Return, Adopt or Euthanise? Nz Councils on Shelter Dogs

In June, Christchurch City Council said none of the 565 dogs it impounded over 11 months had been euthanised.

It prompted us to wonder – how do other regions fare?

Data from July 1 2021 to June 17 2022 from seven councils around the country has revealed 5628 dogs had a happy ending, while 1662 were euthanised.

The remaining 200 or so dogs were still being held in shelters for legal reasons, were being held for a minimum of seven days to see if any owners came forward, or were going through the adoption process. Others died.

1News asked for shelter data from the councils after Christchurch City Council said in June none of the 565 dogs it had impounded during this time were euthanised. 1News wanted to see how many other shelter dogs around the country had found their forever homes.

Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Dunedin were chosen due to their population size.

READ MORE: SPCA kennels across NZ flooded with dogs needing foster homes

The Far North was chosen as it has issues with feral dogs. There are estimated to be around 100 of them.

Far North

The Far North District Council said it had impounded 323 dogs. Of that, 105 were claimed by their owners and 56 were rehomed by the council.

Forty-one went to a rescue organisation for rehoming and 120 were euthanised.

The last remaining dog was still to complete its seven days in the shelter as at June 17.

The council's manager for environmental services Rochelle Deane explained a dog can't be considered for adoption until after a week has passed so owners have time to claim their dog.

She also said it doesn't rehome dogs that are aggressive and likely to attack.

Dogs that aren't claimed and who can't be rehomed are euthanised.

A small percentage of dogs are also put down for welfare reasons, but this must be signed off by a vet.

Auckland

Auckland Council said 4791 dogs had been impounded across its three shelters in Silverdale, Henderson and Manukau.

The dogs were either collected by animal management or dropped off by the public.

As at June 17, 151 dogs had been adopted, two had been fostered, 158 had been transferred to rescues, 19 had been transferred to the SPCA and 3078 had been claimed by their owners.

Thirty-eight were being held for legal reasons and around 80 were either waiting to be adopted, were being assessed for adoption or were still to complete the seven day holding period - it's there to give owners time to claim their dog.

Sixteen puppies born at the Manukau animal shelter will be up for adoption once they've been weaned off their mums.

A total of 1196 dogs were euthanised, while 29 dogs were dead on arrival and nine died in the shelter.

The council said its shelters are at "capacity" and dogs are waiting longer to find their forever homes. It wants the help of responsible owners to ease the "crisis".

It explained there's been an increase in the number of people looking to give up their pets and in the number of strays.

Beanie is one of the dogs in need of a good home. The year old staffy cross has been waiting for her forever home since December last year - more than 200 days.