Natalie gets hairy "training mate" from Bloemfontein
Liesl Pretorius
The South African swimming sensation Natalie du Toit's hairy new "training mate" could be named after Bloemfontein.
Du Toit heard during a visit to Bloemfontein over the past weekend that she is to get a young Boxer bitch from the Free State Sport Media Society.
Her 11-month old Boxer, Rusty, died earlier this year from a genetic defect while Du Toit was in Scotland.
Because the new bitch's name, as one of the second litter of the breeder, must start with the letter "b", Du Toit is considering the name "Bloemie".
On Saturday Du Toit visited Mrs Enid Rhodes, treasurer of the Sport Media Society and vice-chairman of the Federation of Boxer Clubs of Southern Africa, to make arrangements for the "presentation" of the dog, which is in Pretoria.
While Rhodes' Boxer Scampi initially thought she had to protect her mistress from the strangers at the gate, she was soon all eyes for Du Toit.
"You must look at the camera", Du Toit coaxed Scampi for the Volksblad photographer.
Du Toit said she and Rusty had been inseparable. She even attended swimming galas. "Dogs are important to me. They are a person's life."
Her new dog will probably arrive at Du Toit's home in Cape Town in the first week of December.
The two will have time to get to know each other, as Du Toit will only be competing again in April to qualify for the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Meanwhile she must complete her university examinations. Du Toit is studying B.Sc., with genetics and physiology as majors.
She explained her subject choices thus: "I want to better understand my own body" after her accident in 2001. Du Toit lost her left leg when she was knocked off her moped.
Du Toit attended the Free State Sport Media Society's banquet on Friday as a nominee in the category of South African Sportswoman of the Year.
FOTO: GERHARD LOUW
The Cape swimmer Natalie Du Toit (left) and Mrs Enid Rhodes, vice-chairman of the Federation of Boxer Clubs of Southern Africa, share a love for Boxer dogs. Du Toit, whose Boxer bitch died earlier this year, has just heard in Bloemfontein that she is getting a new dog. With them is one of Rhodes' Boxers, Scampi.
