Gavin's Dog Walking Services

09/03/2026

With Food for You – I'm on a streak! I've been a top fan for 20 months in a row. 🎉

07/02/2026

With Food for You – I'm on a streak! I've been a top fan for 18 months in a row. 🎉

07/02/2026

Help My Elderly Parents Rebuild Their Independence After a Preventable Tragedy

I am reaching out with a deeply personal and urgent appeal and I am grateful for every moment you take to read my story.

On the evening of Thursday, 15 May 2025, my father was driving along Pretoria Avenue in Sandton between Rivonia Road and Katherine Street when his car suddenly plunged front-first into a massive open trench left by Johannesburg Water. The excavation had been there for nearly a year, completely unbarricaded and without any warning signs.

In a matter of seconds, his life was put at risk. By pure grace, he survived. The vehicle was later recovered by First Road Emergency Towing and has since been declared a complete write-off. I have attached photos of the scene to show the reality of what happened.

This car was far more than just a vehicle. It was my parents’ only means of transport and their only source of supplemental income. As elderly government pensioners, they relied on giving lifts within their community to help cover basic living costs. Without the car, they are now homebound, financially strained and emotionally devastated.

To make matters worse, Johannesburg Water’s brokers have unjustly rejected their claim, stating that proper signage and barriers were in place. This is simply not true. Multiple people who assisted my father that night can confirm there were no warnings. Had there been, the car would never have ended up in that trench.

My parents were also uninsured at the time, leaving them with no protection, no vehicle and no support system to fall back on.

This campaign is about restoring dignity, mobility and independence to two elderly people who did nothing wrong and survived something that could easily have taken a life.

Every contribution, no matter the size, brings us closer to helping them repair or replace their vehicle and reclaim a sense of normalcy. Your kindness will directly impact their ability to move freely, earn a small income again and live with hope instead of fear.

If you cannot donate, sharing this campaign would mean just as much.

From the depths of my heart, thank you for your compassion, generosity and humanity.

With sincere gratitude,
Gavin Meltz

https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/help-our-parents-become-mobile-again

20/07/2025

26/02/2025

27/11/2024

Our beloved mom, Leonie, is in urgent need of a pacemaker. She has been diagnosed with a life… Gavin Meltz needs your support for Help our mom's heart beat

21/11/2024

Thank you to everyone who has donated already to our BackaBuddy campaign for my mom. We really appreciate the assistance very much more than we can express in words. We are now 91% of the way towards reaching our first goal which is R75 000.00 which will cover the initial cost of admission to the private hospital. Please help us to reach 100% of our first goal.

Our beloved mom, Leonie, is in urgent need of a pacemaker. She has been diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition - Bradycardia and complete heart block. Her heart rate is well below normal and this affects every aspect of her daily life.

Mom dedicates her life to us and is the heartbeat of our family but as pensioners without medical aid, our parents find themselves in an impossible situation. The cost of the pacemaker, hospital stay and surgery is beyond our means and the public healthcare system offers no immediate solution with long waiting lists and no available beds. Our only hope lies in the doors of a private hospital which we aren't able to afford on our own.

Our first goal is to raise R75,000.00

This amount will cover the initial cost of admission into the private hospital, where she can receive the urgent care she needs. The total cost of the procedure is R350,000.00.

With a pacemaker, mom will have a new lease on life - her heart will beat normally again and she can get back to leading a healthy and productive life.

Thank you, from the depths of our hearts.

https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/help-our-moms-heart-beat