadow and faithfully sits by my desk, but at 4pm, he jumps up and starts nudging my arm off the keyboard, ready to take a walk or run.
A few months back, old-man Lincoln went to sleep for the last time during his after-lunch, sunshine snooze, and we lost Gunner tragically to a car accident.
Rigby is still shuffling around his home, but has lost his sight and hearing, so he doesn’t come down to the Main Building anymore.
For a while, it was terribly lonely with only AJ to fill the numerous dog beds scattered around the office. But, at the beginning of July, the fates aligned: another scruffy little pup needed a home after being rescued from the freezing nights of Harrismith.
Badger arrived at Montusi and immediately owned her environment and everyone in it, including AJ and all the humans. She has brought AJ’s sparkle back with her incessant playful growls, yowls, nips and body barges. Their games create a joyful soundtrack to the previously very quiet office.
