Big Mack was sent to Christchurch Bull Breed Rescue for rehoming.
The Whanganui public is being urged to think before buying puppies as Christmas gifts.
Whanganui District Council compliance officer, educator and pound keeper Marieke Waghorn said getting a dog was a 15-plus year commitment.
“People just don’t realise how much training, time, and money they have to dedicate,” she said.
“Having a puppy is just like having a toddler. They are full-on.
“It may look tempting, but it’s a massive decision.”
Waghorn said the council wanted to set people up for successful dog ownership, and “getting a puppy on a whim is not always a good idea”.
A lot ended up at the pound shortly after the festive season had finished, she said.
“People want to go on holiday and haven’t thought about what to do with them.
“We also find them wandering, because they’ve just been left at home, or they’re surrendered to us or the SPCA. It’s not on.”
The pound, operated by the council on Airport Rd, rehomed 66 dogs in the year to June 30, slightly less than the year before.
“Not included in that number are the swapsies we do with SPCA,” Waghorn said.
“We send a lot of puppies there, and we have a really good working relationship with them [SPCA].
“But people just aren’t adopting as much, and that’s a general trend nationally.”
The pound also has a partnership with ARAN Animal Rescue.
Waghorn said a recent success story involved Big Mack, a mastiff cross, who had been sent south and rehomed through Christchurch Bull Breed Rescue.
“We got a call from someone worried about him,” she said.
“His owners had vacated the house, and he had been chained by his neck to a washing line for three weeks, surrounded by rubbish.”
Big Mack was taken to the pound extremely underweight and unsure of people, she said.
ARAN got him neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, registered and vet-checked, before he boarded a plane to Christchurch.
“He was in a really sorry state, but he’s awesome now, and back up to a good 50kg.”
There were 159 euthanisations in Whanganui in 2024/25.
Waghorn said the pound got quite a few calls from people wanting to surrender their dog because it had become aggressive.
Or, dogs were at the end of their lives, and owners could not afford to take them to the vet to be euthanised.
“Last week, we had a lovely couple with two tiny Maltese Bichon dogs, but they were moving to Thailand and didn’t know what to do with them.
“The dogs were 14 years old, in terrible health, and not spayed.
“One was too far gone, so we had to euthanise it.”
With the help of ARAN, the other dog’s teeth were sorted out and lumps were removed, and it was rehomed in Tauranga, Waghorn said.
“People just don’t understand what’s behind those [euthanisation] figures.
“We are having to do what’s right for the community, and for the dogs.”
If a dog is not claimed from the pound after seven days, it becomes council property.
Council regulatory and compliance operations manager Jason Shailer said the pound dealt with dogs that were sick, old or had behavioural problems.
“People just dump them. What do you do with them?” he said.
The council logged 3679 animal-related requests for service in 2024-25, a 12% increase from 2023-24.
But Shailer said dog attack numbers in Whanganui were gradually falling year-on-year, as were reports of wandering dogs.
Dogs are prohibited from Victoria Ave between Taupo Quay and Ingestre St, and the area contained within St Hill St, Taupo Quay, Drews Ave, Watt St, Wicksteed St and Ingestre St.
“We’ve seen incidents of nice, friendly dogs snap at kids, or a dog getting attacked by a not-so-friendly dog,” Shailer said.
“It’s about reducing the risk in public, especially when there are people around and foreign noises and environments.”
Waghorn said the cost of living affected people’s ability to get dogs desexed, and that meant more unwanted puppies and more dumping.
“People are getting rid of them to anyone, even at the Saturday markets, and because some owners aren’t suitable, puppies come to us at 6 to 8 months of age with behavioural issues.
“ARAN has got a desexing grant, and we are actually offering it to people who can’t afford it.
“Having said that, twice this week, we’ve had dogs booked in under the grant, and people haven’t shown up.”
Waghorn runs responsible dog ownership classes at the pound, and she said next year, people would be able to do them online.
Pound dogs went through a lot of behavioural tests before being sent for rehoming, she said.
Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.