Almost 700 dogs put down in pounds
At five weeks old, huntaway cross Ruby was abandoned on the side of a rural road.
When she was found by a farmer she was underweight, riddled with worms, terrified and was taken to the pound, where her fate hung in the balance.
If it wasn’t for Opunake couple Dianne and Mike Phillips adopting Ruby, she might have become one of the four impounded dogs put to death in Taranaki every week.
In the past three years, 682 dogs have been euthanised at the three council-run shelters across the region, either by an injection or by firearm. That equates to 227 dogs a year, or four per week.
The destruction of seven of those dogs was court ordered – three of those orders were made within the past month in New Plymouth District Court following attacks on other animals.
Dianne said the recent number of euthanised dogs in Taranaki pounds was appalling. A selfdescribed dog lover, she has always chosen to adopt rescue dogs over buying from a breeder.
‘‘They’re going to be destroyed otherwise,’’ she said. ‘‘Pound pups are fantastic; generally they’re really good dogs.’’
The Phillips adopted Ruby, now six months old, in July from the South Taranaki pound after seeing a picture of her on Facebook. ‘‘She’s an absolute beauty, we just love her to bits.’’
A lot of the impounded dogs were social and easy to connect with, Dianne said. But she acknowledged a number had issues such as aggression and were harder to rehome.
They still deserve to be saved, just by the right people, she said.
But these dogs are nearly always put down. New Plymouth, Stratford and South Taranaki district councils order the death of impounded dogs for a number of reasons, including temperament, involvement in attacks or threatening behaviour, or their breed being considered dangerous.
Debra Ashton, chief executive of animal advocacy group SAFE, said the recent number of impounded Taranaki dogs being put to death was significant.
Every effort should be made to rehome and care for healthy dogs, she said. ‘‘We wouldn’t want to see any healthy animal euthanised.’’
Chantell Denton, of STDC, said if an impounded dog remained unclaimed for seven days then, as per the Dog Control Act 1996, the council would begin to assess its rehoming potential. If the adoption process was unsuccessful, the dogs were euthanised.
‘‘Our aim is to rehome all the unclaimed dogs we possibly can, with the condition that safety of the community and the adopted family comes first,’’ she said.
In the past three years, 308 dogs have been put to death at the South Taranaki pound. This is comparative to New Plymouth District Council’s 333 but far greater than Stratford’s 41.
All councils said the dogs were humanely euthanised by a vet at the pound using an injection. South Taranaki also uses a small calibre firearm operated by an animal control officer (ACO).
Denton strongly encouraged dog owners to get their pets registered and microchipped so they could be easily returned.
Stratford Council’s Blair Sutherland
said whether a dog could be rehomed hinged on an ACO’s assessment. If the dog showed continued signs of aggression towards officers, and had a history of aggression, it would probably be euthanised.
On the other hand, if the dog was suitable for adoption an interview would be undertaken with any potential new owner and a rehousing period recommended to see how the dog fitted into its new environment.
SAFE’s Ashton said potential owners needed to first consider the responsibilities of taking on a dog. ‘‘Every dog deserves to be raised and socialised in an environment where it can get the best chance at life.’’