My Account
Rescuing pregnant dogs and puppies is not a job for the fainthearted.
Sometimes it involves confrontations with gang members, the partners of women who are in violent relationships and people involved in dog fighting who would rather see the puppies used for bait.
But as Helen Cook nuzzles a three-week-old rescue puppy called Pipsqueak, who needed to be feed two hourly around the clock when she arrived because she was so malnourished, the rewards of this work are obvious.
Helen and husband Gavin are the owners of the Country Retreat Animal Sanctuary, just south of Warkworth. For the past 10 years, assisted by a devoted team of staff and volunteers, they have dedicated themselves to nursing abandoned and surrendered mother dogs and puppies back to health, and giving them a second chance.
In the past two years alone, they have rescued and re-homed more than 300 puppies that came to the shelter from all over the North Island.
Nobody pays them to do this – they didn’t win Lotto, and there are no government subsidies or rich benefactors. They do it out of the goodness of their hearts and finance it through their own pockets, along with donations and fundraisers.
Caring for the puppies and re-homing them is not cheap. As well as food, there are vet bills and the sanctuary covers the vaccination and desexing costs for all the animals they re-home. One dog alone that needed a hysterectomy cost $2000.
“Putting a dog down is a very, very last option,” Helen says. “The dog that had the hysterectomy recovered well and is now a much-loved pet.”
Meanwhile, the need for the sanctuary continues to grow so the couple has embarked on an expansion plan. They have outfitted three separate areas, including two purpose-built pods or shelters, specifically for the puppies.
These rooms are supplemented by Helen’s office, which is currently home to a mother dog and nine puppies, the couple’s garage, and the front room of their home, where Pipsqueak is hanging out.
They have plans to build another pod, but the current priority is to connect power and water to the existing facilities. Currently, water is ferried to the shelters by bucket.
“The power and water will make cleaning, washing and caring for the puppies just so much easier,” Helen says.
“We’ve had quotes and think we will need around $40,000.”
The funds raised by Dan and Tania will go towards this project.
“We just couldn’t do what we do without this sort of community support,” Helen says. “We really appreciate that they have chosen the sanctuary for this fundraiser.”
The Country Retreat is a registered charity. To make a donation, visit Country Retreat at https://givealittle.co.nz/
Running for the puppies
Warkworth volunteer firefighters, Dan Auber and Tania Wood, are taking up the David Goggins Challenge next month to raise money for the Country Retreat Animal Sanctuary.
The 4x4x48 challenge involves running four miles (6.4km) every four hours for 48 hours. The run will take place on March 5 and 6 and is free to join, but runners are encouraged to use the event to raise funds for a charity of their choice.
“We would love to have others join us and raise money for the animal sanctuary or just support us with a donation,” Dan says.
Dan will be running legs of the event at Omaha Beach, Warkworth Showgrounds, at Conical Peak and around the Hepburn Creek area.
Tania will be running the night legs at Fit Factory gym and at the showgrounds during the day.
Donations to Dan and Tania’s fundraiser can be made here: https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/david-goggins-challenge-for-country-retreat-ani-1
