Help me bring my beloved Munchkin home‚ says South African leaving Lagos

A South African woman is trying to raise money to bring “the most spoiled dog in Lagos” home from Nigeria.

Pamela Lourenco was told on Monday she has to report for duty back in South Africa on September 28.

“He doesn’t drink tap water; he drinks bottled water. I cook his meal for him. He doesn’t eat canned food or anything like that. He is on a very special diet‚” she said of her Maltese poodle‚ Munchkin.

Lourenco‚ a digital manager for an international drinks and alcohol company‚ is trying to raise R45‚000 in an online crowdfunding campaign to bring Munchkin back to South Africa.

If the campaign fails‚ she will find him a new home with a family in Lagos.

“I’ve only really got this week left to raise the money … I am looking at different families at the moment. I’ve got two American families and one Nigerian family that have children.”

Lourenco bought Munchkin in October last year when her driver was taking her home after she went grocery shopping. They were driving down a street in Lagos known for pedlars selling various goods‚ including puppies.

“Many times you see men holding up little puppies in the sun … Usually‚ expats are the ones who buy these dogs from them‚” she said.

She saw a man shaking and berating a dog and Lourenco told her driver to stop and asked the man how much he wanted for the dog.

The man said he did not want to sell the dog and was taking him “to the market”. According to Lourenco‚ this meant he was going to kill the animal.

“I literally looked in my purse and‚ basically‚ threw all the money I had at him and told my driver to‚ ‘Drive. Drive now’. I wasn’t willing to negotiate or pay full price.”

Lourenco took Munchkin to the vet‚ who told her the dog was about three weeks old‚ malnourished and infested with worms.

“We got him on a bottle feeding plan. We had to give him a bit of baby formula mixed with egg and milk to get him strong‚” she said.

And the rest‚ as they say‚ is history.

“I fell in love with him and he fell in love with me.

“He’s extremely energetic. He loves to play. He has the rule in the house. If you drop something‚ it’s his.”

By Friday afternoon‚ Lourenco had raised just over R1‚500 on BackABuddy.co.za.