Honouring Leah: A Special Part of Our Team

Leah, the first Boxer I ever owned, lived a almost full 12 years, leaving behind a legacy of joy, mischief, and unwavering loyalty. This is her story.

I first met Leah when she was let out of the run at the breeders, and without a second thought, she darted past me, headed straight for the flower bushes, where she began to rip them to shreds. It was love at first sight.

The very next day, I went to collect her, with plans to pick up a collar and lead from a nearby pet shop. But fate had other plans: my car broke down on the highway. There I was, stranded with an 11kg, 4-month-old puppy on a scorching 38°C day. We spent hours walking and sitting, waiting for the tow truck to arrive. The only way Leah would drink was by licking the condensation off the bottles of Coke I was drinking.

By the time I finally reached my grandparents' house that evening, Leah was full of  excitement to be around other boxer dogs. I was chatting with my grandparents when Leah ran up to me, looked up at me with those big, hopeful eyes, and seemed to ask if she could go play. Right then, I knew she was destined to be an incredible companion for the rest of her life.

Over the years, Leah brought both joy and chaos into our homes. From stealing pillows and trying to carry them outside to destroying the newly installed watering system at my parents' place, she certainly kept us on our toes. She had a knack for chewing through countless pairs of slippers and sandals too. But it wasn’t all mischief. Leah faced some serious challenges, including being bitten by a brown snake and needing life-saving anti-venom treatment. Later, at almost 10 years old, we learned she had a rare heart condition (a heart problem in a Boxer, of all things). Despite her condition, she lived for a couple more years, and we worried every time a storm rolled in, fearing it could trigger a complication. But in the end, her heart wasn't what we had to say goodbye to.

As it turned out, Leah had developed a tumor, something she had been hiding so well that by the time we discovered it, it was too late to help her. It became clear that we had no choice but to make the heart-wrenching decision no pet owner ever wants to face. Four weeks shy of her 12th birthday, we said goodbye to Leah.

If you've been following our social media lately, you may have noticed a new addition to some of our posts—a mascot, of sorts. Leah’s presence was a constant source of joy and inspiration in our daily operations. She was there during product development, on long days packing orders, and was always doing her job as the Quality Control Officer. Now, as we move forward, Leah’s memory will stay with the business, forever woven into its heart and soul.