A 7-month-old Jack Russell-cross put up for adoption four times has found a loving home with a Rotorua family.
Tui was chosen by Irene Walden and her whānau at an Adopt-a-Dog Day at the Rotorua Pound.
She is one of 40 dogs and puppies rehomed in the first quarter of 2025 by Rotorua Lakes Council animal control staff. An Animal Control report said 135 dogs were rehomed in 2023/24.
The pound had put Tui out for adoption three previous times, with no takers.
Then along came Walden, who had convinced her husband they were just going to “take a look”.
“But when we saw Tui, we knew she was the dog for us.”
Walden said Tui was now “living her best life”.
“She loves the kids, it’s hard to believe she was the same shy dog we first saw at the pound earlier this year. She is so full of beans.”
The family of four adopted a second dog from the pound a few months later – a Labrador-retriever cross named Cove.
“Cove is the total opposite of Tui, he is a gentle soul,” Walden said.
“But he is very protective of the kids. He has this pack mentality, when we are out walking and he sees other dogs, he gets in front of us trying to keep us all close.”
Tui was recently attacked by an unleashed dog while Walden and her children, Rihari, 14 and Amaia, 6, were walking with both dogs.
Walden said it was a “traumatic situation” but Animal Control team members arrived quickly to help treat Tui, who was excited to see them again.
“It shows how much of an impact they had on her.”
The whānau shouted morning tea for the team to show their appreciation.
While not all dogs can be re-homed because of the breed, temperament or health issues, Animal Control tried to find new homes for as many as they could, the council said.
Adoptions were achieved through adoption days and partnerships with rescue organisations in Rotorua, Tauranga, Ruapehu and Christchurch, avoiding unnecessary euthanasia.
Animal Control team leader Joanne Day said each dog went through a temperament check to ensure it had no aggressive tendencies and got on well with other dogs and people.
It also tried to match dogs with their new owners.
“It wouldn’t work putting a large dog with a lot of energy with someone who’s looking for an older dog for companionship.”
In owners, the team looked for a safe and nurturing environment.
“Owners with open arms and compassionate hearts. Irene and her family were a perfect match for Tui and Cove.”
According to a recent report presented to the council, the animal control team’s challenges this year had included Tauranga-based Vada Animal Rescue being unable to take more animals for a six-week period, volunteer fatigue, and ongoing high vet costs.
“I can’t praise Central City Vets enough because they always try their best to reduce costs where they can,” Day said.
The team had sped up response times for “priority one” jobs despite an increase in these – 338 in the January-March quarter compared with 611 across the prior two quarters, its report said.
Priority one jobs included dog attacks on people, other dogs or animals, public-captured roaming dogs, wandering stock and dogs rushing at people.
The report said the increase in these callouts had put ongoing demand on Animal Control resources.
The team was not meeting 43.87% of key performance indicators but also noted data difficulties in accurately measuring compliance since the move to the internal IT system One Council.
The team took 89 dog DNA samples in the quarter, with a spike in March after the seizure of unregistered dogs that were returned once microchipped and registered.
The council established a DNA database last year and positive matches had helped identify dogs involved in attacks on other animals.
“We had an owner of a dog who was 100% adamant it wasn’t her dog that attacked livestock, but when we got the results back, it was 100% her dog,” Day said.
All seven prosecutions undertaken by the council since the end of 2023 – two relating to attacks on people and the rest for attacks on animals – had successful outcomes. There were two active cases.
With dog ownership comes big responsibilities. Here are five essential tips for being a good dog owner:
Source: Rotorua Lakes Council
He was convicted of indecent assault and attempted sexual violation in 2023.