There were several posts on Facebook about the dog and how scared and confused it was. When approached, it would run away but kept returning to the same spot.
Mr Gowland made frequent visits to feed, water and get the wary animal used to him in the hope he could coax it into his ute.
“Everyone and everything needs love and attention, whether it’s people or animals,” said Mr Gowland. “The dog had clearly been abandoned and more than anything was scared and alone.”
The day after the first reported sighting, Mr Gowland erected an A-Frame shelter, topped it with a plastic fadge and furnished it with a blanket.
The “whare kuri” was no Hilton but it did the job, he said.
On returning the next morning he was disheartened to find the dog’s shelter, food and water bowls and blanket had been taken.
When heavy rain swept in and the temperature dropped Mr Gowland returned and built a second shelter in the rain and dark.
“The basics of life go a long way,” he said. “A dog can’t go to WINZ and ask for a food grant.
“It was pouring down when I put up the second shelter. The dog sat there watching. He gave a little bark when I was done to say ‘cheers, bro’. Then he went straight in and curled up on his new blanket.”
Mr Hannam heard about the abandoned dog through a call from a staff member.
He and his team members made several visits to get the dog used to them.
“We wanted to catch him. If we left him there and he wandered on to a farm paddock, he might have been shot.”
During his attempts, Mr Hannam encountered members of the public including Mr Gowland and Izzy Te Rauna, another frequent visitor.
“People would stop to say they’d been there and tried to catch him, but had no luck.”
It took a week for Mr Hannam to finally secure the dog.
“Someone stopped and got his dog out to help me catch him. This was of great help, so thanks to that person.”
Mr Gowland was elated to hear of the rescue.
“I was absolutely stoked for the dog. He was scared, so it was a great feeling knowing the big guy is finally in a shelter and being looked after and cared for.
“They (GDC staff) stepped up in a big way. They deserve kudos.”
Mr Hannam said animal control assessed dogs before rehoming them.
“In the past 12 months we’ve rehomed 100 dogs. Last year we rehomed 190 and 98 percent of those were out of town.”
Because the dog rescued from the dunes off the “Mad Mile” was left out in the community, was not under the owner’s control and was roaming near farmland, animal control had the legal right to shoot it.
“But we’re not here to do that. It used to be that way . . . we’re here to help dog owners and the dogs. We are here for the dogs.
“My philosophy is to educate dog owners. They don’t need to dump their dogs at the beach. They can surrender them to us.”
Knowing the dog’s name, habits, commands and if it was good with kids helped animal control rehome the animal.
“We all own dogs,” said Mr Hannam. “We know their value.”
