December « 2010 « Wellington SPCA

Archive for December, 2010

December 29, 2010

Holiday programmes filling up fast

Our kid’s summer holiday programmes are quickly booking up. Our ‘All about dogs’ and ‘Feline fun’ programmes are both fully booked, but there is still a chance to secure your place for some of our other action packed holiday programmes.

We have three different events with spaces remaning throughout January for kids aged from 5 to 16 years - with heaps of activities and loads of time to spend with some special SPCA animals.

To guarantee your place, check out the flyer, print off the application form here [PDF 294KB] and send it to Jennifer Rizzi, Wellington SPCA, PO Box 7069, Newtown, Wellington 6242. Or you can register your place online here.

If you’d like more information about our school holiday programme or about our Kid’s Club, you can email Jen or call her on 04 389 8044 ext 827.

Be in quick – you won’t want to miss out!

December 24, 2010

Topics: Latest

Our opening times over Christmas and the new year

NEWTOWN ANIMAL CENTRE

Friday 24th December OPEN (close at 5.30pm); Saturday 25th December CLOSED; Sunday 26th December: CLOSED; Monday 27th December: CLOSED; Tuesday 28th December: CLOSED; Wednesday 29th December: OPEN; Thursday 30th December: OPEN; Friday 31st December: OPEN (close at 5.30pm); Saturday 1st January: OPEN 1.00 – 4.00pm; Sunday 2nd January: OPEN 10.00am – 4.00pm; Monday 3rd January: OPEN 10.00am – 4.00pm; Tuesday 4th January: OPEN 10.00am – 4.00pm; Wednesday 5th January: OPEN

WAIKANAE ANIMAL CENTRE

Saturday 25th December CLOSED; Sunday 26th December: 9.00am – 3.00pm; Monday 27th December: 9.00am – 3.00pm; Tuesday 28th December: 9.00am – 3.00pm; Wednesday 29th December: 9.00am – 4.00pm; Thursday 30th December: 9.00am – 4.00pm; Friday 31st December: 9.00am – 4.00pm; Saturday 1st January: 9.00am – 3.00pm; Sunday 2nd January: 9.00am – 3.00pm; Monday 3rd January: 9.00am – 3.00pm; Tuesday 4th January: 9.00am – 3.00pm’; Wednesday 5th January: 9.00am – 4.00pm

WAIKANAE OP SHOP

Our Op Shop will be closed from 1.00pm on Thursday 23rd December and will reopen on Wednesday 5th January. If you have items you would like to donate to the Op Shop, please hang on to them until the shop reopens in the New Year – and then we will be very pleased to take them off your hands!!

If you have an animal emergency please call our 24 hour answer service on 04 389 8044.

Topics: Animals available for adoption /Events /Latest

A New Home for the New Year

While most of you are probably taking a much-needed holiday in January, Wellington SPCA will be busier than ever. We are expecting to be caring for over 500 animals at start of 2011 – the number of unwanted kittens in our care has already reached crisis point.

So, this New Year we need your help to give loving homes not only to hundreds of homeless kittens, but also to puppies, rabbits, cats and dogs.

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Throughout January, we will be out and about in your local community holding off-site adoption events. These are fantastic opportunities for you to come along and support us and give an animal a New Home for the New Year.

Keep an eye out for details of all the events here on our website, as well for posters and flyers that we’ll be dropping through doors and posting up in the areas where our adoption events are happening.

Don’t forget, you can always adopt an animal from either our Newtown or Waikanae animal centres and if you can’t adopt an animal, you can still show your support by making a much-needed donation.

With your support, let’s turn over a new leaf for the animals and give them a New Home for the New Year!

December 23, 2010

Topics: Latest

Wellington SPCA Board members

Following our Annual General Meeting on December 8th, the members of the society voted 9 new members onto the Board of Wellington SPCA.

Our current Board consists of the following members:

Craig Shepherd – Chair and Acting Chief Executive, Debra Ashton, Bice Awan, Barbara Cotton, Paul Crafar, Margaret Doucas, Charlotte (Polly) Fisher, Theresa Gattung, Emanuel Kalafatelis, Carolyn Press-McKenzie

December 21, 2010

Topics: Latest

Puppies tossed out with the rubbish

Three of four puppies dumped in a recycling bin

These are three of the four puppies dumped in a recycling bin

Four two-month-old puppies are now in our care after being found callously dumped at a recycling station. This brings the number of incidents of animals being dumped, that we have dealt with, to three in just one month.

Staff at the recycling station in Parkside Road, Wainouiomata were alerted to the cries of the puppies, who had been left in a box inside a recycling bin that was just about to be emptied. It is likely that the pups had been dumped the night before.

Wellington SPCA animal welfare inspectors are now investigating the incident and will be looking at CCTV footage from the recycling centre to search for clues as to who dumped the animals.

This kind of incident clearly shows that the public still need to get the message about taking responsibility for their pets:

Desexing your pet is the kindest thing you can do - it saves unwanted litters being born. We run desexing programmes, can offer reduced price desexing and provide advice to anyone about getting their pet desexed.
There is no excuse for abandoning any animal. We operate a 24 hour-a-day, 7-day-a-week service and can offer help to anyone who is struggling to care for their pet or its offspring.

