Jan Rae’s home near Wakefield is canine heaven for rescue dogs she has given a home or fostered and now she is coordinating a new dog rescue charity in Nelson Tasman.
Animal Welfare Network NZ – Trusted Rescues South Island Pet Rehoming has just created a branch in the region, making it the fifth branch in the South Island to rehome dogs and pups mainly from the North Island where they are rescued.
So far this year, the charity has rehomed about 200 dogs NZ-wide.
Dogs, mainly puppies, will begin arriving in the Top of the South from the North Island this month and Jan has the job of finding foster homes as well as collecting gear such as bedding and food, then finding permanent homes.
She says the problem is people continue to allow dogs to breed or intentionally breed from them when there is a cost-of-living crisis and people cannot afford to buy a puppy or care for it.
“We would really love people to stop breeding, but for the puppies out there, we want to provide some sort of safety net. If people are going to breed puppies, make sure they have guaranteed homes for them. We need to stem the flow.”
The charity’s founder, Victoria Hoskin, says it’s one of some 72 registered animal rescue charities around the country and that is still not enough for what she describes as a massive animal welfare problem. The charity takes dogs from pounds (councils’ animal control centres) in the North Island to rehome in the South Island and Victoria says many pounds are overflowing. She has heard of one pound that euthanised 150 dogs and mostly pups in one week.
“There’s a real issue and a lot of these dogs are so malnourished and mistreated. There’s some we just can’t help. But there’s some beautiful puppies among them. None of them choose to be there.
“I think a big part of what is going on is the lack of prosecutions and no authority governing them.”
She says her heart goes out to dog rangers who are often trying to rescue animals from risky situations where they are faced with violence.
Victoria says the governance of animal welfare in New Zealand needs a review because right now the animal welfare charities are simply the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff.
“We’re almost third world in animal welfare and things need to change,” she says. “We need to turn this ship around and we can turn it around, but we need everyone on board.”
The charity works closely with another puppy rescue charity in Auckland and the animals are quarantined and vaccinated before heading south, often travelling with frequent flyers which makes it cheaper.
“We can rehome pups a lot quicker than older dogs. When we take on a mature dog, we have to make sure they’re temperament tested and know whether it has any behavioural issues. Sometimes it can take a while to find a long-term home for them.”
Puppies will begin arriving in Nelson this month to spend time in foster homes while the charity seeks permanent homes for them.
