It was like losing a child, he says – but one K9 unit police officer and his dog got their happy ending after all. On Wednesday, 42-year-old Constable Songezile Katikati from Mthatha’s k9 unit was happily reunited with his lost dog rescue, 7-year-old Olive.
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lost dog rescue
Olive had accidentally went missing back on Sunday night after a missing person rescue mission. For Katikati, it was the longest three days of his life. Olive the German shepherd was his canine partner for the last six years as a search-and-rescue duo. He could not locate Olive after she ran away and disappeared into the rugged, mountainous terrain where they were.
“I couldn’t sleep that night. The bond I have with that dog.. Losing this one felt like losing a child to me. I couldn’t hold back the tears when we found her. All that kept me alive over the last few days was the support I’d received from my colleagues and the community,” Katikati said.
The support from his colleagues was phenomenal. After Olive’s disappearance on Sunday, the SAPD even issued a heart-wrenching plea to the public to not harm her and to help look for the missing dog. Both Katikati and Olive were in a wooded area located in Mahlubini, Sulenkama, at about 7 p.m on Sunday evening. They were dispatched to locate a 55-year-old who had last been seen the previous week, and local authorities suspected that he had gotten lost.
Olive eventually found him, but he was very dehydrated and could not help himself up. On their way back to the car, other dogs started chasing Olive. Olive fears other dogs more than humans, thus she ran away in fright.
Katikati pleaded in a post on Facebook: “Olive is my best friend and companion. She’s humble and she cannot harm anyone as he’s trained in rescuing drowned people, seeking missing people and seeking evidence on other crime scenes. I plead with anyone who sees her to not harm her but rather keep him and report to the police.”
At 6:30 a.m, a Search party consisting of various K9 Units as well as the Mthatha Mounted Unit set off to search a forest near Sulenkama for missing Olive. At approximately 9:15 a.m, they spotted Olive underneath a low cliff in thick bushes. Olive had been stuck there and could not free herself. Luckily, she was still full of energy and sustained no injuries. Her handler, Katikati, was extremely happy to find his partner alive and well.
The duo met and have been working together since 2012, even winning the title of ‘best rescue dog’ for 3 years running – in 2014, 2015 and 2016!
“We immediately gave her tinned food and water when we found her on the mountain. I’m going to make sure Olive is comfortable from now on – I had a big fright,” Katikati laughs lightheartedly.
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