DSS Animal Management staff in Auckland helping to reunite dogs with their owners in Christchurch

This update from Monique at the Animal Shelter in Manukau.

Rob & Sue from Christchurch had put a lost report on Trade Me to say that they had found Oscar and they had his registration number. (Council wasn’t taking lost dog calls so they weren’t sure how to contact the owner) I saw the ad and went onto the National Dog database and looked up the owner’s details. I then called Rob & Sue and told them I had found the owner’s details and asked them if it was OK if I gave the owner (Alister ) their details. They said that was fine, so I called the owner.
Alister was very happy to get Oscar home.
I received this email from Rob and Sue a few hours after speaking to Rob.

Thanks so much for your part too Monique in reuniting Oscar with his family.
It was a special moment in this dreadful time for us, giving us all some laughs, a great time for my kids & a few giggles down at our local river as we washed Oscar in biodegradable soap to get the cow poop smell off him.
He was such a beautiful friendly dog to have with us, he was very jumpy with all the quakes & this morning must have just bolted as soon as his Mum opened the garage door. He wasn't really that far from home but was so unsettled that he had lost his sense of direction and also his road sense.
How fabulous amongst all this, to have a call from Auckland about a lost dog!
Great work
Thanks again
Sue

It was awesome to be able to help from Auckland. I’m glad Oscar was reunited with his family and that Rob and Sue cared enough to put his ad on Trade Me. NZ is full of great people!

PS. Monique and the team have also helped to reunite two other families with their dogs so far.

DSS Animal Management Call Centre staff have a special line open to vets in Christchurch who can call our staff to access the National Dog Database (microchips) to identify owners of dogs that have been brought into their clinics. Several calls have been received to date.

Manukau shelter staff are doing their best to find good homes for Christmas for the dogs available for adoption. If you can provide a loving home and you have the time to care for a dog contact our adoption officers on 09 279 5959.

Yoshi - Akita – a story by Monique
One of Animal Management’s senior staff running the Auckland Animal Shelter at Wiri

This most handsome dog in the entire world (In my eyes of course!) decided to take a stroll down the incredibly busy southern motorway one Wednesday morning. Concerned motorists called Animal Management and off they went to pick him up. Even though he was only four months old – he was massive! He had paws the size of frying pans. When he arrived at the Manukau Shelter we settled him into his new home for the next seven days and waited and waited for a phone call or a lost report on a missing Japanese akita puppy. But surprisingly – no one called. He wasn’t microchipped, and he was desexed (or so we thought!) and he was in great condition so we thought someone would definitely be worried about him. I started calling him ‘Yogi” because he looked like a bear. During his stay I got quite attached to him. He was a quiet puppy, which was a nice change! But because akitas need very experienced owners, we were still humming and harring about whether we were ready to take on such a big and stubborn breed. Tina, our good friend from the Humane Society, decided she would foster him and adopt him out to somebody who knew the breed. She also named him “Yoshi” which means adopted son in Japanese. When Yoshi’s time was up and Tina came to take him to his new foster home, and he looked back at me as he was about to jump into the Humane Society Van - I suddenly thought – “I’m going to adopt him! That’s our new dog.” So I went home and researched everything I could find about akitas. The next day my partner and I went to pick him up. Because he had no boy bits (I am getting to that part of the story) I got him micro-chipped and registered and we headed home. He was a very quiet thoughtful pup at first. He wandered around our back yard, not interested in toys or food, or his kennel for that matter. He would sit and stare at you for hours until he learnt how to howl. Then that was all we heard night after night. Luckily he grew out of that!

He has always been very protective and loyal since he was a young puppy. When it was just me home alone he used to sleep at the foot of the bed. I always felt safe with him around. He loved to go to the dog park and run with all his k9 mates. Getting him back was the hard thing! He only used his ears when he wanted too. When Yoshi was about two years old, we were all in the lounge watching a movie. (Which happened to be about an akita named “Hatchi”). Yoshi started screaming in pain. He wouldn’t even move. I was a mess, I had no idea what was wrong with our baby, so we rushed him to the vets. He had to stay overnight while they took X-Rays and tests. The Vet called me the next morning and said there was a ‘mass’ in his stomach, and they wanted to let me know it may be cancer. I was so worried. I told them to do whatever it took to fix it. About an hour later the Vet called me again. I was so scared that I was shaking. He then told me that, no, Yoshi didn’t have cancer, but instead his testicles had been living in his stomach for two years and he was incredibly lucky to be alive! Yoshi had to stay in the Vet Clinic another night after his operation. He was very happy to see us the next day! It was a relief knowing he’d be ok. Yoshi is now almost three years old. I’m so glad I decided to adopt him that day. I really can not imagine life without him now. He is like my shadow, and he will be with me until the day he leaves for Rainbow Bridge. Xx

