1372 days ago

Charity urges people to buy mixed breed dogs to curb pedigree puppy thefts

Caryn Wilkinson Reporter from Community News

Animal rights group SAFE is appealing to dog lovers to buy mixed breeds from shelters to deter pedigree puppy thefts.

The plea follows an apparent spike in valuable purebred dogs being stolen around the country.

Chief executive officer Debra Ashton said SAFE had seen a rise in the number of stolen pedigree pooches reported on social media.

“It's cruelty in the highest degree both for the animals and for the families that are having their dogs stolen.

“This is completely unacceptable and the community together needs to fight against it.”

Ashton recommends people go to animal charities which are “screaming out” for good loving homes instead of buying expensive pedigrees from “puppy mills”.

This could help to “nip the theft business in the bud” by reducing demand, she said.

Ashton urged people to be aware of animals being stolen for dog fighting to speak out, and to question new pet owners about where they got their pedigrees.

The price of puppies is believed to be skyrocketing due to more demand after the Covid-19 lockdown.

“I’ve heard figures of around $4000 to $8000 which is phenomenal for purchasing a dog,” Ashton said.

Cavoodle puppies – a hybrid of a cavalier king charles spaniel and a poodle – are selling on Trade Me for $6000, golden retriever puppies for $4000 and Dobermans for $3000 a pup.

Trade Me has seen 28,000 searches for puppies in the last week - a 34 per cent jump on the same time last year.

Would you prefer to buy a pedigree pooch or a mixed breed puppy?

Why?

*Please put NFP if you do not want your comments used by Stuff.

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More messages from your neighbours
1 day ago

What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?

Mei Leng Wong Reporter from NZ Gardener & Get Growing

Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.

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1 day ago

Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.

This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
.
Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.

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Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
  • 84.4% Yes
    84.4% Complete
  • 14.1% No
    14.1% Complete
  • 1.5% Other - I'll share below
    1.5% Complete
1242 votes
11 hours ago

Riddle Me This: Can You Out-Smart Yesterday’s Champ?

Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

How can the number four be half of five?

Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.

Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.

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