IT really is a dog’s life.
A fishing vessel runs aground on Clifton beach. There is a risk of an oil spill. The boat owner faces a salvage bill of millions of rand.
Salvors battle night and day to come up with a plan to get the ship off the sand. Tow ropes snap and new plans have to be made.
The authorities confer and fight their turf. The crew are tense and unsure of the future.
But all Capetonians seem to be interested in is the ship’s dog, an ordinary yellow mutt of indeterminate breed on board the stricken Eihatse Maru.
“Yes, yes,” they say in conversation, “we heard about the oil and the tow ropes snapping, but what about the dog? What’s happened to it? Is it okay?”
It’s the question readers, Facebookers and tweeters are all asking.
So the answer is: the dog’s fine. Walking around the deck. Getting a brush now and then. Going below when it’s had enough. And generally doing what dogs do.
In fact, the dog spends quite a bit of time below deck.
Cape Times photographer, Bheki Radebe, told not to come back to the office until he had a snap of the pooch, stood waiting around Clifton, cameras to hand, eyes glued to the vessel, from 12.15 to 3.45pm before he could finally photograph the coy canine.
NSRI volunteers, who offered to take the dog off the vessel the day it ran aground last Saturday, were told by the captain that his companion was not going to leave the vessel. They were told it was called Alley, but admit they don’t know how to spell it and say it could also be Ali.
According to Clifton residents, the best time for ship dog watchers is early in the morning. Then the dog can be seen taking a jog around the deck with the captain.
The vessel may have run aground, and salvors may not be sure they will get her afloat again, but dog and master clearly believe that’s no reason to break with the morning exercise regime.
l The stern of the Eihatsu Maru has been strengthened and salvors plan to try for the third time to pull her off the sand today.
- IOL
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