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More than 112 dogs have been rehomed by the Pukekohe Adoption and Education Centre (PAC) as the facility marked six months of being open on September 15.
It is the first council-run, adoption-only facility for dogs in New Zealand.
At the moment, the facility has 27 dogs on site, centre manager Carly Triska said.
“We have new dogs coming in each week and going into new homes regularly, so our numbers fluctuate from week to week.”
She said staff were seeing more cases of irresponsible dog ownership.
“With fewer dogs being desexed, more and more puppies are ending up in our shelters, not getting claimed by irresponsible owners and backyard breeders.
“There are some dogs in really sad situations, like two puppies recently found dumped in a trash can, like rubbish. I am happy to say both have happily been adopted now into loving whāres (homes).”
“Many kurī (dogs) also arrive without being microchipped or registered, or without the training and socialisation they need. A lot of it comes down to people underestimating the time, cost and commitment of having a dog and not prioritising desexing.
“That’s why education around desexing and responsible ownership is such a big part of what we want to do; it can prevent so many of these issues before they even start,” she said.
“We also provide ongoing support to our adopters should they need it. We have also been working with the proactive animal management team, delivering dog safety talks at schools and public events where possible.”
The centre is open to walk-in customers from 10.30am to 2.30pm every day, excluding Wednesdays, and no appointment is necessary.
“We encourage people to come and meet our dogs and the team to see what we do here,” Triska said.
