Shelter, rehome & reunite

Whether they have just arrived, are currently undergoing medical treatment, or are waiting to be adopted, every animal deserves a warm bed and shelter. Here at SPCA, our staff and volunteers work to ensure that every animal is loved and cared for on their journey to finding a new home.

We work extremely hard to ensure that ALL healthy animals in our care are offered the chance to be placed into loving forever homes.

If we think the animal might have an owner, we do our very best to try and reunite it with its owner as soon as possible. We scan every animal for a microchip and look for other ways to identify them, such as tattoos and collars. All animals are given flea and worm treatments on arrival. They are also checked for any obvious health issues and treated as necessary.

If we can’t identify an animal we will hold them for seven days at our centre and list them on lostpet.co.nz, a nationwide database for lost and found animals. On the eighth day, if no owner is found, SPCA takes ownership of the animal. Once this happens, we start the process of getting them ready to find a new home.

We consider it our responsibility to make sure animals adopted from SPCA are prepared for their new life. As well as food and shelter, each animal receives a temperament check and enjoys different forms of enrichment – from toys for the cats to play time for dogs. We have even had a pig that liked to play soccer! Dogs are given additional training to prepare them for their new life.

Matching the right home with the right animal is essential. A person’s lifestyle, property and experience with animals are all important factors that are considered before an adoption is approved. Our animal teams and volunteers work hard to ensure that every animal finds the best forever home for them.

Adopting a new family member is a big decision, as it is a commitment to care for that animal for the rest of their life. But if the time is right, it is also the start of a very special relationship.