Olivia Platt adopted DeeDee and they are best friends. DeeDee fits in perfectly at her new forever home. Photo / Ian Cooper
Olivia Platt adopted DeeDee and they are best friends. DeeDee fits in perfectly at her new forever home. Photo / Ian Cooper
There's a thick scar on DeeDee the dog's neck from when she was left on a tangled tether at a Hawke's Bay property for two weeks.
It will never disappear. But the care she's getting from her new owner Olivia Platt is helping the share pei cross start a new, happier life.
The SPCA says DeeDee is one of the lucky ones. Thousands of New Zealand dogs spend their lives chained up in backyards or kept in confined spaces, day and night, they say.
Animal welfare inspector and SPCA Hawke's Bay team leader Pip Lamb says chained dogs are "something we see every week" in the region.
But despite their suffering, the law doesn't allow the SPCA to take action, unless there are other issues outside of the tethering.
Before DeeDee was adopted by Olivia Platt and her partner Kirwan, she had been tethered by her previous owners to her kennel to prevent her from escaping through a broken gate while they were away for two weeks.
The previous owners had organised for relatives and friends to pop by and feed the dog, then 18 months old, yet no one noticed the tether had tangled around DeeDee's neck and cut into her skin.
When found by animal welfare inspectors, she was in significant pain due to the large, open wound on her neck and had to be sedated at the veterinary clinic, where the wound was cleaned and stitched.
Lamb said it was fortunate DeeDee had a smooth recovery and had been able to be adopted by Platt and Waiti 18 months later.
Having recently bought a house, the couple booked an appointment to meet with a dog they had seen online, but when they arrived at the SPCA, "fate stepped in", said Platt.
As the two waited for their appointment, DeeDee caught their eye.
"While the other dogs were barking to get our attention, she just looked at us for a while and then went to bed," Platt said.
Platt started asking about the dog, and was told DeeDee was nearly 3 years old and had been at the SPCA for a while.
The intrigued pair were then told about DeeDee's past treatment and rescue and shown the scar.
DeeDee suffered severe neck lacerations after being tied to a tight tether 24/7 for two weeks while her owners were out of town. Photo / Supplied
"It was incredible to see DeeDee was still so loving and trusting despite her awful experience," Platt said.
"After spending 20 minutes playing with DeeDee, [that] was all it took for us to know we needed to have her and give her the best life we possibly could.
"We have had her for about three months, and I couldn't imagine not having her as part of my daily life."
Even though DeeDee is trusting, it still took her time to fit into family life - in her first week with her new family, DeeDee wouldn't leave their sides, and would follow so close they would be tripping over her.
Last month, the SPCA called for the Government to ban the prolonged chaining and confinement of dogs in New Zealand.
An MPI spokesperson said officials have been working with the SPCA since last year on the issues caused by the prolonged tethering and confinement of dogs.
There are minimum standards in the code of welfare for dogs relating to containment, tethering and exercise.
"For example, dogs must not be contained or tethered in a way that causes them injury or distress. They must also receive sufficient daily exercise to maintain their health and wellbeing.
"Minimum standards in codes of welfare are not directly enforceable, but can be used as evidence to support a prosecution for an offence under the Act," the spokesperson said.
