Jock of the Bushveld

Jock of the Bushveld is a very famous dog, a book was written and a film was made about his life!

Jock - a Staffordshire bull-terrier was born in the today Kruger National Park near the Pretorius Kop Camp. He was the runt of the litter and the young Sir Percy Fitzpatrick saved him from a certain death, from being drowned in a bucket. Jock was very loyal towards Percy, and brave.

Fitzpatrick was a transport rider that carted supplies for the goldfields at Pilgrims Rest and Barberton from now Maputo in Mozambique. Jock was a faithful and obedient companion, champion fighter and hunter to his human friend. He accompanied him throughout his journeys.

Jock had many adventures during his life. He was once enticed to fight a baboon by Seedling. He killed the baboon in the fight, due to his small, stocky build. Jock permanently lost his hearing when a kudu cow kicked him.

Eventually after five years of transport riding, Tsetse fly infected all Sir Percys oxen and he was ruined. He walked penniless into Baberton, all the way from Louw's Creek, found a job and also a wife, Lilian Cubitt, whom he married. After that Sir Percy relocated to Johannesburg and was then employed by the Johannesburg mining group, the Corner House. He gave Jock to a friend of his, who in time gave the dog to a trader who had a store in Mozambique at a place known as Old Pessene,. There Jock was killed one night when he rushed out to attack a stray dog that was raiding the fowl run. Jock killed the thief but was then shot when his master mistook him in the darkness for the other dog. Loss of hearing is attributed as one of the main reasons he died, as he could not hear Tom Barnett when he called him, and was mistakenly shot, because he was thought to be the dog killing chickens on the farm.

Sir Percy used to describe his experiences with his dog Jock at bedtime to his four children. An intimate friend, Rudyard Kipling, took part in these story-telling evenings and eventually persuaded Fitzpatrick to collect the stories in book form.

Jock is so famous that the Jock of the Bushveld the first private lodge set in the heart of Africa's premier wildlife reserve - the Kruger National Park was created in his honour. This Kruger Park safari lodge is set in the Jock of the Bushveld concession in the southern area of Kruger National Park.