10/06/2026
For three days, Constable Songezile Katikati barely slept.
Not because he was searching for a missing person. But because he was searching for one of his best friends. His K9 partner, Olive.
For six years, Songezile and Olive worked side by side as a Search & Rescue team. Together they searched for missing people. Together they brought answers to families. Together they helped save lives.
Then one day in 2018, during a search for a missing man in the Eastern Cape, everything changed. Olive successfully located the missing man alive. But on the journey back, local dogs began chasing her.
Frightened and disorientated, Olive ran. 😢
And suddenly, the dog who spent her life helping to find missing people had become the one who was missing. For the next three days, Songezile searched relentlessly.
He later described them as the longest three days of his life. He couldn't sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about her. He said losing Olive felt like losing a child.
Why?
Because for six years, Olive wasn't just part of Constable Katikati’s job. She was part of his life. Day after day they trained together. Travelled together. Faced difficult searches together. Celebrated successes together. And carried the weight of heartbreaking searches together.
Search & Rescue handlers spend more time with their K9 partners than many people realise. They learn to trust them completely. In difficult and dangerous situations, handlers often place their faith in their dog's abilities when there is little else to guide them.
Over time, that trust becomes something much deeper. A handler knows every quirk, every habit and every signal their dog gives. They know when they're excited. When they're tired. When they're focused.
When they're telling them, "I've found something."
The bond becomes so strong that the dog stops feeling like a partner and starts feeling like family.
So when Olive disappeared, Songezile wasn't worried about losing a valuable Search & Rescue dog. He was terrified of losing someone he loved. Someone who had stood beside him through years of service. Someone who had helped him bring hope to countless families.
Someone who never once questioned where they were going or why. She simply trusted him enough to follow.
Thankfully, after three agonising days, Olive was found. Dehydrated.
Exhausted. But alive.
And when Songezile finally saw her again, he couldn't stop crying. His partner was coming home.
Stories like this remind us that behind every successful Search & Rescue dog is a handler who loves, trusts and depends on them every single day.
They search together. They train together. They face danger together.
And sometimes, they need rescuing too.
At Brenda's Canine Fund, we support these incredible K9 Search & Rescue teams and help provide the equipment, care and resources they may need to continue their life-saving work.
As part of our 50 for 50 campaign, we invite you to stand behind these heroes.
Donate: 50c, R5, R50, R500, R5000 - or any amount divisible by 50.
Banking details:
Brenda's Canine Fund NPC
Standard Bank | Acc No. 10251764220 | Branch 051001
Ref: 50for50
Zapper:
https://zapper.com/url/hUPXZWDvod
Because sometimes the one who needs finding is the hero who spends their life finding others. 🐾🌈
Online:
https://brendasangels.co.za/products/support-the-fund?variant=46752960118973
📸 South African Police Service page
