In loving memory of
Kerneelz
Chuck Norris. George. Beloved Boxer.
19.12.09 – 14.3.25
Ours is a story of honouring the deep bond between an incredibly old dog and his caregiver.
His life
A notably good innings
Kerneelz a.k.a Chuck Norris a.k.a. George (19.12.09 – 14.3.25) was my frosty faced Boxer dog who at 15 years 3 months exhaled his last. His ‘Methuselah genes’ meant he was able to enjoy a notably good innings for that breed (his parents lived to 13). One-eyed, stone deaf and oh so gentle with people (his vet team adored him, with his last two birthdays held at Alphen Vet with two from the MediPet pet medical insurance team present at a birthday). Following an incredibly adventurous life Kerneelz became incredibly frail in his last 3 years. A diagnosis of early bone cancer saw me, his mom, Greta Wilson of Cape Town, do right by her “son” and have him euthanised on diagnosis, complete with at-home euthanasia where his vet Dr Heidi Kuhn placed flowers over him before sending him across the Rainbow Bridge. She presented me with a box of little cards each written by a member of the Alphen Vet practice, from the entire vet team to vet assistants, front desk, administrative and cleaning staff.
A true love story
Till death us do part
Our bond represents a true “till death us do part” love story (a large canvas of a photo I took of Kerneelz on our morning walks of his senior years hangs pride of place above my bed). Ours is a story of honouring the deep bond between an incredibly old dog and his caregiver. Despite having dogs as a young child two friends know that I had declared myself not a “dog person”. Deciding to get Kerneelz changed all that! He was my first own dog, soon followed by Sophie, also a Boxer. Three rescue Boxers joined later – Oscar, Sadie, and Bertie the emaciated rescue Boxer, plus my likely last dog ever – Mangolina, also a Boxer.
Despite his vast list of medical ailments in those final three years (MediPet pet medical insurance always came to the party) Kerneelz enjoyed a notably long life for this cancer and heart disease prone breed that, if lucky, makes it beyond 10-11/12 years.
Melkbosstrand to the Swartland
A lifetime of adventure
Beaches and dunes
Vineyards and Wheatlands
Yzerfontein and beyond
We shared memories spanning my Melkbosstrand home and the adjacent beaches with sand dunes stretching forever. When I sold my home and moved for over a year to ponder on life at a farm in the Paardeberg Conservancy between Malmesbury, Paarl and Wellington Kerneelz, Sophie and Oscar (all Boxers) had many an adventure as we walked between vineyards, amongst canola fields, olive groves, and Wheatlands. A notable Swartland farm years memory includes when Kerneelz and Sophie sniffed a lavender bush and Sophie was bitten by the Cape Cobra concealed in it (survived). Being the goody two shoes (four paws) that he was Kerneelz listened when asked to “Leave!” so emerged unharmed. Another memory was when the landlord by mistake kept her pet lamb Annie in the pony paddock while walking together with my dogs to the farm dam. Poor Annie was chased one end of the dam to the other, with Sophie and Oscar herding her into the dam and Kerneelz waiting at the shoreline. Annie lived to tell the tale to fellow farm animals! The farm was on the market and I decided to move to the charming coastal town of Yzerfontein where I’m sure once again this happily single “dog lady” was no doubt odd one out in the at that stage fairly conservative coastal town! As ostrich roam free range across the town, including at walkways above the beach, Kerneelz and Bertie one day encountered a male and female ostrich pair. I managed to leash Bertie and off we dashed to my car where we waited what seemed an interminable few minutes until a clearly excited, stressed and panting joined us and we drove off.
Six dogs. One family.
A family of Boxers
After over two years in the Swartland the time came to return to Cape Town. Kerneelz and Bertie enjoyed many hikes together and I’d take all four Boxers on dawn walks at Park Island, Marina da Gama. Sophie was my first Boxer to be buried in the garden (five of my six lie in this garden). Kerneelz would offer a “20 bark salute” as the ultimate send off for his siblings. He helped cover them over with sand (I allowed my dogs half a day to process the sight of their deceased sibling before covering them over). After Sophie’s passing pet friendly farm holidays resumed after a long absence. I recall well the time I heard barking and baboon sounds. Found Kerneelz, Oscar and Bertie running circles around the farm protea packing shed with a large baboon on the roof. Packed my dogs in my bakkie in the nick of time. The baboon was holding a stone from its lofty height.
Following a lifetime of countless farm adventures which had begun when Kerneelz and Sophie were puppies and I had driven to the Namibian border for an Orange River farm holiday with my pups I could see Kerneelz was slowing down considerably. He still loved to holiday at farms where his favourite activity when not sniffing on gentle walks or splashing in rivers was to snore as we cuddled at the fireside.
Chuck Norris
Still Kerneelz
A year before he died I was visiting a prospective dogsitter’s home with Kerneelz when he lost his balance and fell down two terraces, connecting with a large cement flower pot halfway down. He simply got up, dusted himself off and promptly climbed back up steep steps, idiopathic vestibular disease and all!
Love and timeous vet care is what saw him through one challenge after another (to stay hydrated his vet showed how to give an at-home subcutaneous infusion of electrolyte fluid therapy which kept him hydrated in his final year and was given literally daily).
His list of ailments in his lifetime
Bilateral Grade 3 hip dysplasia diagnosed at 7 months; ops on both cruciate ligaments by age 2; right elbow dysplasia; left innermost and right outermost sesamoid toe fractures after being jammed in a door while holidaying at a farm; idiopathic vestibular disease; squamous cell carcinoma of right eye (removed); apocrine anal gland cancer which he overcame for a long time but may have spread ultimately to the long bone that led to his left stifle (early bone cancer found hours before merciful euthanasia); splenectomy (fortunately the growth on his spleen found to be benign); sarcopenia (classic muscle wastage of old age); spondylosis; narrowing disc space; life threatening pancreatitis (did not move or eat for five days); some severe bouts of gastritis; ascending kidney infection following urinary tract infections.
14 March 2025
The Gentle Passing of Kerneelz
At home, his vet Dr Heidi Kuhn placed flowers over him before sending him across the Rainbow Bridge.
A distinct remembrance
Message from Dr Heidi Kuhn, Kerneelz’s vet
A fitting tribute
Ever near
In recent months Oscar’s resting spot in the garden has unearthed vertebra bones due to eight years of soil erosion (sand is very fine here and the coastal air is often blustery). As a fitting tribute I have managed to reunite my ultimate soul mate dogs Kerneelz and Oscar: three of Oscar’s bones (those that rose to the surface) lie atop Kerneelz’s resting spot which is the other side of the wall separating the top of my bed from Kerneelz. A solar light casts its light over his resting spot every night and I do feel that Kerneelz is ever near. I had last jogged in 2009 and recently took that up again. It gives me pleasure to jog around Park Island six days a week along the same paths Kerneelz and I so enjoyed on his long dawn walks.
Twenty-two photographs
The photographs
The wider collection of Kerneelz’s life, from puppyhood to his frosty-faced senior years.
More moments with Kerneelz
Kerneelz
19.12.09 – 14.3.25
One-eyed, stone deaf and oh so gentle with people.
