227 days recovering: this is Kimber’s story

29 July 2022

When Kimber first came into the care of SPCA New Plymouth, she was covered in such a severe case of mange, our team described her skin as “looking like tar.” It’s been a long road to recovery, but she had a great guide along the way in Canine Lead, Tanita. Now, 227 days after we first met her, Kimber is finally ready for rehoming.

227 days recovering: this is Kimber’s story

Behind every single animal that comes into SPCA, there is a team of people who make their rescues, recoveries, and rehoming all possible. From day one, Kimber had an ally in SPCA New Plymouth Canine Lead, Tanita.

“When she first came in she basically had no fur at all,” she recalls. “She had to have a medicated bath every day, sometimes twice a day at the start. I’d fill a kids’ swimming pool to make sure she was getting the treatment she needed on her feet, which were in really bad shape. We did the bath every day together, her and I.”

The mange was so bad at the start, no one knew what colour Kimber’s coat would be. Then one day, the regular baths suddenly paid off. Almost overnight, Kimber displayed a brindle patterns, with a solid black patch all down her back. “She’s just so beautiful! It’s so cool to see that change as it happens.”

Tanita is a classic example of the incredible passion and care behind everyone who’s part of the SPCA whānau. “I live an hour away from the Centre, and I often stay longer, just to be with them. If I feel I haven’t spent enough time with them that day. I’ll always stay with them after work. People don’t know that, but everyone I know at SPCA goes the extra mile. How can you not when the animals we look after are as deserving as this?”

And Kimber certainly demonstrates that. Even for her, meeting and falling in love with so many dogs in her work, Tanita admits Kimber is someting special, and is so excited for her to find her forever family after a long journey to get here.

“We want her to go to a home where she’ll be the only dog – I think she needs the focus on her. Because of her skin she hasn’t had as much interaction and playing with other dogs like SPCA dogs typically do.” If it weren’t for already having her own dog at home, Tanita would be tempted to take her herself, but knows she deserves to be an only child, and knows she’ll make someone else the best companion.

“She’s the coolest. When I go in with all the dogs at the Centre to get them all ready for the night, Kimber will just fall asleep on the bed with me – she doesn’t care about her size! She’s just so lovely.”