Publications
Partners
It’s now possible for me to imagine the toll it would take on your personal life when your day involves killing (and then burying) more than a dozen defenceless animals.
This turn of consciousness is thanks to the emotional tale of Wild Dog andamp; Mrs Heart by director Riaan Hendricks, who takes us into the daily heartbreak and occasional triumph of animal welfare inspector Pieter and his fiancée Nadia.
Against the backdrop of the Helderberg in the winelands of the Western Cape, we join the intrepid couple as they set out on their daily bakkie trips to the homes of pet owners who need their help.
Her hand rests on his leg as they cross mountains looking for sick dogs (or owners). He opens her door and carries her heavy pet boxes. She laughs at his lame jokes as they clean urine-filled cages. He soothes her when a cat she loves needs to be put down with a hug and a kiss. “I wanted that one,” she sighs as he injects the perfectly healthy tabby. “You can’t have them all,” he replies, rubbing the cat’s head as its eyes close.
Riding around with them, we get to see the human faces behind these sinister acts of neglect. Some of the people they encounter can’t afford to have a single dog, but own two, each tied to a pole without food or water for weeks. Some lazy owners who can’t be bothered to get their animals spayed live with an entire litter they can’t feed.
A day in December sees more than 15 dogs and cats put down. You will cry as you watch how tenderly the two of them line up the dead bodies on the floor, gently manipulating their lifeless figures so that they each hold the body of the next – their final cuddle.
When Nadia and Pieter finally carry a black bag full of corpses over their shoulders, holding hands, you realise this film is no sob story – it is a way to tell the tale of the unknown heroes who keep this country moving.
