Lockdown leads to poetic justice for Whanganui pound dogs

Whanganui pound keeper and education officer Marieke Waghorn with labrador-cross "Skinny Winnie" which was found tied to a fence without food or water. Photo / Robin Martin, RNZ

By Robin Martin of RNZ

Lockdown and the power of poetry are being credited for the Whanganui pound re-homing a record number of dogs this year.

The council-owned facility found new owners for all of the 175 dogs in its care deemed suitable for rescue.

When Whanganui pound keeper Marieke Waghorn finds a dog she often writes a poem.

This one is about Skinny Winnie, who was found half-starved tied to a fence with no food or water:

Sometimes life just isn't fair,
You try so hard, but you get nowhere,
That's like me for part of my life,
I tried so hard to stay out of strife,
I'm not sure if my owners just didn't care,
They always seemed to be off elsewhere ...

In the past, there was a good chance a dog like Skinny Winnie would be put down but this year the pound is successfully rehoming more dogs than ever.

It has dealt with more than 900 canines, reuniting the vast majority with their owners and finding new homes for 175.

"It's definitely a record for us and it's a lot of hard work. A lot of time and effort goes into it. We spend a lot of time advertising on Facebook and finding fosters.

"We also make sure all the dogs are de-sexed, vaccinated, flead, wormed, registered and chipped, so a lot of work goes into it."

Waghorn said lockdown made it easier to find homes.

"So we actually had a waiting list to adopt dogs, so I think a lot of people during lockdown reassessed their family values and what life was all about and after lockdown they wanted to adopt a dog which was fantastic."

And then there's those poems on the Whanganui Adopt a Dog Facebook page:

This cute puppy was left unclaimed,
so now Reggie, he's been named,
He's looking for a loving new home,
somewhere he can call his own,
He's most likely a working dog breed,
So will need more than just a bed and a feed,
He'll need a job to keep him busy,
Otherwise he'll drive you dizzy ...

Waghorn said she needed something to grab people's attention.

"I want people to know what we are doing here and so I found the best way to do that was by using a bit of poetry, and people love it.

"So I use poetry to advertise the strays that we have or if we've got dogs for rehoming. I'll put their photos up there and write a little poem."

Fiona Rae is the Whanganui representative of the ARAN Animal Rescue charity.

It does a lot of the work to get suitable dogs ready for re-homing.

"So I try and put in place things for them like a vet's appointment first of all. It's always a necessity and we always make sure the dogs are vaccinated and de-sexed during our re-homing.

"And then I advertise them for a home or try and get a foster to look after them until we find them a home."

She said it was incredibly rewarding.

"Sometimes when I see them off I almost get a tear in my eye depending on the journey we've taken together, but when I hear later how well they are doing and how happy they are I just think that's great and that the motivation to keep going.

"Because it's not always a great outcome - most of the time it is - but some dogs have got a past that comes back to haunt them."

Whanganui resident Tina Gibson spotted four-month-old Suzie Q on the Adopt a Dog page.

"She is a staffy-cross and I've had this breed before and they're great dogs, hence I went for her and she has done very well since I got her.

"She is a very good girl. Aren't they all with the right care."

The dog came with the name.

"Suzie Q was her name when I got her and I loved it, so it stuck. She's a rock star and an awesome one from many moons ago."

Marieke Waghorn said it was stories like Suzie Q's that made all the hard work worthwhile.

"Oh it's fantastic. The feeling is amazing. It gives you a really good feeling and especially when we find dogs that have had a really rough life and we're able to get them on the straight and narrow. Get them healthier and happier. It's just so rewarding."

Anyone interested in adopting a pooch like Skinny Winnie for example can visit the Whanganui Adopt a Dog Facebook page to check out the hounds - and the poems.