Jock of the Bushveld.
I have recently done a review of a movie called ‘Jock of the Bushveld’ which was an adaptation of a book by the same name by author Sir Percy Fitzpatrick. This was a true story accumulated through Sir Percy Fitzpatricks travels during the mid 1800’s in Transvaal South Africa during the gold rush era. The book focuses on his dog and best friend – Jock, a Staffordshire Terrier.
Sir Percy Fitzpatrick rescued Jock from being drowned in a bucket of water shortly after he was born as he was considered to be the runt of the litter, and this was where the great friendship started.
Jock was Percy’s constant companion and he learned everything he needed to know to do the job that was expected of him in the Eastern Transvaal bush of the time. He had many miraculous feats for a dog of his size, he brought down buck and even Kudu which are very large buck measuring at about 150 cm and weighing between 180 – 250 kg. Jock even once fought and killed a Baboon. Unfortunately it was a kudu that kicked jock in the head on one occasion that caused him to go deaf. He still traveled with Sir Percy for a while after that but it became very dangerous for Jock as he couldn’t hear approaching horses and so on to move out their way. So Sir Percy had to make the difficult decision of taking Jock to live with a friend who happened to be the same man whom he got Jock from in the first place Tom Barnet. He had to leave Jock there as it was a safer environment for him. It was here that Jock met his death when Tom Barnet accidentally shot Jock mistaking him in the dark for one of the wild dogs who regularly ate his chickens.
Jock became an Icon in South African history and is still fondly remembered. There is currently a statue of Jock in front of the city hall in Barberton South Africa, and in 1983 the Lowveld diggers and Transport Riders Society erected bronze plaques on rocks wherever Jock’s original routes crossed the present day roads.
