Healthy Hound Missing Pet Search & Rescue

Healthy Hound Missing Pet Search & Rescue We are the original South African missing pet specialists! First in SA with dogs and handlers who undergo strict and regular training.

We have a team of highly trained handlers with awesome search K9s Healthy Hound is the original, most successful and most experienced missing pet unit in Africa. We have a team of dogs that are experienced in tracking dogs, cats, wildlife and more! Although based in Gauteng we have traveled to other provinces and have even had a callout to the Karoo as well as a callout to search for a dog on Tabl

e Mountain! But, it’s not all about our K9 partners. At Healthy Hound, we have an amazing team who are there to help and guide you from the minute your pet has been found and we will not abandon you until your pet is found. We have been involved with the searching and rescue of some high profile dog and cat searches and have been in local and National news many times. But, it’s not all about the news making searches! Our little team started in August 2020 when K9 Zizou had a career change at 1yr old from anti poaching to missing pet search. From the beginning, she has excelled as a search dog, even in difficult circumstances. Subsequently we have trained up a bunch of other dogs and strive for continuous training for handlers and dogs alike. We do not rely on just one dog and will pick the right dog for the job. And we use other search methods too if they are needed. We like to take a holistic approach to searching. We also do not just search! We also perform rescues (including technical rescue) and do regular work in communities such as our snare walks and other initiatives. We have done some dramatic rescues and some amazing investigations which have resulted in great success. With a success rate that is comfortably over 85% and the fact that we also do rescues, it is the logical choice to contact us when a pet goes missing.

Bandit did an incredible job on this search! 🐾He tracked the Skye all the way to a nearby guesthouse, where a staff memb...
29/10/2025

Bandit did an incredible job on this search! 🐾
He tracked the Skye all the way to a nearby guesthouse, where a staff member confirmed that a guest had indeed been seen with a dog matching the description. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, the guest had already checked out and left the property.

Posters were put up far and wide — and it wasn’t long before the little one was spotted! It appears the dog had been taken and later given to someone else, but thankfully she managed to get out and was seen again shortly after.

From Skye’s mom: “I still think someone had her in their house
Maybe she got out somehow” “Tx to you we did not give up hope” - Alta

We’re grateful for everyone who kept their eyes open and shared sightings. Bandit’s work gave us the vital lead that helped piece together what had happened and kept the trail alive. 💛

14yrs ago today… KD (this pic is not Axl although we think Axl may be him reincarnated) and I searched for a kitty cat n...
24/10/2025

14yrs ago today… KD (this pic is not Axl although we think Axl may be him reincarnated) and I searched for a kitty cat named Mouse. The 2 were good friends and KD had a bit of tracking experience so we tried to use him. To date Mouse was never found so knowing what I know now, I suspect one of the bigger birds of prey may have gotten him as there was a resident gymnogene that visited the complex.

It was this search that started the idea for what we (myself searching with James and Charlotte helping with training) started nearly 5,5yrs ago.

Thank you KD - aka old man - for starting us off. Our name is also in memory of him as today 6yrs ago he passed away from a heart condition. Love you still my old man.

❤️

💐This pup is used to being told welcome home but hopefully this is the last time she hears it! 🌺Femmy is a rescue who wa...
23/10/2025

💐This pup is used to being told welcome home but hopefully this is the last time she hears it! 🌺

Femmy is a rescue who was in rescue because she was a chronic escape artist and well… guess people could not handle her gusto for escaping! 🤯 But she met her match when she met her new family 🥰 and escaped whilst visiting her new mom’s sister.

She escaped into a nature reserve and they called us out. Diane and James with Axl in the lead and Bandit ready to step in if Axl got tired, got to working. Tracking 🐾 right past a dead buck, dassies and buck that walked within meters of Axl, the little guy didn’t get distracted from the job at hand and missions up a hill ⛰️. As we were summiting, we got a sighting just over the hill! Thankfully we had Patrick our backup guy nearby and we were able to get there FAST!! Axl not only picked up her scent again but found her in a bush but she bolted. We tracked again and it happened again so we backed off. Feeding station 🍗 and our friends watching. It worked! The guys saw her and called her mom.

After an hour of trying her best to get Femmy to come out, she sat on a rock. Disheartened. Sad. Discouraged. Tears running down her face. Then she felt something get on her lap. It was Femmy!! This little one could not handle mom feeling sad. 😢 She is home again and will be getting a !!

Words from the family: “Diane, James, Axl and Bandit.
You are such selfless heroes and experts in your field: so grateful our paths crossed”

We have no doubt that we have built a lifelong friendship with this beautiful family.

( your amazing men Patrick and Michael were beyond amazing. You are lucky to have them.)