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The maximum penalty for abandoning an animal is 6 months in prison and/or a $25,000 fine. However, the person responsible could potentially face a charge of ‘wilful ill-treatment of an animal’ which carries a much heavier penalty of a maximum 5 years in prison and/or a $100,000 fine.

If anyone has any information about any of these incidents they should contact us on 04 389 8044 ext 812.

We will be doing everything to find loving homes for all of these animals. If you are interested in adopting an animal from us you should visit our website at www.wellingtonspca.org.nz.

December 17, 2010

Topics: Animals available for adoption /Latest

Will you make a Christmas wish come true?

The festive season is upon us and we need your help to make some Christmas wishes come true. As you take that much-deserved break and spend time with family and friends, please spare a thought for the hundreds of animals in our care.

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Every year at this time we are overwhelmed with huge numbers of animals in need of help – mainly kittens and puppies who have been abandoned or are unwanted litters. Most are the result of irresponsible pet owners who haven’t had their animals desexed and aren’t prepared to deal with the consequences.

While we will never turn away an animal in need, our resources are so stretched and we are often struggling to cope with the sheer volumes of animals that come to us. Our Saving Lives policy also means that any healthy animal with a good temperament remains in our care until a suitable home is found – there’s NO time limit.

VIDEO: we are so overwhelmed with kittens that we are resorting to housing some of them in our offices!!

VIDEO: Just some of the kittens in our cat run

VIDEO: Some of the puppies in the puppy run

VIDEO: even more puppies in the puppy run

This is why we need your help NOW! We need to find homes for as many of these fabulous animals as possible – and that includes dogs, rabbits, cats, guinea pigs, birds and mice – not just kittens and puppies.

A pet for Christmas?

Wellington SPCA does not agree with giving pets as surprise Christmas gifts.
The whole family needs to come and meet the animal before it goes home and everyone needs to be part of the adoption process
If you’re looking to get a pet for Christmas, we encourage you to adopt from Wellington SPCA rather than buying from a pet shop or the internet
Post Christmas could be a great time to welcome a new member to the family – when everyone will be at home for the holidays and the excitement of Christmas has died down
Our fabulous caregivers can give you all the advise you need about adopting from us and about caring for your pet

You can check out our website for details about all the animals currently in our care. Our centres will be open for pretty much all of Christmas and New Year (the animals still need to be cared for after all!), so why not bring the family along and see if you can make an animal’s Christmas wish come true?

And please don’t forget - if you can’t adopt from us, you can still make a huge difference by making a donation today.

December 16, 2010

Topics: Happy Tails /Latest /Media

Moana Up Close

You may remember back in June that one of our long-term cats, Moana, was adopted following our Free Feline Friday event.

Moana became a star after Corinne Ambler, a reporter for TVNZ’s Close Up, featured the notoriously grumpy tabby in her coverage of the extraordinary day at our Newtown animal centre.

Corinne fell in love with her at first sight and just had to adopt her. Six months later, the two are the best of friends and Moana has lost just a little of her feisty streak … but not too much!

The pair were again featured on Close Up last night, along with Melinda, one of our feline caregivers, who knew Moana from when she first arrived at the centre.

You can check out the show here.

Moana’s story goes to show why Wellington SPCA’s no time limit policy is a success – we will never give up trying to find the best outcome for every animal in our care.

December 13, 2010

Topics: Events /Kid's Club /Latest

Summer fun!

Wellington SPCA’s school holiday programme is a cool way for kids to spend the long summer holiday, learning all about animals and getting up close and personal with some of our very cute furry friends!

We have five different events on offer throughout January for kids aged from 5 to 16 years - with heaps of activities and loads of time to spend with some special SPCA animals!

But you need to get in quick – spaces are limited.

We are offering a special $5 discount for bookings made before 17 December.

If you’d like more information about our school holiday programme or about our Kid’s Club, you can email Jen or call her on 04 389 8044 ext 827.

December 9, 2010

Topics: Animals available for adoption /Events /Latest

Golden Oldies Weekend

Mature, good looking lady seeks caring owners who will appreciate that older definitely does mean wiser. If interested, call me on (04) 293 4292.

It’s time to celebrate our golden oldies this weekend at Waikanae SPCA’s special adoption event.

Cats over 7 years will be available for a $40 adoption fee.*

All cats are desexed, mircrochipped and fully vaccinated.

Could you make an older cat’s Christmas wish come true this holiday season?

Visit our Waikanae animal centre, Main Road North, Waikanae this weekend from 9am to 3pm on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12.

*All normal adoption criteria apply

December 8, 2010

Topics: Events /Fundraising /Latest

First place for BRONZ

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It was a perfect summer’s day for the inaugural annual BRONZ charity bike ride which saw over 100 bikers gather in Lower Hutt at the start of a fantastic ride up and down the Kapiti coast.

The Biker’s Rights of New Zealand Wellington branch have chosen us as their charity for the year and riders and supporters came out in their droves to show their support.

The ride raised an impressive $1,720, most of which came from entry fees, but the event wasn’t just about money. By the end of the day our inspector’s van was bursting at the seams as we drove away with a truck-load of toys, blankets and food that were also collected at various points along the ride.

All of these donations have come along just in time to bring a little Christmas cheer to the animals in our care.

The ride was a fantastic event and we would like to thank BRONZ and everyone who took part, whether on bikes or as sideline supporters – your efforts will make a huge difference.

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