From rescued to rehomed: Griffin's story

All too often, animals come into the care of the SPCA after being found dumped by their previous owners.

This was the case for little Griffin and his siblings, who were brought in to our Dunedin Centre after being found abandoned on the side of the road.

Luckily, the pups seemed to be in relatively good health – if they had been left any longer, this may not have been the case.

Our team were quick to provide food and water for the pups, and made sure they were warm and safe. Upon completing medical assessments, vets noticed that two of the litter appeared to be limping.

One of the two pups was able to move with relative ease, and showed signs of improvement quickly. The other one however, was struggling. This was Griffin.

Our Canine Team Lead Gemma told us that Griffin appeared to have a significant injury.

“The other pup that was limping bounced back quickly. But this little guy was obviously a lot sadder and sore, so he went in for X-rays.” You can see in the picture how he was favouring his injured leg, not putting any weight on it which indicates clear discomfort. As well as this, Griffin fixed our team with an imploring look, and we knew he was asking us to help him. We didn’t know exactly how the injury had been sustained, but we knew we had to get to work to help this suffering sweetheart.

Griffin’s leg required a cast, not much fun for a young puppy, but we knew it was his best chance at making a full recovery. We made sure that during his recovery, he enjoyed loving care from our Dunedin team – hardly a challenge, when Griffin was such a lovely wee pup!

“Griffin was lucky, as he was very young it meant that he was doing well and healing quite quickly. He only needed to wear the cast for about five weeks,” Gemma said.

With his new cast in place – looking adorably bulky on his tiny body – Griffin was able to begin his road to recovery along with his siblings.

With all of the litter receiving flea and worm treatments, plenty of food, and endless love and cuddles from our Dunedin Centre team, it was incredible to see them gaining strength and starting to come out of their shells.

Griffin needed his cast to be changed every two weeks “which he loved,” Gemma explains, “as he got all of the attention and special treatment He was on restricted exercise too. It was always a mission to keep his cast clean and dry.” We know this is no easy feat when dealing with a playful puppy!

It wasn’t long before the pups were ready to go up for adoption, and our team knew Griffin wouldn’t have too much trouble finding a home. “He was a staff favourite, and he knew it. He was always so cuddly.”

Griffin was in our care for a total of seven weeks before the big day came, and he was adopted by a loving family.

We were thrilled to hear an update from Griffin’s new owner Neil.

“We were originally looking for a different pup at SPCA, but on talking with the Centre staff, we realised that dog wasn’t going to be a good fit for us. Griff was then suggested to us, and it’s working out great!” Neil said.

“We already had Nalu from SPCA, and Griff is great company for her. They get on well and have a varied life. Plenty of walks and boat rides… Griff has just come and sat beside me on the couch now. He has a very loving nature.”

It makes us so happy to hear that Griffin is living his new life, safe and loved, with his new best friend and sibling Nalu.

Interested in adopting a deserving animal like Griffin? View profiles now at www.spca.nz/adopt.