Kennel call triggers great response

Western Bay of Plenty District Council has been overwhelmed by the response from people donating kennels for under-privileged dogs.

In less than a week more than 50 kennels have been offered and Council's animal services team has been out and about collecting kennels of all sizes, shapes and conditions.

Council will continue collecting kennels until this Thursday 21 December and will be able to resume collections in January.

Animal Services officer Melissa Murton says the response has been fantastic and she thanks all those who have taken the time to contact Council and get their kennels ready for pick-up.

We had offers from as far away as Gisborne and Auckland - and one company, C3 Construction (pictured above), has even offered to build us kennels. There are going to be some very lucky dogs out there whose living conditions we can improve greatly - and whose owners we will also be able to help.''

C3 Construction Director Michael Bowman said most of his staff have a soft spot for dogs and it was a simple call to help out.

It's a horrible thought that there are animals neglected or whose owners can't afford to provide a good shelter. We were finishing up a project and have materials left over so it was really a no-brainer for us to spend a day putting some kennels together. Hopefully this makes a difference to the life of some four-legged guy or girl.''

The donated and done-up kennels will be posted on Council's Facebook page before being gifted to deserving pooches. Those that aren't gifted will be raffled or sold for a donation.

The kennel hunt is part of a Council-led campaign that aims to highlight the plight of many dogs homed in substandard conditions.

Animal services officers want to give people the opportunity to learn about their obligations as owners and get pointers about how best to care for their dogs.

Council starts the education campaign at the Doggy Day Out in Omokoroa on 24 March and have other days planned in Maketu on 27 and 28 April 2018.

Anyone willing to drop a kennel to Council is welcome to drop it off at Council's Barkes Corner offices in Greerton. Otherwise after 21 December Council will continue to take phone numbers of people with kennels to donate but will not be able to collect them until early next year.

If you have a kennel to donate, please email your name and contact details to animalservices@westernbay.govt.nz.