WATCH | Abandoned twice, Makayla gets her second forever home

There were tears, laughter and a lot of "awwws" when an eight-year-old collie-cross-pom which had been abandoned twice met her new "forever family".

Makayla was handed over to the Kloof and Highway SPCA on July 10 as an unwanted animal because her owners were emigrating. 

"They were the second family to leave her behind for this reason. The staff at our SPCA were overwhelmed with sadness when they heard Makayla’s story and couldn’t believe that she had been abandoned a second time," said Kloof and Highway SPCA manager Barbara Patrick. 

One of the staff members, Brigette Ferguson, posted Makayla's heartbreaking story and photo on Facebook.

"It had been shared over 1,000 times. The next morning we were all overwhelmed by the positive response to Brigitte’s Facebook post and Makayla had many families who wanted to offer her a forever home," Patrick said. 

On Wednesday, Makayla met her new family.

"There were tears and laughter as Makayla left for her forever home and we all cheered for her happy ending.  Makayla went home to her new friend, Sophia,  who was also adopted from the Kloof and Highway SPCA as an elderly dog and the two are already inseparable," Patrick said. 

She said the dog was fortunate to have a happy ending, however hundreds of other dogs were unwanted due to emigration.

"The Kloof and Highway SPCA encourages the public to consider their pets when making their decision to emigrate and to consider what the right decision is for their beloved pets. Please don’t just home your pet to anyone. We see the results of this and see sad cases weekly," Patrick added.