Your chance to adopt a pet and help SPCA

by Anita Moran anita.moran@dailypost.co.nz
There's no more room at the Rotorua SPCA inn - a situation it's hoped will be alleviated by an "adoptathon" this weekend.

The city's animal shelter has been at full capacity for the past five months and centre manager Nicola Martin says homes are desperately needed for the animals.

The local SPCA branch will be offering pets at a reduced rate during the weekend adoptathon.

In 2007, up until November, the branch had 1825 animals come through its door.

For the same period this year, it has taken in 1638.

Ms Martin said the difference was because the centre had been full for months and wasn't able to take any more animals. People had been turned away.

"I think people are also finding it hard. They just can't afford to have an animal any more."

So far this year the Rotorua SPCA had homed 36 per cent, or 592, of the animals it had received and had to put down 768, 46 per cent. A lot of those were wild cats.

The remainder were sent to the city pound or died.

Local adoption rates were down by 50 per cent with dogs the worst affected, Ms Martin said.

To relieve some of the strain on the Rotorua centre, some animals had been sent to other SPCA branches around the country.

"We have sent about 30 or 40 animals to other shelters and they were homed in about a week. I can't help but wonder why we are struggling to home them here."

Ms Martin said people were often put off adopting an animal from the SPCA because they were "mongrels" but that wasn't always the case.

"About one per cent of the dogs we get are pure-bred and the rest are mongrel. They are just as deserving as any other animal."

Ms Martin said the Rotorua SPCA tried to avoid putting animals down.

"We make a commitment to that animal and we will stick it out as long as it takes to find it a home."

The centre was no longer able to take in puppies or kittens from owners without the mothers first being desexed.

"This is because we want people to be more responsible and have found only 5 per cent of people refuse."



ROTORUA SPCA ADOPTATHON

Runs Saturday and Sunday

The cost to adopt a dog is $200 and for a cat $70

All the animals up for adoption have had all vaccinations and been treated for worms and fleas

Taking an animal during the adoptathon will save people up to $200