Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Guard puppy finds new home

By Kiri Gillespie
Bay of Plenty Times·
17 May, 2012 10:20 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Squeezing out a baby "ruff" and barely directing his tiny legs into a waddly walk, the Somerville family's new guard dog has some growing to do before he officially keeps watch.

The young children of Michael and Joanie Somerville were so traumatised after a burglar crept around their Welcome Bay home while they slept, they were too afraid to go to sleep or use the bathroom alone.

But since the May 1 break-in the family have been overwhelmed with human kindness, including an offer of a puppy to become a guard dog.

"The neighbours banded together. We have been given food, money, baked stuff for the children. It has just been overwhelming," Mrs Somerville said.

"Now, with the puppy, I am just blown away. It is really, really awesome support. It's just heartfelt."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

After reading about the family's plight in the Bay of Plenty Times, maremma sheep dog breeder Carol Gunn offered them a young guard dog in training free of charge.

The family were at the farm this week to choose which puppy they wanted.

While watching her 4, 6 and 8-year-old children cuddle the litter of four-week-old puppies, Mrs Somerville wept as she explained how the impact on the children (of being offered a puppy) was unlike anything she had experienced.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I think about it every day, how lucky we are. It is just so wonderful," Mrs Somerville said, drying her eyes.

"She [Ms Gunn] just put a light on the kids' faces. I have never seen so much light in their faces. It's just fantastic."

The family were big animal lovers, Mrs Somerville said.

They already had five cats and always wanted a dog.

Mrs Gunn breeds dogs at Omanawa's Balagan Farm and Kennels. Puppies usually sell for $600-$800 but she wanted the Somervilles to have one for free.

"It just touched me. I know how hard it is when kids are scared in their own homes like that. I wanted to offer them a puppy, if they were in a position to have one," Ms Gunn said.

She said Maremma dogs had a temperament that worked well for them as a family dog.

"Their role was to guard and protect the sheep in Italy, where they are from but in New Zealand we tend to use them as guard dogs guarding the family."

By nature the dogs were gentle with lambs but fiercely protective of their flock.

The children eventually chose their new puppy "because its face was more fluffy", 6-year-old Jonelle Somerville said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Their new and yet-to-be named puppy will be ready to go home with the Somervilles next month.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

$1m buyers crazy for Hare Krishna barn with cars in the lounge - 'my busiest open home in three years'

Bay of Plenty Times

'Sustained period of cruelty': Starship doctor slates child protection agency failings

Bay of Plenty Times

Mighty ponga trees save driver as car plunges towards stream


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

$1m buyers crazy for Hare Krishna barn with cars in the lounge - 'my busiest open home in three years'
Bay of Plenty Times

$1m buyers crazy for Hare Krishna barn with cars in the lounge - 'my busiest open home in three years'

Stunning Bay of Plenty home used to be a Hare Krishna workshop.

15 Jul 08:10 AM
'Sustained period of cruelty': Starship doctor slates child protection agency failings
Bay of Plenty Times

'Sustained period of cruelty': Starship doctor slates child protection agency failings

15 Jul 06:00 AM
Mighty ponga trees save driver as car plunges towards stream
Bay of Plenty Times

Mighty ponga trees save driver as car plunges towards stream

15 Jul 05:23 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP