On April 10, Auckland Council animal management staff will be assisting a team of four volunteer vets, eight vet nurses and dozens of dog lovers to run a heavily subsidised de-sexing clinic at VetCare Unitec in Mt Albert.
The one-day “Desexy Revolution” clinic run by dog rescue charity HURRAH (the Humane Rescue, Rehabilitation and Rehoming Charitable Trust) will offer low cost de-sexing operations to community service card holders needing to de-sex their family pets. Spots are still available and must be pre-booked through: desexy@hurrah.org.nz.
“Our goal is to end pet over-population by offering de-sexing services to low income families at a substantially reduced rate,” says HURRAH trustee, Chrissy Clements.
The normal cost to de-sex a dog is around $125.
De-sex your dog for just $25
“With generous donations from Lush and the Sir John Logan Campbell Residuary Estate covering most of the costs, card holders will only have to make a $25 contribution towards the operation,” Ms Clements says.
HURRAH will also microchip dogs for a gold coin donation.
Auckland Council is offering an event amnesty for unregistered dogs, waiving its usual $300 infringement for non-registration. Participants will be able to legalise their dogs on the spot, with a special pro rata dog registration rate that will last them until the next registration period.
They will also be able to apply for the Responsible Dog Owner’s Licence (RDOL), provided they qualify.
Ensuring every puppy is wanted
“Auckland Council supports moves to de-sex pets to reduce the number of unwanted animals in our community,” says responsible dog owner and Chair of Auckland’s Community Development and Safety Committee, Councillor Cathy Casey.
“HURRAH’s 'Desexy Revolution' programme targets community card holders to help them with the cost of looking after their pet.
"Auckland Council’s support for HURRAH’s programme will prevent hundreds of unwanted puppies being born. We hope people looking to add a pet to their family will adopt a shelter dog instead,” she says.
HURRAH has more de-sexing clinics scheduled for later in the year at Vetcare Unitec and Pet Doctors Botany. It is accepting enquiries at desexy@hurrah.org.nz.
