Northland animal rescue groups call for mandatory desexing and more enforcement to curb dog problems

Donna Badorek from Donna Doolittle's Animal Rescue said there should be mandatory desexing and enforcement of dogs in the Far North to tackle ongoing problems.

Inundated Northland animal rescue centres are calling for mandatory desexing of dogs as scores of unwanted canines and litters of unwanted puppies continue to overwhelm the region.

Bay of Islands Animal Rescue, Donna Doolittle’s Animal Rescue, and the SPCA want the mandatory desexing of all dogs, apart from registered breeders, particularly in the Far North where there is a huge problem of neglected, unwanted, roaming and aggressive dogs.

Their calls come as the SPCA launches yet another desexing campaign – this time targeting Kaitāia – in a bid to bring down the soaring population and prevent thousands of unwanted animals from being born.

“If you’re not a breeder, or there’s no medical reason why desexing your dog is an issue, it should be desexed,” Donna Badorek from Donna Doolittle’s Animal Rescue said.

“If we could stop the unnecessary breeding, we could stop all these puppies being neglected, dumped or given away.

“Half the problem is intact males searching for females on heat, and continuously humping everything in sight.”

Badorek said she’s had “multiple messages about stray animals roaming around, and intact animals attacking other animals and people”.

“It’s the same culprits not getting their animals desexed and having multiple litters of puppies.

“There are some families I have turned up to every season to pick up puppies.

“I’ve offered to desex their animals and they just don’t care. There’s no enforcement, no law, nothing, so I’m stuck picking up the pieces.”

Northland has a disproportionately high number of cats and dogs that are not desexed.

Apart from overwhelmed animal rescue centres, there is an ongoing issue with roaming, unregistered dogs attacking other dogs and people, including two recent human fatalities.

Bay of Islands Animal Rescue founder Summer Johnson said there needs to be more education around pet ownership and desexing in the Far North. Photo / Jenny Ling

Bay of Islands Animal Rescue founder Summer Johnson said she “100 per cent agrees” with Badorek about mandatory desexing.

“It’d stop the overpopulation. There would be no dumped, unwanted litters on the side of the road or bush, or defenceless puppies turning into feral dogs running in packs in the bushes.”

Johnson said there also needs to be more education around responsible pet ownership.

The months of February, March and April were the “worst” for animal rescue centres, she said.

Every rescue centre in New Zealand was “full to overflowing” over Christmas as parents gave their kids new puppies as gifts, then, a couple of months later, realised what was involved in caring for them.

“We need to be educating our whānau and neighbours and stopping the cycle.

“A lot of people get a puppy for Christmas and by the time the kids go back to school in February … they’ve got a puppy that’s chewing shoes, and digging under the fence or wandering around and they don’t want it anymore.”

In June, the SPCA signed a petition calling to mandate the desexing of dogs in New Zealand, except for registered breeders.

The petition attracted over 2500 signatures, has been through Parliament’s Select Committee and has been referred to the Animal Welfare Minister.

It was started by Chained Dog Awareness New Zealand, who say the population of dogs in Aotearoa is increasing and rescue groups are drowning and can’t keep up.

The SPCA recently undertook a ten-week mobile desexing campaign which saw more than 400 animals desexed in Northland’s rural communities.

The mobile clinic visited seven towns including Moerewa, Rawene, Ahipara and Dargaville from September to November.

The SPCA's Vetti Fawcett and pet owner John Soloman during the animal welfare charity’s recent desexing campaign. The SPCA has launched another campaign targeting Kaitāia to prevent unwanted animals being born.

The new Kaitāia campaign will be funding desexing surgeries for another 500 cats and dogs over the next six months in partnership with Donna Doolittle’s and local vets.

SPCA national desexing manager Rebecca Dobson said the initiative was especially important for Kaitāia after the previous mobile clinic identified the extra need for support there.

“The issue of overpopulation is a societal one that requires collaboration from many parties to tackle,” she said.

“So this is a really valuable way for our national charity to engage the help of local rescue groups with the touchpoints in the community to have a long-term impact.”

Badorek said her rescue group has spent close to $50,000 in desexing costs since the start of 2023. The money came from community donations and grant applications.

The council should be working alongside rescue groups, sharing information and helping with desexing and enforcement for the betterment of animal welfare in the region, she said.

“There is a lot more they [the council] could be doing to control strays and the population around Kaitāia,” she said.

“There needs to be enforcement legislation put in place that this is not okay, and animals need to be desexed.

“The way they can do that is to check up on the families who continue to do this [allow their dogs to have litters].

“All it takes is the council to wake up and see the crisis that’s going on, and care enough to stop this problem.”

The FNDC has been approached for comment.

Kaitāia pet owners wanting to have their cat or dog desexed free of charge can email Donna Doolittle’s Animal Rescue at donna@ddar.org.nz.

Jenny Ling is a news reporter and features writer for the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering health, roading, lifestyle, business and animal welfare issues.