Berrakaw staff members are all extremely passionate about animals – the most critical factor to ‘survive’ every day in our paradise filled with enthusiastic muddy paws and slobber kisses…
Pierre and Mariétjie are the 24/7 paw-rents of all Berrakaw paws and claws family members. All liaison and telephone calls are usually personally handled by us.
© All Rights Reserved
Though I like to think of myself as, quite ‘tough’, I have to admit that when it comes to animals, my heart is absolute goo; I am a HUGE animal lover!
Before Pierre and Marietjie blessed me with my current opportunity, I had the honour of getting to know the both of them outside of Berrakaw, but still within both the dog and live animal air-transport industry.
In January 2021, I moved from my hometown, False Bay, Western Cape, to Pretoria where I obtained my Dog Handler’s qualification at Genesis K9 Group. With this specialised qualification, I worked as a K9-Handler at OR Tambo International Airport for more than two years. My Narcotic Detection Dog and I searched luggage for illegal narcotics and specific endangered species smuggled into and out of South Africa.
After building my experience in understanding and handling canines, as well as airport movements and processes, I established my place at Berrakaw, early in 2024.
I occupy most of my time with my work and part time studies, but my weekend-hobbies, however, include mountain biking with my fiancé, watching Formula 1 racing and visiting the theater as often as I can.
The work environment at Berrakaw is up close and personal, as well as demanding. I do have a deep love for the work that I do and for all of the animals handled. We do develop a bond witheach and every furry kid passing through our facility.
My main responsibilities at Berrakaw involve the completion of Veterinary Health Certificates, accompanying the pets to the vet and getting the documents endorsed by the State Vet. I often, unfortunately, is also the person waving goodbye to a friend/s at the airport…
I absolutely love being a part of the Berrakaw FAMILY! We are a close-knitted family at our pet eutopia, and we look forward to welcoming and loving your baby, too!
My name is Annette, and I am fulltime mommy to Bollos and Leyla, two French Poodles and Pirc, our parrot. Prior to my appointment at Berrakaw, I was a retail shop manager selling animal products and accessories. This knowledge comes in handy in my current environment.
My main responsibility at Berrakaw involves the physical care of the cats and dogs, ie bathing, brushing, along with cleaning eyes and ears. I absolutely love my ‘job’.
I am also assigned with the collection of pets from homes as well as transporting pets to and from a professional doggy parlour Berrakaw uses to groom our pooches prior to them boarding their flights.
I am passionate about animals and am very privileged to fulfill my dream, spending my days amongst the furry companions at Berrakaw.
The only down-side to my ‘job’ is saying good-bye to my soulmates when they have to depart…
As the most senior member of the Berrakaw Staff, I am addressed as “Ouma”😉 (grandma)and referred to as: Berrakaw’s “Pamper Lady”. Grandparents have plenty of love to share and spoiling to exercise and therefore I do carry my ‘Titles’ at Berrakaw with pride. While caringdeeply for the animals at Berrakaw, I am also the mother of seven of my own 4-legged children!
I originate from Mossel Bay, Western Cape and I moved to Pretoria in 2020 after retiring as a theatre nurse, assisting heart surgeons during operations. My valuable life and work experience conformed me into a ‘Jack of all trades – master of all’ – so I like to believe.
I met Pierre and Marietjie upon arrival in Pretoria and as pets are a shared passion, I immediately jumped in when extra hands were required.
At Berrakaw, I am responsible for all medical treatment or the overseeing thereof (a no-brainer) as well as for the preparation of travel crates.
Thorough care and pets in good health remain my top priorities throughout, always!
My passion for animals began during my early years and has flourished since. I am actively engaged with various animal organisations, dedicating myself to supporting their causes through initiatives like raffles and fundraising. In addition to fundraising efforts, I have provided a temporary shelter to several animals and facilitating their adoption journeys.
Inspired by my mother, I strive to embody my best self when working alongside and caring for animals. My commitment to this passion is unwavering, and I am confident that my dedication to animals will continue to expand indefinitely.
I specialise in pet photography and love capturing special memories of all our babies at Berrakaw.
