Charlotte Varcoe
AN allegedly dumped puppy has made a safe return to its original breeder in a series of community engagement to assist the animal.
Max, a 10-month-old American Bulldog, was first spotted near Hell’s Hole sinkhole late October and soon took the Mount Gambier community by storm.
Multiple community members made an attempt to rescue the pup prior to one persistent member – who wishes to remain anonymous- succeeding.
The community member travelled to the location where Max was found multiple times per day across approximately two weeks to gain the pup’s trust before securing him in their car.
Following a scan for a microchip, Mount Gambier registered breeder Darryl Pearce was contacted following his name remaining as the primary contact.
Mr Pearce said he had been breeding American Bulldogs for a number of years, and was in a sense of denial Max was one of his prior litter mates when he saw the numerous posts on social media.
“Someone put a photo of him up on social media stating they had seen the dog and as much as I thought he looked like one of mine, I refused to believe it,” Mr Pearce said.
“I always thought I chose owners well and didn’t want to believe someone would have abandoned him.”
However, upon receiving the call and referring to previous microchipping and breeding papers, Mr Pearce soon concluded that Max had indeed come from one of his previous litters.
“As soon as I figured out he was legitimately one of mine, I followed it up,” he said.
“All of my pups are microchipped before going to a home and when they came back he was mine, we soon found a perfect home for him.”
He said despite the disappointment in Max’s alleged dumping, he was happy the pup had been safely caught and was now in a loving environment.
“The person who rescued him from out in the pines was fantastic, she managed to gain his trust and after that there was no looking back,” Mr Pearce said.
“He is such a beautiful animal, so loving and after a few weeks of loving care he will come good and trust people again which will be fantastic.”
He said the community response to Max’s rescue and rehoming had been overwhelming with offers of support from food right through to veterinarian bills.
“The community really came together to rescue this boy which is fantastic,” Mr Pearce said.
“It was fantastic to see because at the end of the day, pets are just like family.
“He is now healthily regaining weight again and really it is the best possible outcome we could have asked for.”
