Christchurch earthquake: Puppy stitched up after night of panic

Golden retriever Charlie with his gashed nose. Photo / Supplied

A golden retriever puppy needed emergency surgery after cutting off the side of his nose running away in panic when the quake hit.

Charlie, who is 11 months old, jumped through a glass window when a bookshelf came crashing down in his owner's lounge.

Charlie had been tucked up in bed with Caroline Fleetwood but bolted when the tremors began.

"I could hear glass crashing, but didn't know what it was," Mrs Fleetwood said. "There was no light so I was just running around the house calling out, but nothing."

She finally found Charlie outside.

"I gave him a cuddle. He was all wet, but I didn't know why."

It was not until a neighbour arrived with a torch that she realised the extent of Charlie's injuries.

"This was the first I realised that Charlie had been hurt and had blood all over his legs and ears. I had to hold the side of his nose on."

Mrs Fleetwood comforted Charlie until the St Albans vet clinic opened at 8.30am and he went into surgery.

Vet Alice Anderson said Charlie was very shaken. "He was really worried and stressed and kept looking around everywhere.

"He had nasty lacerations, a piece of tissue flapping open on the side of his nose and a hole in his head that was bleeding a lot."

Meanwhile, the weekend quake might have shattered homes, but it has failed to separate two firm friends.

While caravans and cars sank around them, best mates Achilles and Rabbit comforted each other at the Kairaki Beach Motor Camp, north of Christchurch.

Achilles the German shepherd and Rabbit - a bunny - have continued to play together, oblivious to the human heartache around them. Canterbury's SPCA predicts an increase in the number of homeless pets and strays over the next few days.

"We're expecting more animals to come in and we are ready to receive and help relocate them," manager Geoff Sutton said.

He said they were still getting hundreds of calls about lost pets and their phones were busy with people wanting advice.

People should not overreact when animals are not injured and should not bring in cats that they find wandering around because they may well live in that neighbourhood.

"We don't want people displacing animals. Cats naturally like to roam around. For them it's life as normal at the moment. Their perceptions are not the same as ours."

The SPCA is advising that lost dogs should be taken to the Christchurch City Council Animal Control.