04/09/2026
💔 HE LOOKED LIKE A SKELETON… BUT HE NEVER STOPPED WAGGING HIS TAIL. 💔
On Wednesday, we received a WhatsApp asking for help with a dog who was “getting worse by the day” and desperately needed to be collected.
When we received the photo, our hearts sank. 💔
What we saw looked almost impossible to believe.
A large, beautiful Great Dane… reduced to nothing but skin and bones. A skeleton.
We were given the location in Mzingazi and immediately went out to collect him.
According to the person who contacted us, they had only had him for about a week and a half after receiving him from someone else, who apparently did not know where he originally came from.
When we arrived, there he was.
A magnificent Great Dane who had been failed by humans… but somehow, despite everything his body had endured, he was still wagging his tail. 🥺❤️
He greeted us politely, almost as if he was saying, “Please help me.”
He was absolutely riddled with fleas. His left eye was badly infected, and every single bone in his body was visible. His gums were pale, indicating anaemia, and his body was severely emaciated.
We carefully loaded this gentle giant into the SPCA bakkie and brought him back to the SPCA.
Once we got him settled, we offered him a tin of food to see whether he still had an appetite. We weighed him- he is 36.2kg. He is supposed to be double that amount. 😭
He gulped the food down and drank water.
And in that moment, we knew there was still a fight left in him. ❤️
We dewormed him and carefully sponge-bathed him with dip to get rid of the countless fleas covering his body.
And now… his recovery begins.
Today is Day 2.
He is still eating.
He is still drinking.
And most importantly… he is still fighting. ❤️
Because of the severity of his condition, we can't simply give him unlimited food and expect his body to cope. He is currently receiving four small meals a day, allowing his body and organs to slowly adjust to receiving proper nutrition again while gradually rebuilding his strength.
He has a very long road ahead of him.
There will be difficult days. There will be setbacks. There will be moments where we wonder whether his body is strong enough to recover from everything he has been through.
But we are going to fight for him.
Every. Single. Step. Of. The. Way. 🥺❤️
He didn't give up on us when he had every reason to.
So we aren't giving up on him.
We have decided to call him Boney Maroney— because every survivor deserves a name, a story, and most importantly, a future. ❤️
If you are in a position to help this beautiful boy, we would be incredibly grateful for donations of puppy food, cooked chicken and rice, or anything suitable to help him regain his weight and strength.
You can drop donations off at the SPCA, or if you'd like to come and spoil him yourself, we promise he will appreciate every bit of love he receives. 🥹❤️
For now, we're taking it one meal, one drink of water and one wagging tail at a time.
From a skeleton… back to the magnificent Great Dane he was always meant to be.
Keep fighting, beautiful boy.
We've got you now. ❤️🐾
