Marisa 'eM' Louw

I have volunteered with Pekingese Rescue of South Africa for the past two years.  Several Pekingese came to me as fosters; some I adopted, others I cared for until they found forever homes.   The majority of fosters I have taken in are special needs Pekingese.  Mostly severely traumatised and aggressive towards people.  Never before have I taken in a foster who did not settle into my pack within a few minutes until this past Sunday.   Coco and Chanel were taken from a breeder about two months ago and found a forever home immediately.  They, however, refused to be cuddled and shied away from people.  Their forever home, unfortunately, turned out to be the opposite, and after only two months with their new parents, they are now in my foster care and up for adoption again.  Why?  Because their new parents had to move house and the place they found does not allow pets.  This is a discussion for another day.   I did not realise how badly traumatised Coco and Chanel were until I arrived home

Standing on my tippy toes, I could barely see through the crowds gathered to watch the fashion parade.  That’s what you get for being a shorty. And this is not the event you’d wear high heels for.  The Rand Easter Show is not one you strut around on high heels unless you have someone to tend your blisters at the end of a long day. The models are from all walks of life – tall and slender, short and bulky, young and old.  Hair styles varied from short and sleek to dreadlock-like manes.  An assortment of outfits by professional and amateur designers is on show. I’d seen enough and decided to leave, but that’s when it caught my eye, those facial features that I fell in love with three years earlier.  A broad forehead.  Prominent, large brown eyes.  High-set cheekbones on a wide, square face and a big nose with a flattened side profile. I just had to meet the model, so I made my way through the crowds to the backstage area, and there he was, eager to please all his fans.  When I was introdu