Dogs dead after being rescued from abandoned Kainga Ora property

The three dogs rescued from appalling conditions inside an unoccupied east Auckland state house have been put down.

And a devastated local resident is asking how the canines were left alone in the Bucklands Beach property without proper access to food and water for so long.

The Times reported on April 17 about the efforts of residents who lived near the home in Bucklands Beach Road, which is owned by public housing agency Kainga Ora, to free the dogs.

The compassionate locals reported the situation to Auckland Council’s Animal Management, the SPCA, Kainga Ora and police.

It’s understood the house they’d been left in had been vacant since the tenant moved out in December last year.

Someone had been feeding the dogs via open windows at the property.

The resident who alerted the Times to the situation said the dogs had been left in “disgusting and unsafe conditions”, were “thin and very distressed”, and the house was a “horrific, rat-infested hovel”.

Photos taken of the scene showed several dogs looking out of the home’s windows.

In one picture one of the dogs had its right front leg outside the window as if trying to escape.

Another photo showing the inside of the house revealed a large amount of rubbish scattered around the floor of one room and two dogs visible, one of which appeared to be thin.

On the night of April 16, police told the resident they had ordered Animal Management to collect the abandoned dogs.

Questions are now being asked why the various agencies involved in the situation did not act sooner to remove the dogs.

Kainga Ora regional director central and east Auckland John Tubberty says the agency was unaware there were dogs left in the home, and no one had raised any concerns with it before April 16.

“It is completely unacceptable, and we are using the tools available under the Residential Tenancies Act to address this directly with the tenant.”

A police spokesperson says police referred the matter to the SPCA on April 17, “however we have since been informed it did not meet their threshold for prosecution”.

Animal Management manager Elly Waitoa says the organisation made multiple attempts to contact the owner of the three dogs but was unsuccessful.

“When dogs are brought in, staff observe dogs closely for any temperament issues to determine suitability for adoption.

“These particular dogs were in poor health. They showed signs of concerning behaviour and this led to the decision to euthanise the three dogs, when the owner had not come forward after seven days.

“Our Animal Management officers and shelter staff are all animal lovers, and seeing dogs that come through our shelters euthanised is one of the most difficult parts of the job.

“The only way this situation can be avoided is for more Aucklanders to be responsible dog owners, including registering and de-sexing dogs and keeping them contained on their properties.

“Unfortunately, the known dog population in Auckland has been growing five to six per cent annually since Covid, and this combined with increased incidences of roaming and aggressive dogs means all of our shelters are operating at near-capacity all of the time.”

Following the news of the dogs being put down, the resident who alerted the Times to the situation has contacted Animal Management and the SPCA to ask what steps they took to rescue the dogs, if any, before police became involved.

She’s also emailed Pakuranga MP Simeon Brown as the Kainga Ora property they were abandoned in is in his electorate.

“Why did the SPCA leave them in the property which clearly breaches the Animal Welfare laws?” the woman asks.

“Faeces, urine, rubbish, no fresh water or regular food, and no cognitive enrichment.

“Why did Animal Management and the SPCA not communicate and make a plan for the safe release of the animals? The property was clearly abandoned and uninhabitable.

“Why was I told to call the police instead of Animal Management calling them?

“Surely, an animal welfare organisation should have the safety and welfare of the animals at the forefront of their minds, when the SPCA’s mission statement is ‘to advance animal welfare and prevent cruelty’.

“And Auckland Council’s Animal Management’s is ‘to ensure the safety and welfare of both animals and the community’.”

She says police attended the scene less than 30 minutes after she called them.

“They saw the state of the property and agreed they [the dogs] needed to be rescued from the property. This is not their job.”

The woman also asks the SPCA and Animal Management what their plans are to ensure animal abuse rates in New Zealand decline, “because if this case was deemed not worthy of prosecution, how are we to deter future offending?”

The Times has twice contacted the SPCA, which is yet to comment.