Every year, hundreds of dogs in Canterbury are impounded through no fault of their own, after being abandoned by their owners. In this unfortunate situation, the fate for the majority was inevitably euthanasia.

But since 1982, many of those dogs have been given a second chance by a dedicated charity situated in Christchurch’s eastern suburbs.

During that time, Dogwatch Sanctuary Trust has rescued, retrained, and rehomed thousands of dogs, setting them - and their new owners - on a path to a life they truly deserve.

Of course, every dog rescued has its own unique story, far too many to share.

But the story of Kaya is one we seem to repeat every year.

Kaya was picked up by the Christchurch City Council pound in October, while wandering free. She was extremely underweight, and it was clear that she had previously had several litters of puppies. Her owners were contacted and agreed to collect her and take her home. However, after five weeks the owners had not shown up.

It soon became apparent to pound staff that Kaya was pregnant, and they asked Dogwatch for urgent assistance. We contacted our foster carers and asked for help for Mum and her inevitable puppies.

We were able to take Kaya into our care and place her in a lovely home to have her puppies and sure enough, after a few days Kaya delivered …

12 puppies!

The puppies are now a few days old and have been moved into the shelter with their Mum. Sadly, two of the puppies were particularly tiny when born and have since died. There is one more that is a lot smaller than the rest so we are hoping she will pull though and put on weight.

Kaya’s story illustrates the importance of desexing your dogs. Canterbury is already overloaded with puppies and dogs looking for their forever homes. If you are struggling with the cost of desexing, please contact Dogwatch as we may be able to help.

Kaya’s puppies will be available for adoption at 8 weeks old.

As a registered charity, Dogwatch welcomes financial donations and support to continue their work giving impounded dogs a second chance at the life they deserve. Donate or find out more at www.dogwatch.co.nz

© Scoop Media