I am assigned to assist Zaantjie with Berrakaw’s financial endeavours, the completion of Veterinary Health Certificates and perform checking-in procedures at the airport sometimes. I also collect pets from their families, get their final vet checks done and waive them goodbye at the airport.
I have a special touch with especially small breed dogs and would love to take all (y)our little ‘hairy fairies’ home!
Growing up, animals have always been a part of my life. There is no greater joy than to be surrounded by things that makes you happy… and PETS make me happy!!!
When I was fortunate enough to join the Berrakaw team, it was like a dream came true. One of the very first rules I was told, was that we should treat each and every animal as you would treat your own. This is such an easy task to accomplish, because every morning I am greeted by friendly and happy bundles of joy, how can I not feel warm inside?
My personal challenge is to win the hearts and minds of dogs who are suffering from separation anxiety and insecurity which might lead to ‘aggression’ challenges. I spend plenty of time with them, assisting them in gaining confidence, let them feel special and loved and watch them developing into loving family pets.
I develop very deep bonds with your animals as they occupy a large pieces of my heart. Therefore, I do cry when they leave Berrakaw, and I WILL stalk you on Facebook if we do not receive updates, photos or videos from time to time.
The most rewarding part of my daily tasks is my contribution to re-unite amazing pets with their loving families!
Who I am? In short… Blessed and Dog Obsessed…
I am married to the Love of my Life, Nicky Goncalves, and we have a total of 10 Kiddies 😁 7 doggy and 3 kitty kidz.
For the greatest part of my life, I was employed in the corporate world, specifically finance – and then, BERRAKAW happened. Do you know the meaning of “Berrakaw”?
“Ba-ra-kah” is a Hebrew as well as Swahili word for Blessed/Blessing…
How amazed I was… as I myself, am stitched together with Blessing upon Blessing, and our Father God’s Grace…
Arriving for my interview I was welcomed by our “Pappa & Mamma Bear” – Pierre and Mariétjie Nicholson along with approximately 80 dogs and a few kitties in the cattery – HEAVEN!! I knew instantly I was exactly where I needed to be! The rest is history…
We do get our difficult days, especially saying “good-bye” to “our” Furry babies… the attachment is huge… but the sweet part is knowing they would be reunited with their personal family again.
Being a bit ‘under the weather’, you can “check in” at any Dr. Canine or Dr Feline “practice” and have yourself a much needed “therapy” session”… with lots of slobbering kisses and cuddles.
My responsibilities as Berrakaw’s Office Manager involve all aspects regarding the overseeing of operational actions as well as the management of personnel and financial aspects.
May I let you in on a secret?
Until one has Loved an Animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened…
~ Anatole France
Berrakaw is very proud of our VW Caddies and VW Caravelle Kombi – all equipped with air conditioners, to transport our VIPs.
Berrakaw is well equipped to accommodate any pet with special needs. This includes pets with physical disabilities and impairments as well as pets with non-communicable diseases that requires special treatment, diets and medication. Caring for pets who are blind, deaf, suffering from arthritis, separation anxiety, dementia or epilepsy or to administer insulin or dialyses daily is nothing out of the ordinary for the Berrakaw staff.
All pets arriving at Berrakaw Pet Resort must be fully vaccinated. We do not hesitate seeking vet advise/treatment should we notice that one of our furries is a bit under the weather.
Medication and special diets are catered for. Should pets be expected to fly with medication, pre-arrangement with the airline is required to obtain authority. A prescription as well as tablets in the original packaging or in a vet’s branded packet is required – no powder nor liquid is allowed.
We offer a safe environment to all our doggos, kitties and birdies.
Our passionate staff love, respect and care for each pet as an individual animal. Some furries are social butterflies while others are a bit shy and keep to themselves. With a qualified dog behaviourist and two dog trainers as staff members, these pooches’ behaviour is effected in a manner to ensure they enjoy life to its fullest.
