Raven's Diary

…and his woofable mommy Joanne.

With my recent active role at Animal Welfare they extended me a special invitation to take some photo’s of Oscar’s visit to Port Elizabeth on his World Woof Tour. I don’t really have words that will justify how awesome Joanne and Oscar are in real life but I’ll try take you through my afternoon with them.

1pm Tuesday 26 October I meet Joanne with the very distinctive Oscar following closely. My first impression is Wow what a friendly jolly colourful (skinny) lady. Oscar was in his own world and sniffed around outside and took a pit stop ever so casually. Sam, a shelter dog that has adopted Nicky the home manager at Animal Welfare but is awaiting his forever home, played around with Oscar as if they’ve been buddies forever. Later on Nicky told me that the school they visited earlier that day saw these two running all over playing like two good old friends who hadn’t seen each other in a long while.

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What an experience. This was set up by a mutual friend and it was quite daunting for me to know that I would not only assist and watch a pro at work but spend several hours in someone’s company I had never met before.

So the day arrived and by 12pm sharp we were on the road toward St Francis bay, the location of the wedding. We quickly got chatting about photography stuff and I asked all the burning questions I had racked up over the weeks prior.

Liza is such a lovely young lady and we had fun chatting up a storm while a storm was brewing outside. Rain on a wedding day, not exactly ideal but worst case scenario for any photographer and I was relieved first that it wasn’t my client wedding AND that I would get to learn some tricks if it were to happen to me. We arrived very early to a very nervous bride and started snapping away at her shoes and flowers. Time flew by so quickly then that in no time we were already rushing to the venue, beautiful golf estate.

The ceremony was held in a conference room with NO lighting besides a big door opening right in front of the bride and groom. So Liza stood in front getting good closeups with natural light bathing them from the front and I struggled a bit at the back. Was good practise though and I had enough time to test out shots and settings.

The petal throwing was beautiful. People lined an embankment with steps so it was a lovely long episode of petal throwing so we could get many shots. The very efficient hostess quickly got all 120 guests together for one moerse group shot and then by murphy’s law the rain started. So quickly some family shots were done and then we headed off to location. As we got to the jetty the rain stopped and the fun began with the lovely couple. They had very specific ideas as they chose and sort out all the locations themselves. I jumped in now and then and got a few good shots, Liza was very accomodating and didn’t let me feel I was in the way, which I am so glad for. The beach (well it was the tiniest little stretch of sand I’ve ever seen) shoot was the best for me, the background was just lovely with big rocks, stormy clouds and crashing waves.

Once that action was all over the rest of the night dragged on. The reception venue was not very well lit either so was difficult to get great shots. We did what we could and then we were out of there. The drive back in the rain was quite scary but we chatted all the way, specially about the chocolate eclair ball cake thingy that we both just wanted to dig our hands into, yum. Now the hard work starts to edit all the photo’s…

It appears that it’s a done deal wherever I go “I” will be the one to spot distressed animals.

On our way in search of a breakfast spot on this rainy Sunday morning my eye catches two wet dogs walking down an offramp onto the same busy freeway we were travelling on but on the opposite side. I try tell myself that there’s nothing we can do to help. We’ll only be putting ourselves AND them in danger by trying to navigate a rescue operation on a freeway. (we’ve tried and succeeded before but it was dry weather and people still didn’t see us)

Anyways, so off we go into town and lo & behold not one coffee shop open in 3 suburbs. We give up, get videos and head towards home. At the spot we slow down and look out for the two dogs…..only to find FOUR dogs nose to tail trailing the leader RIGHT on the edge of the road. We sit for a while trying to think, me with my hands over my eyes cringing every time a truck and/or car speeds by. They were literally a foot away from most traffic but didn’t even flinch. It was the strangest side seeing how like a robotic trance each one was following the leaders every move exactly. They manage to cross over in same formation fortunately as no cars are crossing and continue on. We drive on make a turn at next offramp and start heading towards them again. As the freeway at this point is a bridge over the swartkops river Chris pulls over and starts walking over, as we wouldn’t have been able to stop or slow down. I use this oppertunity to phone whoever I can think of, my fingers just wouldn’t work fast enough though, I was freeking out. Got hold of traffic department and animal welfare emergency contact and they were on their way. I sighed with slight relief. Chris came back to say he can’t see them again and so we drove on only now to find the buggers had crossed over all 4 lanes to be back on the opposite side again. At this point a traffic cop stops right next to them putting on his lights and siren. We race to get to him, get out and they are standing still. As we approach they dart off. Fortunately into the marshy pans but at such a pace that in no time they are km’s away unable to be reached.

