“I think it was a case of an accidental mating, and the owners were overwhelmed.”
Lawrence said after seeing the post she and her 12-year-old son drove to Hāwera and collected the five remaining puppies.
“Because all dogs are good dogs, and their sweet faces looked so sad.”
Gerard Langford, a South Taranaki District Council spokesman, said the Hāwera pound had been contacted by someone looking to place the puppies in their care and had advised them to contact the SPCA. The pound doesn’t have either the legal authority or the resource capacity to take puppies on at the pound, he said.
“However, we do have an extremely successful dog re-homing programme called Keep a Kuri where we try to re-home dogs that come into our custody which, for one reason or another are unable to be reunited with their previous owner, but would make great, loving pets.”
Lawrence said all five puppies will be looking for new homes soon.
“If I had land and endless funds I would keep them all, though.”
The reality however, is that with children, cats, plus their own two much loved dogs - Ozzy, a 2-and-a-half-year-old American bulldog and Stevie, a 1-year-old American bulldog cross pit bull terrier - all in residence, the Lawrences won’t be keeping any of their temporary guests permanently.
“Right now, the plan is to get them all to a weight where we can’t see bones, and nice and strong, fully vaccinated and in the best health.”
The puppies, all female, are mixed breed, said Lawrence.
“Mum is definitely a pit bull and one of the dads is a sharpei cross and I think the dad of two could be a foxy or some other smaller breed.”
With pit bull in their parentage, Lawrence said it’s essential the puppies will go to the right homes.
“We are already taking applications for adoption and due to the breed we have to vet any potential families carefully and they will have to sign contracts to have them desexed.”
Part of that cost will be covered by the wider community of animal lovers Lawrence is being supported by. Not long after Lawrence had collected the puppies and posted about them on Facebook, people were offering help, she said.
“That’s how generous our community is. Within a half hour people arrived with goods including paper, food, bedding, bowls, toys, crates and more. We have had Taranaki vets in Hāwera donate flea and worm treatment as well as people cover all the costs of vaccinations and vet treatment. Honestly these girls are wanting for nothing. We have in excess of 120kg of puppy kibble as well as wet food and pet milk.”
With the support pouring in, Lawrence decided to post regular updates on her Ozzy & Friends Facebook page to keep everything transparent. People can also contact Lawrence through the page if they are interested in adopting one of the puppies or helping in any other way.
Since arriving at the Lawrence home, the puppies have been growing well, she said, and are likely to be ready for adoption in a few weeks. Before the puppies leave, plans are in place for a “puppy party” she said.
Manaia-based business Lone Wolf, which offers a safe place for dogs to play and run, has offered to host the party, which will enable everyone who has helped through donations, advice, or simply followed the puppies’ journey on Facebook to meet and play with them, said Lawrence.
“It’s a way of thanking each and everybody for their tremendous support. We can’t save them all but as a village we saved these five sweet girls.”
Ilona Hanne is a Taranaki-based journalist and news director who covers breaking and community news from across the region. She has worked for NZME since 2011.