Cats are housed in their private kitty cabanas while dogs, upon arrival are inserted into a holding kennel. Once assessed, they are either entered in a kennel or integrated into the well-established, highly sociable Berrakaw pack. Some doggies ‘become part of the pack’ immediately while others might take a week or three to become fully integrated. Each dog on his/her own time…
Meals are served twice a day. 8-10am and 3-5pm. Medium and large breed dogs are fed Ultra Dog Superwoof while littlest eat Royal Canin Mini Adult. Cats are fed half a sachet wet food every morning followed by a helping of Royal Canin Sensible Kibble. Another helping kibble is served in the afternoon. Berrakaw do feed special diet food provided by owners.
Pierre’s military career ended on a high note as he was appointed as the SA National Defence Force Military Attaché in Islamabad, Pakistan over the period 2017-2020. Both he and Mariétjie were well-informed in terms of the socio-economical condition of the country which also includes the presence of stray animals. The couple is fond of animals and had 25 dogs of their own prior to departing for Pierre’s final military post.
Islamabad PAWS (People Actively Working for Strays) was established, and more than 60 dogs and several cats were exported during this period to join their newly found families all over the Globe!
January 2020, the Nicholson family returned home… with dogs, instead of Persian carpets and wooden carvings (LOL!) Fluffy, Itchy, Scratchy and Oscar, all now about 7-9 years old, have out-lived their counterparts back home, where the life expectancy of a stray dog is about 3 years if lucky…
It was during these times the huge costs involved in the relocation of pets became evident.
After arranging their own dogs’ relocation from Pakistan to South Africa, Berrakaw Pet Transport was established with the primary purpose to keep pets and owners united at the lowest possible cost. The company was registered on 10 February 2020 and Covid Restrictions were announced just more than a month later. Despite these no-movement restrictions, Berrakaw Pet Transport was blessed in abundance and the company grew against all odds! Berrakaw Pet Resort was founded to accommodate pets of owners whose travel documents were issued out of sync with their pets’ travel preparations.
Berrakaw Pet Resort and Berrakaw Pet Transport take pride in the fact that they have hosted and exported more than 1 600 companion animals of which more than a third to Australia alone in a period of less than 3.5 years. We have flown dogs, cats and birds to more than 40 countries situated on all the continents.
The family-owned company is staffed by people absolutely passionate about animals and all pets’ welfare always takes priority. We offer a loving family environment to all our VIPs whether just visiting or being in transit.
Pierre’s military career ended on a high note as he was appointed as the SA National Defence Force Military Attaché in Islamabad, Pakistan over the period 2017-2020. Both he and Mariétjie were well-informed in terms of the socio-economical condition of the country which also includes the presence of stray animals. The couple is fond of animals and had 25 dogs of their own prior to departing for Pierre’s final military post.
Islamabad PAWS (People Actively Working for Strays) was established, and more than 60 dogs and several cats were exported during this period to join their newly found families all over the Globe!
January 2020, the Nicholson family returned home… with dogs, instead of Persian carpets and wooden carvings (LOL!) Fluffy, Itchy, Scratchy and Oscar, all now about 7-9 years old, have out-lived their counterparts back home, where the life expectancy of a stray dog is about 3 years if lucky…
It was during these times the huge costs involved in the relocation of pets became evident.
After arranging their own dogs’ relocation from Pakistan to South Africa, Berrakaw Pet Transport was established with the primary purpose to keep pets and owners united at the lowest possible cost. The company was registered on 10 February 2020 and Covid Restrictions were announced just more than a month later. Despite these no-movement restrictions, Berrakaw Pet Transport was blessed in abundance and the company grew against all odds! Berrakaw Pet Resort was founded to accommodate pets of owners whose travel documents were issued out of sync with their pets’ travel preparations.
Berrakaw Pet Resort and Berrakaw Pet Transport take pride in the fact that they have hosted and exported more than 1 600 companion animals of which more than a third to Australia alone in a period of less than 3.5 years. We have flown dogs, cats and birds to more than 40 countries situated on all the continents.
The family-owned company is staffed by people absolutely passionate about animals and all pets’ welfare always takes priority. We offer a loving family environment to all our VIPs whether just visiting or being in transit.
