Rescued 2022 · Mpumalanga, South Africa
As told by Spirit
My name is Spirit. And this is my story.
Taken Too Soon
I was taken from my mother straight after birth, somewhere in rural Mpumalanga, South Africa. I never learned how to be a dog — not from her, not from my siblings. Everything I know about being a dog, I've had to learn from humans, from scratch.
The humans who took me chained me to a pole at an abattoir. The metal chain was tied too tight and gave me sores that became infected. It was painful and uncomfortable. They also cut half of one of my ears off. That traumatised me deeply.
The Day I Escaped
One day I managed to escape and ran as fast as I could down the road to a house nearby. It happened to be the house where Stefanie and Stephan from the Oister Foundation were staying while visiting the area. As they came outside to get a closer look at me, the man from the abattoir found me and dragged me back. I was shattered. The abattoir terrified me.
The Universe Aligned
Some of the people who had seen me when I escaped saw I was in a state of fear. My story spread through a local WhatsApp group. The SPCA came looking for me but couldn't find me. Stefanie and Stephan also heard about me and went searching.
Then something remarkable happened. While they were asking about me at a local butchery, the man from the abattoir walked in and was recognised by the assistant. The assistant told him they were looking for me and were willing to buy me. He agreed — for R1,000.
The Moment My Spirit Returned
I don't remember the day they took me away from the abattoir. According to Stefanie and Stephan, I had a complete blank expression on my face. My eyes were empty. They had to pick me up and carry me to the car. When they brought me to their home, it took more than an hour for me to respond — to show any expression at all.
They said my eyes looked dead and soulless, like there was no spirit left inside me.
But then something shifted. They could see the exact moment I began to feel safe — the moment I realised I was no longer in danger. It was as if something returned to my eyes. They came alive again.
That's when they named me Spirit.
Spirit is now an ambassador for the Africanis™ brand and the Oister™ Foundation's mission to protect and preserve the Canis Africanis — Africa's aboriginal landrace dog. Every purchase from Africanis™ helps fund rescues like Spirit's.