.za

From street level to the rooftops of Melrose Arch! 😎🐾Missing kitty Mimi took hide and seek to a whole new level — five s...
17/10/2025

From street level to the rooftops of Melrose Arch! 😎🐾

Missing kitty Mimi took hide and seek to a whole new level — five stories high! 🏙️ But Cairo was on it, tracking 🐾 her scent like a total pro up stairs and over walls and showing us exactly where she’d been exploring and hiding! Whilst up on the roof, it was confirmed by some workers that she was spotted in a section of roof. The endoscope was deployed in the hope she was close enough for a quick grab but we were not so lucky. 🕵️‍♂️🐕

But… a smart lure run by her dad and a whole lot of teamwork (mainly the weird smell of a dog on a roof), Mimi made her way back home — straight to her front door for cuddles! 💛🐱

What. A. Search. 💪

Welcome home, Smooshies! 🩷This was a challenging one for sure! Little Smooshies slipped out not long after moving to her...
10/10/2025

Welcome home, Smooshies! 🩷

This was a challenging one for sure! Little Smooshies slipped out not long after moving to her new home, and it took a real team effort to get her back safely.

Cairo tracked her first to a feral colony quite a way up the greenbelt, but even after luring, she wasn’t ready to come home. A second search saw Peanut pick up her trail to a closer greenbelt — still no luck. So Cairo came back out, bouncing with determination, and this time… success!

We think Cairo’s happy energy and the lure finally worked their magic, because last night Smooshies appeared at the neighbours! She was kept busy with food while her mom and dad rushed to her side. Now she’s safe at home, soaking up all the love and cuddles she deserves — and will be staying indoors from now on.

Huge thank you to her amazing parents for trusting the process and working with us to bring their girl home. 💕🐾

🐾 Knoxi is Home! 🏡Our first search with Blue took us quite the distance, with two houses standing out for Knoxi’s scent ...
07/10/2025

🐾 Knoxi is Home! 🏡
Our first search with Blue took us quite the distance, with two houses standing out for Knoxi’s scent — one of them a magical forest of a garden that clearly held his story. His family worked hard to lure him home, but when things weren’t quite clicking, we returned with Axl to dig deeper.

Turns out, a local bully cat had been making life difficult for our boy! With that in mind, we adjusted the lure — and this time, it worked perfectly. Knoxi’s family heard him calling for them, and after some family teamwork with ladders and blankets, he was safely back in their arms. 💕

Since his return, Knoxi has been stuck to his family like glue, making sure no one dares do anything without him ever again.

Welcome home, sweet boy — you are so loved. 🐱❤️

Little Raven gave his family a real scare today! 🐾 At just 5 months old, he slipped out this morning and went missing. A...
02/10/2025

Little Raven gave his family a real scare today! 🐾 At just 5 months old, he slipped out this morning and went missing. After searching on their own, his family called us in — and Axl quickly tracked him through a few neighbors’ yards until he was certain Raven was there.

Within seconds of gaining access, Axl had him located high up a tree. To keep things calm (and scratch-free!), Diane guided Raven’s dad through the rescue while Axl waited back. With the help of a trusty towel, Raven was safely brought down and carried home.

A huge thank you to the amazing neighbors who supported the search and opened their properties to help. 💛 Raven is now back with his siblings, safe and sound — and officially grounded until their exciting move to a new cottage on the same property!

See our video on our stories for the video!

✨ Welcome home, Louis! ✨James and Axl tracked this handsome boy to an abandoned property not too far from home. His dad ...
02/10/2025

✨ Welcome home, Louis! ✨

James and Axl tracked this handsome boy to an abandoned property not too far from home. His dad stepped up and did the lure like a total champ – and last night Louis strutted back inside, demanding the tuna and cuddles he knew was promised! 🐟💙

So happy to see this little adventurer safe where he belongs. And… he is grounded for 2 weeks at the very least!!

✨ Welcome Home Loki! ✨This fluffy ginger adventurer gave everyone quite the scare when he went missing a few days ago – ...
25/09/2025

✨ Welcome Home Loki! ✨

This fluffy ginger adventurer gave everyone quite the scare when he went missing a few days ago – just before he was due to fly to Cape Town to start a new life with his dad.

Yesterday, we were called in as Loki’s AirTag had stopped working. Bandit was the search dog for the day and wasted no time in tracking Loki’s trail to a nearby complex. Security confirmed there had been a cat fight days earlier, and even an AirTag had been found there!

Bandit guided us straight to a servitude area where his excitement told us Loki was close… and then we heard movement! Loki, being the sly kitty he is, slipped away. We searched further and confirmed sightings with residents. Loki’s dad was set to do the lure – but the twist? Someone had been feeding Loki for the last 2 days! Once again, Bandit was spot on.

Later, Loki’s dad patiently waited in the servitude area until Loki finally trusted him enough to come close. With quiet persistence and love, Loki was safely scooped up.

🐾 Loki is back home, safe and sound, and will be boarding his flight to Cape Town today as planned. Bandit, of course, has been spoiled with plenty of treats for a job well done!

Welcome home, Loki – safe travels on your next big adventure! 🧡✈️🐱

Address

Johannesburg
2067

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Healthy Hound Missing Pet Search & Rescue posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category