By Lynne Altenroxel and Sapa
Squeak, the Jack Russell terrier that refused to leave the side of murdered Zimbabwean farmer Terry Ford, has a new home.
The faithful dog, photographed lying next to the body of his murdered owner, touched the hearts of newspaper readers all over South Africa on Tuesday.
A photo on the front page of Tuesday's edition of The Star showed Squeak lying on a bloodstained bedspread covering Ford's corpse.
After the morning edition of the newspaper went on sale, press offices in Johannesburg and Harare were inundated with phone calls from concerned animal lovers wanting to know what had happened to the devoted dog.
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Squeak reportedly never left his owner's side, and was with Ford in his vehicle on Monday night when the farmer tried to escape from his farm, which had been occupied by so-called war veterans. Ford was dragged from his vehicle, beaten senseless and then shot - but 14-year-old Squeak refused to leave his body.
A Harare journalist, who asked not to be named, said people had called him from places as far afield as Port Elizabeth and Durban to find out if the Jack Russell had been hurt.
By Tuesday afternoon, Squeak's photograph was being distributed via the Internet. This included distribution via AnimaliA, an e-mail list set up by the Humane Society International to keep animal welfare groups around the world in contact with one another.
According to Zimbabwean National SPCA spokesperson Meryl Harrison, the little dog is alive and well and in the care of Ford's girlfriend, Naomi Raaff.
Harrison also said Ford's other two dogs - Border collies - had been taken to the NSPCA in Chegutu, where staff had undertaken to find them homes.
Harrison said the work of the NSPCA in Zimbabwe was becoming increasingly difficult as violence escalated.
Well-known Johannesburg vet and radio personality Dr Platzhund said animals in Squeak's situation would probably experience separation anxiety. He said there were well-documented cases of dogs that had kept a vigil next to their dead owners.
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