Miracle dogs together again for the first time after surviving ‘unfathomable’ act of cruelty

Wagging their tails as they chase each other across the grass, two little black dogs are an energetic blur of excitement. To passersby there might be nothing out of the ordinary about two cute dogs playing at a dog park. However, this was a reunion of two dogs — Jet and Henry — who survived an “unfathomable” act of cruelty carried out near Albany in 2019. Laying eyes on each other for the first time since their brush with death, the brothers revelled in each other’s company at Rockingham’s Governor Reserve yesterday. The shih tzu-Maltese crosses were accompanied by their respective owners, who took them in more than a year ago after their shocking ordeal. Last month the Albany Magistrate’s Court was told how a 45-year-old Narrikup man repeatedly bashed them over the head with a mallet, then left them for dead at a tree plantation in Redmond. John Druin Hooper admitted he intended to kill the dogs in what he believed at the time was “an ethical decision”. Magistrate Dianne Scaddan described the incident as a “barbaric act with untold suffering”, fining Hooper $15,000 and banning him from owning animals for three years. Jet was found at the plantation the next day, severely injured but still alive. Six days after the attack, RSPCA WA received news Henry had been taken to the Albany pound with severe head injuries. Jet, now Djilba, is living with his new owners Anne and Joe in Northbridge, where he has made a full recovery as a “city dog”. Djilba is the Noongar season covering August-September, when new life blooms. Owner Joe said Djilba had been in “doggy heaven” since they picked him up in August 2019. “He has a pretty good life now, he’s a city dog, he sleeps on our bed, loves going for walks ... he’s a happy dog,” Joe said. He said Djilba was physically OK despite some shoulder problems, but wary of other people and loud noises. “We were expecting him to be a lot more fragile and nervous but he adjusted pretty quickly,” Joe said. One hour south of Perth, Djilba’s brother Henry lives with his new family in Falcon. Owner Libby told the Advertiser last week she was shocked to read details of what the dogs had endured. “Henry is doing well. He’s really happy — he loves us and we love him,” she said. Libby said her 18-year-old daughter Bella “loves him to bits”. “His separation anxiety is extreme, which we are continuing to work on, managing it by making sure someone is home or (by taking him) with us,” Libby said. “Henry has come such a long way since he first joined our family, we are very fortunate to have Henry and love having him around.”