Unwanted dog situation at crisis point

SAD: Failed pig dog Fletcher before coming into Huha care.

Animals shelters and pounds throughout New Zealand are being inundated with unwanted dogs, Helping You Help Animals (Huha) founder Carolyn Press-McKenzie said.

Crisis point was reached every June and July, especially as it was dog registration time, but there were a lot of contributing factors for the annual upsurge, she said.

Some of the factors including people not desexing their dogs leading to puppies being passed on to inappropriate homes.

The novelty of having a dog had also worn off and people potentially didn't have the skills or experience to raise their dog to succeed.

"And then the dog becomes a problem and they ditch it by calling us or the SPCA or the pound."

Another factor was pig hunters, greyhound owners and farm dog breeders looking for one good dog and ditching the duds.

"These are animals who are gorgeous and have so much potential but they're just being seen as disposable by the people who breed them."

Pictured above is a dog called Fletcher who failed as a pig dog and was left in a backyard with no food.

Huha, which has a shelter in Otaki, took Fletcher under its wing and he's now healthy, vibrant and looking for a new home.

AFTER: Failed pig dog Fletcher after coming into Huha care.

Ms Press-McKenzie's advice to people thinking of owning a dog was simple.

"Stop and think before jumping into this."

Do you have time to raise a dog? Will the dog be part of your family? What if a landlord says no to pets? Are you planning on travelling abroad? Are you thinking of having children?

Ms Press-McKenzie said Huha had 60 dogs in its care, 30 urgent cases on its books and hundreds of less urgent cases they were working through.

Desexing was a key issue.

Huha had discovered a hoarder/puppy farm situation in the Wellington region featuring 30 dogs.

"And that started with one owner with a bitch who wasn't desexed and then she kept the puppies who bred among themselves."

Huha was getting "over 1000 phone calls a month and people are saying to us if we don't help them then and there they're going to kill the animal.

"There's a lot of pressure put on us.

"We, like our friends in all the other shelters around New Zealand, are about to start rocking in a corner.

"Basically New Zealand, I think, is at crisis point.

"We've got so many unwanted dogs.

"We are struggling and we are desperate.

"We're speaking out on it on behalf of every shelter in New Zealand who is in the same position."

www.huha.org.nz