This wee man has quite a story. A pregnant sharpei came to visit us at the shelter about 5 months ago. During her stay she gave birth to 10 gorgeous puppies. All were blue in colour apart from one little brown and white fluff ball – Meiko. The owner came to collect the Mother and took all the puppies home too. Two months later, three blue puppies and one fluffy brown and white puppy graced us at the shelter. We all knew who they were, so we contacted the owner. Again, we said goodbye to the pups and they were collected by their owners. About 3 weeks later, little Meiko and one of his blue coloured brother’s visited us again. They were found on a busy road and were very lucky that a member of the public picked them up and called Animal Management. Again, we recognised the puppies, and again we called the owners. They did not come and collect the two pups this time so we put them into adoption. The wee blue puppy got an awesome home very quickly, and now lives with another sharpei named Molly. They named him Murphy and he is doing very well. But wee Meiko waited and waited for somebody to take him home. Meiko stopped eating and his time was coming to an end. We all thought the worst. But the vet confirmed he did not have the deadly parvo virus, instead he had mouth ulcers! I had become very attached to Meiko by then and I decided to adopt him and then keep trying to find his forever home. So Mr Meiko came home with me and I fed him through a syringe until his ulcers healed and he was able to eat again. He was such a dude, and got along with my akita (Yoshi) extremely well.

He very quickly became like a piece of furniture in our household! I named him Meiko after the cheeky racoon on Pocahontas. A few weeks later, I found a family that I knew would be awesome for Meiko. They had a huge fenced property, young kids, and lots of time and love to give him. They came and meet him, and the father would not even put Meiko down – He couldn’t stop cuddling him!! The kids loved him, and Meiko was so gentle with them. They came and picked him up the next day. Although it was very sad to see him go, it was awesome to know that he had got his second chance after all. Meikos new family send me pictures and emails all the time about how he is going. Just recently they took him up to Tauranga beach for the long weekend. He is having the time of his life, and it is all because somebody cared enough to take the wee fluff ball home. All the best for the future Meiko! Love Aunty Monique J xx

This handsome young canine took himself on an evening stroll through one of the busiest streets in Manurewa. Lucky for him, an animal control officer spotted him and drove him to the Manukau Animal Shelter. Codeine was a huge sookie. He was very gentle and would do anything for a cuddle. Monique had a friend that had been looking for a young large breed dog to add to their farm house up North so Monique sent pictures and information of Codeine to them. They loved the pictures and decided they wanted to give Codeine his second chance. They already owned another rescue pooch named Hoover, a Chinese crested dog (the ones with no hair and resemble gremlins) and they had horses, and cats and miniature ponies – Codeine had no idea what he was in for! Once Codeine had stayed his seven days with us, he went off to the vet to get vaccinated and desexed. He was then settled in the car for his four hour journey up to Okaihau – the Far Far North! Upon arriving, Codeine was still quite drowsy from the desexing so he just slept the first night off.

The next day he was introduced to his new brother Hoover, the little female gremlin – Oh I mean Chinese Crested, and the cats. And he loved them all! Hoover quickly showed Codeine that he was the boss and he happily fell into place behind the older dog. He was very gentle and loving toward the cats and the gremlin. The horses were a very different story. Codeine had obviously never seen horses before. And although they were a lot bigger than him – he thought it would be a great idea to chase them! Well, as it turns out, Codeine learnt the hard way that it really isn’t the best idea to chase an animal ten times the size of him. And he hasn’t done it since! He is really in doggy heaven now. He has heaps of space, heaps of animal friends, and a lot of love to keep him going for the rest of his life. And to think he was once a lonely lost dog wandering the streets of Manurewa. He now has everything he needs and more. Way to go Codeine, you are one lucky pooch.

This precious three month old Dogue de Bordeaux was thankfully signed over to a DSS Animal Control Officer.  She came in to the Shelter in such a state we couldn’t believe how someone could let any animal get so ill treated.  She had wounds to her head, cuts on her face and around her neck, gunky eyes, a runny nose, and was very underweight but that didn’t affect her nature!  The Shelter Staff fell in love with this poor little puppy, who they named Gem. That day photos were taken of Gem and sent off to put Mastiff Breeds Rescue & Re homing Sandra (from put Mastiff Breeds Rescue & Rehoming) sent emails out to potential adoptees, and by the end of Gem’s first day in the shelter she already had a home line up for her. And the phone would just not stop ringing! The next day (before we had even opened!) Gems new family was waiting patiently outside to meet their new family member. They had driven all a long way to see Gem. They had also already adopted a female Dogue de Bordeaux from our Shelter a few months back, so we knew Gem would be in awesome hands! Pearl (The other Dogue de Bordeaux also needed some TLC when pearl went to her new family. (Pearl is pictured right and scroll down the page to see when she was adopted) The Duncan family fell instantly in love with wee Gem and could not wait to take her home. After a huge amount of kisses and cuddles, Gems new family set off home to prepare for Gems arrival. They visited again the next day, and brought Gem a blanket and some toys to keep her occupied until she was sent out for desexing Gem was desexed the following Monday and went to her new home the same day. This caring family was over the moon with their new girl and we hear Pearl was please to have a new little sister as well! Both dogs are now very healthy and living great new lives. A HUGE thanks to put Mastiff Breeds Rescue & Rehoming for your help in finding these girls an awesome home, and to the special family for giving Pearl and Gem a second chance at life.

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)

When the staff were doing the gardening they decided to introduce the new shelter dog. Meet "Forest", our staff member. He is a bit green around the edges but we are sure he will blend in.