Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Auckland, New Zealand

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<	July 2008	>
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Fat dog slim...

Bert, on arrival at the Auckland SPCA Animal Village

On Tuesday 17th June 2008, two perky 8 year old Fox Terriers were surrendered to the Auckland SPCA as their owners could no longer look afer them. Ernie and Bert (as we have renamed them) are morbidly obese due to a poor diet and overfeeding.

Ernie weighed in at 20kg which is 67% overweight and Burt was a whopping 32.5kg, which is 117% overweight! Tracy Dunn, SPCA Operations Manager, mentioned that we often see malnourished and underweight dogs and cats but overweight animals to this degree is an unusual occurrence.

The team at Hill’s Pet Nutrition (exclusive sponsors of the SPCA feeding program) were called in to help.

You can see the full story and follow the progress of their diet back to health on our Fat Dog Slim blog.

A promise kept to Eve...

image: Eve soon after her arrival at the Auckland SPCA When a Ridgeback-cross dog was found by SPCA inspector Todd Neal on Christmas Eve 2007 locked under her owners’ house and left to starve for at least five weeks without food or water, the Auckland SPCA undertook to ensure that justice would be done [read latest NZ Herald story here]

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters who helped us to fund a prosecution, that promise was fulfilled when Pauline Taki entered a plea of guilty and surrendered Eve permanently into the care of the SPCA [read our full press release here]

You can read Eve's own blog online here.

Frank

A huge thank you to all those who have donated to Frank's appeal to allow his operation to proceed. He is now recovering well in the care of his current foster home [read more here on Frank's blog]

Botched tail docking leaves pup fighting for life

The [Waikato] SPCA says a puppy which had its tail hacked off in "rough, backyard butcher fashion" may not survive without surgery. Versace, a three-month-old rottweiler mix, has been in SPCA care since it was found in severe pain wandering the streets of Silverdale, Hamilton, last week... [more...]

Update: Versace has now received his surgery and he is doing very well. He has been much happier since the operation. After the story was published, the Waikato SPCA had a huge amount of support and managed to raise the money needed for him. Sounds like a happy ending for a puppy that had a very disturbing start to life...

DeSex and the City

Again this year Auckland Veterinary clinics have rallied behind the SPCA to promote the desexing campaign.

Throughout July select veterinary clinics will be offering discounted prices and special offers for owners wanting to have their pets desexed. Our own 'Desex-a-thon' here at the Auckland Animal Village was a huge success and 530 animals were desexed thanks to the tireless efforts of our wonderful Staff and Volunteers!

If you didn't managed to get out to the SPCA during our 'Desex-a-thon' (Friday 27th June - Sunday 6th July), don't worry - check with your local vet clinic here and if you're quick, you'll still get a great discount while their offers last, plus you'll be helping reduce the number of unwanted and aboandoned kittens in Auckland. Read all about our DeSex and the City campaign here.

Entertainment™ Book 2008-2009 -- purchase yours now!

Purchase your brand new 2008/2009 Entertainment™ Book now to receive over $15,000 in valuable offers, valid through 1 June, 2009. At the same time, you’ll be helping Auckland SPCA fund-raising! The Entertainment™ Book is your guide to the best restaurants, hotel accommodation, attractions, sports and leisure activities... all with 25% to 50% off or 2-for-1 offers! Check it out here for more details!

Volunteers Needed

Rabbit Care at Village

We urgently require rabbit volunteers for Saturdays and Sundays, on an ongoing basis. Duties involve cleaning and feeding the rabbits. Please contact the Volunteer Co-ordinator if interested on 09 2567304.

Helping those in need - do you have the right stuff?

The Auckland SPCA needs volunteer ambulance drivers weekends and weekdays. You must have a clean and full drivers licence, be over 18 and have great people skills. If you are interested in being part of this elite team please download the application form and forward to our Volunteer Coordinator.

Weekday Animal Care Volunteers Needed Urgently!

If you are available weekdays and enjoy working with cats, dogs or rabbits then please contact the Auckland SPCA on 09 2567304, or by email to our Volunteer Coordinator.

Foster homes needed!

If you aren't able to to have a full-time pet, then we have the perfect solution for you - foster an SPCA animal! We are now looking for foster homes for adult cats, kittens, puppies & adult dogs. To register your interest please email Rebecca, our Foster Co-ordinator now. Conditions apply and to view more details, check out our Volunteer pages.

Only buy cruelty-free cosmetics

Beauty and cosmetic products often perform extensive animal testing on their products before releasing them onto the market. A lot of these products contain a cocktail of preservatives, colourings and fragrances that can cause reactions in humans despite the suffering of the animals, in an attempt to ensure that they are fit for human usage. Some manufacturers are bucking the trend thankfully, and some of the local creulty-free producers of fine products are Living Nature, Hema Products, Carol Priest, evolu, Antipodes Nature, Trilogy Products.