The traffic cop was so sweet, he said he had tried to chase them earlier away from the road we could spot miles away on horizon and he couldn’t believe they were this far again. So he radioed in and said he would try go chase them further into bushes away from traffic. He was a real nice jolly fat traffic man, such a surprise to see there are still actually a few left.

We had to get home again, but our hearts are still now wondering what on earth are gonna happen to those four. It appears that the leader is female and she is trying to sniff locate something or someone and the other buggers are decking her at every oppertunity. Makes me so sad and so angry. They look beautiful and healthy, now out of carnal instinct and survival they are roaming at the foot of death.

I am sick! pleh….

I have SO much I want to do, so many projects I want to finish within a month and what happens, I get sick. Last week I felt odd, my body started to ache and I felt like I was slowing down and then lo and behold I wake up to the start of the weekend with a sore throat. I’m actually pissed off. I have been popping vitamins and viral guard religiously and now I get the flu.

I forced myself to take yesterday off even though my passage was lined with washing to do amongst other things. Got some good sleep. But obviously this can’t be cured overnight. I am doing washing now but it’s such a slow process and my body doesn’t seem to want to move at the same pace as my mind.

Anyways, no rest for the wicked….tick tock tick tock….let me see what I can do that doesn’t require too much movement.

Thursday 14 October I awoke to a downpour and some flooding in of our house. I had intended to visit Animal Welfare to further do some photo’s and uploading of the new arrivals but thought I wouldn’t be able to do that in the rain. Little did I know that at that point they were scrambling trying to save animals from the flood. I got word from a friend in Cape Town of all places that they were in desperate need of volunteers and I felt so bad that I had just emailed to say I won’t be coming in. After sorting out my house and my own wet dogs I pulled on my gumboots, heater in one hand and mop in other and headed off to help.

Upon my arrival I was in shock to see how many volunteers had come out to help. Cars were parked all the way into the road outside the premises. The entire place was buzzing with helpers, donations, blankets etc etc. It was bad, real bad. I didn’t realise how bad it could get. Near the cattery people were knee deep in the water trying to bucket it down the drain. I felt a bit overwhelmed but tried to find a place or spot that needed me and eventually ended up at the mothers and puppies trying to dry and calm them. After a while another lady came in there and went to fetch food as the mommies appeared to be very hungry and weren’t feeding the puppies. There is one mommy in particular that everyone has been warned against entering her cage and I was doing my best to try and tell everyone I see but it seems I didn’t get the message across to this volunteer. As I heard a cage open I shouted to ask which cage and then I heard a growl and a cry, she had been bitten by the Rottweiler cross that you weren’t suppose to enter the cage. I lept out and tried to coax the angry beast away from the cornered woman and fortunately it worked and I flung cage open and the lady ran out. I still feel shaky now thinking about it, what on earth could I have possibly done if the Rotti decided she wasn’t going to stop. The lady got her hand and knee bitten, I think she is lucky.

Anyways, after that I went to go visit the rest of the kennels to see the extent of the damage. It was terrible. All the runs that have ground bases were muddy and flooded, fortunately all those dogs had been fostered during the disaster while their kennels were being de-flooded. When I got back to the office to alert vet about an injury I saw; I got volunteered to escort a journalist around. I got interviewed and it played on the radio station news twice that afternoon.

I couldn’t stay too long but I was glad I could do something even if it was just a small contribution of help or consoling of one scared doggy. I haven’t been back yet but I hope that all is better there and that the sun is shining on them drying everything out. Thankfully it seems alot of companies have offered to make sure it doesn’t happen again.