Many of the dogs impounded in the shelter are not claimed or are no longer wanted by their owners. It is the policy of DSS Animal Management to rehome as many of these dogs as we can. We do not rehome aggressive dogs or dogs that do not pass the required temperament test.
Many of our dogs are adopted by organisations such as the NZ Police, MAF, Aviation Security, and Customs. These dogs go on to have very productive lives as working dogs and are much valued by their handlers. Organisations such as the Humane Society and some dog breed clubs also take many of the dogs available for adoption. These dogs are placed in foster care until a suitable home becomes available.
The public are able to adopt dogs from our shelters and we have some wonderful feedback stories featured below from our Manukau/Papakura Animal Shelter. Our staff contact as many of the new owners as we can to check up on how the dog has fitted in at its new home. We are so grateful to all these wonderful people who adopt from us and give these dogs a second chance at life and for the wonderful care that they give them.
From Blair – adopted Alice (French Bulldog) in June 2010
Hi Monique, Just a quick update on Alice - I'll send some pictures and a decent update in a little while.
I picked her up from the vets last Friday after her op. She was very groggy and beautiful. That night was a very quiet night and she slept in the car on the way home. She had a great sleep on her new bed the first night and is quite partial to the wood fire. On Saturday and Sunday she got much more active - even though I am trying to stop her running with the stitches. Yesterday morning she had her first walk down the beach on a lead and did great - she even had a couple of others dogs come and check her out and was fine. I cannot wait until next Monday when she has her stitches removed and can then really have a decent run around.
Anyway - thank you so much for getting Alice to us - we love her very much.
From Carol – adopted Roscoe (Jack Russell cross) in May 2010
Hi, Rosco has settled in really well and is now one of the family. He is very good with our 3 year old grandson who calls him "Rock So" and our 8 year old cat Fluffy is rubbing noses with him. He spends the day on the couch with a blanket but his favourite time of the day is walk time through the park close by. We are lucky to have found him at the shelter
From Biliana – adopted Max (Staffi) in May 2010
Hi,Thank you for your email. Max has settled in well although he is still full of energy - nothing unusual for a puppy. Thank you for your help with the adoption.
From Carl and Sandy – adopted Blitz (Labrador/Collie cross) in June 2010
Just thought I would introduce our new dog, Blitz. She is a Collie X with a Labrador and she is 7 months old. We bought her home on Wednesday from the Animal Shelter, after she had been speyed, micro chipped, registered and vet checked.
She must've come from a good home as she is very playful and cuddly and doesn't seem to have any issues. She is really happy in her crate, sleeps well at night, is eating well and slowly introducing her to Eukanuba instead of the dog rolls. She's a tad thin so am keen to get her in better condition and have wormed and deflea'd her and can't wait to bath her as she is 'dog' smelly but can't until she has had her stitches out which won't be until next week.
Carl & I went shopping at Animates last night to get her all the goodies as they were having a 'Mid Winter Christmas Special". Mmmm, yes well, a few dollars later but we did get her a kennel and bedding in that as she is going to be sleeping outside and also when we are out and about she can be comfy and dry and safe in the backyard.
She mustn't have been allowed inside before as she has been very ginger about coming thru doors. However we have overcome that now and she trots back and forth from where I work downstairs to outside and is getting better about coming in upstairs. So far she has only been in the dining room, with all dining suite shifted about as the floor is vinyl and just getting her used to small parts of the house at a time. Good thing is she doesn't come into the kitchen and also we're going to keep her out of the hallway as best as possible so it will keep the bedrooms safe (from her picking up shoes etc and wanting to have a munch!) and also too that she won't be at the front door for when we have visitors. Early days, but that is the plan.
From Harry – adopted Russel (Jack Russell) in May 2010
Hi Guys, Russel is really doing well. He lives with his mate Jack another (Old Jack Russel) and they both think that they are in charge, and that the world revolves around them personally. They dominate Dusky who is a young Ridgeback Labrador cross. We do have a bit of a problem with the older Jack Russel marking everything by peeing, especially when there is no one at home. Any way things are great and thanks for asking, and thanks for the good work you do in the community.
From Hayley – adopted Fergus (Yellow Labrador) in May 2010
His name is Fergus now...and my partner calls him Doofus! He is just soooo cool...he comes on rides with me and stays behind the horses fine. He is an absolute angel and just dotes on me. He qualified from puppy school and is quick to learn new tricks. He doesn't put a foot wrong....love him to bits! He's put on weight, loves Eukanuba and chicken frames....and the horses apples and carrots! Thanks for everything....he is the coolest!
From Cyndy – adopted Murphy (Sharpei cross) in June 2010 Just thought I’d let you know how puppy 358 is doing (we adopted him from you on Friday 25thJune). We named him Murphy and he and our older dog Molly are getting on brilliantly. They have so much fun playing together with tug of war being their favourite game. He has put on heaps of weight and is steadily growing. We are off the puppy school starting this week. Thank you so much for the wonderful addition to our family. Just wanted to thank you for helping me adopt Murph, it was problem free and straight forward and I really appreciate it.
From Rex – adopted Murphy (Husky) in March 2010
Just wanted to thank you for helping me adopt Murph, it was problem free and straight forward and I really appreciate it.
Murph has settled into our pack quite nicely, although he still has manners to learn when he’s inside. He’s already had a hiding from the cat and has learnt quite quickly not to mess with him. Our other dog TPOW is elderly but lets him know when he’s being too rough. It’s like he was meant to come to us!
I made the mistake of letting him loose while the gate was open and he made a dash for freedom. Luckily he responds well to me and didn’t lead me all over the neighbourhood. I think he loves me as I get licked from shoulders to eyebrows when I give him positive feedback. He’s very quiet for a Sibey and I hope he finds his voice soon. Maybe he wasn’t allowed to vocalize at his old home?
This dog was meant to be mine and I love him. I’ll take every possible caution to ensure he doesn’t end up at the pound and wait for his Mum to post bail!
From Henia and Grant – adopted Pearl/Girl (Dogue de Bordeaux) in March 2010
Hi, Here are some updated pictures of Pearl/Girl. We picked her up from you early march. You might not recognise her now. (Healthy and put on weight)
