Nothing is in the too hard basket when it comes to finding homes for the dogs at Auckland Council’s Animal Shelters.
This was the case for the Greally family from Wellington, who after a long search across the country found their dream dog at Henderson Animal Shelter.
Lisa Greally says that as soon as her family met Bandit, an abandoned Huntaway cross puppy, she knew he was the one for them.
There was one challenge: how to get their perfect pup back home to Wellington.
Lisa says, “All dog owners know it’s important to get the right fit. It was amazing for us that the shelter staff didn’t turn us away because we weren’t in the region”.
“After watching the Greally children play with Bandit as he flashed his puppy eyes back at them, we knew they were a match made in puppy heaven,” says Henderson Shelter Team Leader Louise Palmer.
Shelter attendant Jenna Morris became the family’s guardian puppy angel, pulling out all the stops to make sure the once rejected pooch could be united with his perfect family, no matter the distance.
“This is the first time the shelter has coordinated an adoption to this scale”, says Palmer.
“We believe that going above and beyond for customers and our dogs is extremely important, so we were more than happy to figure out how to get Bandit down to Wellington”.
As distance made the Greally family’s hearts grow fonder, Jenna and the Henderson Shelter team touched base with their Wellington counterparts to fast-track Bandit’s adoption, helped to organise the wee pup to fly home, and even used her own bank account to jump some payment hoops.
It was then Bandit’s turn to literally go above and beyond to be with his forever family.
In his very own version of Homeward Bound, over rugged mountains and miles of coastline, Bandit flew across the country and arrived safely in Wellington ready to go to his forever home.
One thing Lisa says was a special touch that meant a lot to her family is how the shelter staff made Bandit’s first plane trip as stress-free as possible.
“They did some crate training to take away any fear he might have. When he arrived, he was just sitting in his crate like the good boy he is,” she says.
One month on, Bandit has settled in perfectly in his new home, and the Greally family say they couldn’t be happier with their new addition.
After adopting dogs from other shelters in New Zealand in the past, Lisa said her experience at Henderson shelter was unmatched.
“I would recommend the Auckland animal management shelters to anyone—the staff were experts who knew how to get the best for both the dogs and the owners—they genuinely care about the future of every dog that ends up at the shelter’s door,” she says.
Find out more
There may be additional costs to adopt some of these dogs. Get in touch with the shelter to find out more information about them, or others available for adoption.
Auckland Council has Animal Shelters in Silverdale, Henderson and Manukau.
Please note that a fully fenced section or suitable containment area is needed to adopt a dog.
