Hopes for Kaipara SPCA

A revived Kaipara branch of the SPCA could soon be up and running in Dargaville.
Passionate animal lover Marni Berghan has taken up the cause and is hopeful a shelter will be provided in the near future.
Ms Berghan said for some time now she had been a contact person for people wanting to home unwanted animals, particularly kittens, and it was becoming increasingly impractical for her to have to travel to the SPCA in Whangarei.
Dargaville has not had an SPCA for more than a decade. Lack of volunteers and funds saw the branch slowly wind down activities until it closed around 2000. A series of voluntary co-ordinators with the help of a committee, volunteers and public donations had offered SPCA services since the early 1950s but no official shelter had ever been built.
At one stage, Mr and Mrs Segedin built a shelter and cages at their home - the cages were later donated to the Northern Wairoa Vet clinic until this facility also closed down. The final co-ordinator, Dargaville vet Don Thomas, took over the job for a number of years from stalwart Jane Rawlings, who had given more than 20 years to the well-being of animals in the Dargaville area.
With no government funding, the SPCA relies on public donations, estate bequeaths and whatever fundraising each branch can manage.
Mrs Rawlings said, in later times, the Dargaville branch concentrated on education programmes and sponsored cut-price desexing programmes.
She said without a fully-trained inspector or shelter, it was difficult to offer a full service.
Reducing the numbers of stray and unwanted animals by substantially reduced neutering costs and encouraging people to take better care of their animals with seasonal newsletters and newspaper columns was seen as the best option.
She is pleased to see someone picking up the initiative once again with the intention of also having a dedicated shelter.
Ms Berghan said she has had plenty of support - 20 volunteers have already registered to help along with a number of people willing to do fostering. Plans are to establish under the umbrella of the Whangarei SPCA with Kaipara also acting as an overflow facility for Whangarei.
"We are considering getting our own inspector and offering the Save a Life campaign which helps owners with cheaper desexing fees."
Two successful adoption days have already been held in Dargaville. Staff from Whangarei SPCA brought a medley of cats, dogs and rabbits for the public to view (and adopt) and volunteers ran a sausage-sizzle and stalls to help raise awareness and funds.
Acting in conjunction with the Whangarei SPCA, the group is looking for a suitable base for the Kaipara branch.
"A couple of acres of land close to town - with or without buildings would be ideal," said Ms Berghan.
The group has already had plenty of donations - of old towels, cat and dog toys, wool and litter trays - but more are needed and can be donated at BNZ Dargaville's drop-off point.