Brother and sister dogs Marley and Manaia went missing from their Maunu home on January 9, this year, leaving their owner despairing as to what might have become of them. Photo / Supplied
Brother and sister dogs Marley and Manaia went missing from their Maunu home on January 9, this year, leaving their owner despairing as to what might have become of them. Photo / Supplied
The distraught owner of two missing tan-coloured mastiff dogs has offered up one of his other most precious possessions – an aluminium dinghy - in the hope of getting his beloved pets back.
And while reluctant to do so, the man has now publicly announced there could also be a cash reward on offer - money made available through the kindness of two concerned strangers.
Peter, who wanted his surname withheld, had only recently moved to Maunu in Whangārei, when his two-year old brother and sister dogs Manaia and Marley went missing on January 9, this year.
At first he hoped the pair had simply got lost in their new surroundings having somehow managed to escape the property, although he knew it was unlikely.
“Their kennels are in a 1.2m-fenced yard inside a 2.2m backyard fence. It just seems to be extremely unusual for them to be able to get out,” Peter said.
He door-knocked homes in the area and did a leaflet drop. However, with no sightings of the pair whatsoever, Peter realised something more sinister had probably happened to them.
Marley and Manaia were friendly so could conceivably have been encouraged to leave their yard by someone wanting them for dog fighting.
“I’d like to believe that someone is treating you well, the other options couldn’t be... Surely? they don’t like to fight so why would someone take you to fight?
“Not knowing is the hardest thing, there must be someone who knows something.”
Two months on, Peter continues to regularly check with Animal Control and the SPCA, and his Facebook posts about the missing pair have been shared nationwide but there are still no leads. Several people have sent him pictures of dogs they thought might have been Manaia and Marley but unfortunately none were a match.
The response online has been overwhelming at times, Peter said. The fact so many people recognise that losing a dog is like losing a family member, has restored his faith in humanity when he most needed it.
Peter has offered up his 14-foot aluminium boat with 30-horse power engine, as an enticement for the return of the dogs.
“I have a little aluminium boat I could give to get them back. Feel like I’m grabbing at straws really but honestly, where the f*** are my dogs?”
The boat is one Peter had relied for the past 20 years up north to get his food.
“I couldn’t afford to buy fish from a shop,” he said.
“I know my boat has a lot to do for me but I need to do what I can to get my dogs back,” he said.
Two kind strangers recently offered him cash to use as a further enticement but Peter was reluctant to advertise it for fear of encouraging more dog thefts by opportunists trying to make money.
Best buddies: Beloved pet dogs Marley and Manaia share a close bond. Their owner fears the trauma they might now be facing, especially if they've been separated from each other's company. Photo / Supplied
Many Facebook respondents were well aware of the brutal reality his dogs might now be facing.
One person said “Unfortunately dogs are drug currency. Sold for dog fighting or breeding.
“Those scum people (who taken them) move around a lot to avoid detection.
Another said he recently confronted a man at a children’s holiday programme in Whangārei after allegedly overhearing him laughing and plotting to steal some dogs for relatives in Auckland.
Police say dog fighting in New Zealand is a crime run mostly by gangs and creates a place for other criminal activities such as illegal betting and bad breeding practices.
The New Zealand Police Managers’ Guild Trust group’s website details the horrific way stolen dogs are put to use in fights and cites research into the link between animal cruelty and other violent offending. In New Zealand, 76 per cent of animal abusers also abused a family member.
Evidence of dog fighting in Northland has been publicised in recent years. During 2022, SPCA investigations and prosecutions manager Sue Baudet told media, dog fighting rings in New Zealand were “highly sophisticated criminal operations”, which made it “very difficult to find evidence”.
Meanwhile, Whangārei District Councilhealth and bylaws manager Reiner Mussle said it was mandatory under the Dog Control Act 1996, for all dogs in New Zealand to be microchipped and registered and that was the best way to ensure dogs could be identified if they were picked up by Animal Control.
“However, this only works if the dog is chipped AND registered within the district it lives,” Mussle said.
