SPCA investigation after dog found hanging from fence in South Auckland

An SPCA investigation will be launched after a dog was found hanging from a fence. Photo / RNZ

Warning: Distressing content

An SPCA investigation will be launched after a dog was found hanging from a fence today.

Auckland Council animal management manager Sarah Anderson said staff were called to the South Auckland property this afternoon following the death of the dog.

She said it appeared, at this stage, that the dog may have tried to jump the fence and accidentally hung itself when the chain caught.

However, Charmaine Wolmarans, founder of Pixies Animal Rescue, said people had raised concerns with her about the dog's wellbeing during the past fortnight.

That's led her to question whether the circumstances of the death because the chain looked too short for the dog to have jumped that high on its own.

Wolmarans said she was called by a friend who had found the dog, which looked like a 2-year-old staffy cross.

She claimed her friend rang SPCA with no success before ringing Auckland Council animal management after finding it.

Wolmarans - who has cared for more than 1000 animals since her organisation's inception in 2011 - feels as if she'd failed the dog because she'd been wanting to help it for the past fortnight.

"It's terrible, the worst part is I saw [the dog] for the last time on Friday, I said, 'Just a little bit longer, we'll get you out of here.'

"Every time we walk away, we do so with a heavy heart because you can't do anything when you see these animals suffer."

Attempts to contact the owner were unsuccessful. Social media posts, believed to be from the owner, claim she was wasn't at home at the time of the incident.

The SPCA has committed to an investigation into the incident. Photo / Supplied

Wolmarans believes there isn't enough support from the SPCA and the Government to address animal abuse, which she described as a daily issue.

SPCA spokeswoman Kim Taylor said multiple investigators had been trying to reach Wolmarans for more details on the case.

Taylor said the SPCA had no record of any calls regarding the incident, other than from people who had since learned about the dog's death on social media and called SPCA to find out what was being done.

Taylor committed to an investigation into the incident, as soon as investigators received the appropriate information.

"As animal groups, we need to work together for the betterment of outcomes for animals and people," she said.

When asked about Wolmarans' criticism of SPCA's services, Taylor said multiple attempts had been made to connect the two organisations and discuss concerns.

Taylor reiterated the SPCA's commitment to animal welfare and said its staff was devoted to improving living conditions for animals.