Hasie was one of our very happy girls, with the energy of an Energizer bunny—that’s exactly how she got her name. On top of that, she had little upright ears just like a bunny. There will always be a void on our farm without Hasie.

She was incredibly talkative and knew exactly what she wanted and how she wanted it, and she would not stop “talking” until she got her way. All day long, she made her sharp little voice heard as she scolded the dear, pigeons, guinea fowl, and all kinds of wildlife, making sure they stayed out of her space. 

Around 2023, Hasie developed a soft lump on her hindquarters. At first, we didn’t think much of it, but over time it started to grow. We had our vet examine it, and from the beginning she was concerned about the mass. She removed the lump and sent it for analysis. It turned out to be a type of cancer growing beneath the skin, already beginning to spread into some of her organs, like the spleen.

After the first surgery, the lump started growing again, and within a year it had become so large that it looked like a massive hanging sac. Once more, our vet attempted to remove it, but by then the tumor had already grown into her internal organs. Another challenge was that the mass was so attached to the skin that it was impossible to separate it, and because it had become so enormous, there was very little skin left to close the wound properly.

The tumor caused Hasie to lose a great deal of blood. She became very weak, and the bleeding simply would not stop. Inus urgently rushed to Cape Town to fetch blood plasma, hoping it would help her blood clot. After a week filled with tears, we won that battle, and Hasie slowly began to recover.

Two weeks later, we took her to the sea for a holiday so she could run freely on the beach one last time. We knew we would not be able to operate again, and that if the tumor grew so aggressively once more, we would have to make the difficult decision to let her go.

But Hasie pushed on for another year. She carried on as she always had—the tumor never seemed to bother her. She went about her days as normal, making her sharp little voice heard every single day… and the wildlife remained very aware of her presence.

Until one morning, Hasie no longer wanted to chase the deer, and we knew it was time. The tumor had grown incredibly large, and we suspect it had begun to bleed internally.

That afternoon, our wonderful vet came out to the farm. Hasie took her final walks, enjoyed her last treats, and fell asleep in our arms. Then our vet gently stilled her little heart.

I can only imagine how happily she is now running and playing in dog heaven, chasing deer once again.  

Although we miss you terribly, our Hasie child, we know you are in the best place. Your little voice will never fade from our hearts. There will never be another Hasie like you, and we love you dearly and will carry you in our hearts always.