I wonder why...

A special deal of half-price puppies and dogs resulted in the Auckland SPCA arranging 25 pet adoptions over the weekend.

"The Adoptathon has created much more interest, which is great because we were jam-packed with puppies and dogs at the village," said dog adoption counsellor Emma Ginsberg. "We have been matching people with the right dogs and they are taking them home."

Usually, SPCA fees are $250 for a puppy and $230 for an adult dog. But at the weekend this was reduced to $115 and $135 respectively. This included first year's registration, micro-chipping, desexing, vaccinations, worming and a vet check.

Is owning a dog now something only those with surplus money can enjoy?

SPCA is there to help animals - oversee welfare, monitor cruelty, rehome. How does being in a position to fork out megabucks make someone a better owner, or guarantee a better uptake of animals being rehomed at the expense of those who never find a home simply because less people want to pay or can afford to pay that sort of money for an animal? How many end up being euthanised simply because they have run out of time and no one took them home?

I posted a few weeks ago about our new family member Rowf. Rowf now has many names and few of them are complimentary owing to his, shall we say, individual personality and habits.

Rowf is a stray; Rowf needs his nuts off and Rowf's nut-job will cost $65 at a local vet clinic. Tauranga SPCA, recipients of a million dollar bequest, will not deal to Rowf's rear baggage until December "when the de-sexing van comes around again".

WTF? They are happy enough for an entire male cat to wander the streets playing Lords and Ladies with any local queens for 5 months rather than provide the service? The other option is to surrender custody of Rowf to them so they can pay to feed him, house him, de-sex him, vaccinate him, and finally pay to euthanise him when no one wants to pay $75 to take home this bag of hissing, spitting, whining, snivelling, thieving meanness.

No wonder SPCA shelters all over the country have too many pets. No wonder people aren't rehoming animals. No wonder the SPCA in general and specifically the Tauranga one are regarded with such contempt. They earn it.