This Valentine's Day, swipe right on a new fur best friend with a tail

Auckland Council has launched a region-wide online dog adoption platform ahead of Valentine’s Day, inviting Aucklanders to match with a new best friend with a tail.

The website, called Puppy Love, brings together adoptable dogs from council shelters across Auckland, allowing users to browse, filter and connect before arranging in-person meet and greets.

Local Democracy Reporting spoke to Auckland Council animal management officers Shay and Lisha after an Ōtara Network Action Committee (ONAC) safety meeting on Tuesday [10 February].

The officers said the platform was designed to promote responsible, long-term adoption, rather than impulse decisions.

“It’s something that they’re trying to do to promote adoption,” Shay said when asked about the Puppy Love initiative.

“We’ve got the adoption centre now, which is the highlight of everything, seeing dogs that come off the streets with no owners or in horrible condition and have the ability to go up for adoption so they can live their best lives.

Swipe right on a new fur bestie this Valentine's day. Photo/Auckland Council

"It’s the most rewarding thing ever,” Lisha said.

All council shelters across the region are now using the Puppy Love site, giving dogs greater visibility and helping match them with suitable homes.

Shay said adopting through council shelters involved a full assessment process to ensure dogs were matched with the right people and homes.

Some of the puppies available for adoption through Auckland Council’s Puppy Love platform. Photo/Auckland Council

“They've got to go do a meet and greet, see how the dog is with the person, because the dog could not get along with specific people,” she said.

“And there's also property checks, [to] make sure that they've got a fully fenced yard. They’re desexed, they're microchipped, they're registered before they go to the owner.”

She said dogs were not placed with owners who could not meet their needs.

“They’re not going to set you up with a dog that you can’t handle, if that makes sense,” Shay said.

“So if it needs high exercise needs, they’re not going to give it to an elderly lady that’s not going to be able to exercise the dog. Or someone that needs a dog that needs to be surrounded by kids,” she said.

“There are dogs that love just massive families, and there are other dogs that can’t deal with big families. So we match the energy to work best with the human and the dog.”

Shay said adopting through council shelters also reduced risks often associated with informal rehoming.

“Don’t go and accept a dog off Facebook, because they’re obviously not microchipped, they’re not desexed,” she said.

“Go to adoption centres where the dog’s already microchipped, already registered and desexed. You’re already set off in a good place because you don’t have to worry about your dog getting pregnant or microchipping and stuff like that.”

The Puppy Love platform allows users to filter dogs by size, age and lifestyle needs. Each profile links directly to the shelter where the dog is staying, allowing users to arrange meet and greets.

Maungakiekie-Tāmaki ward councillor Josephine Bartley said behind every profile was a dog waiting for a fresh start. Photo/Auckland Council

Maungakiekie-Tāmaki ward councillor Josephine Bartley said behind every profile was a dog waiting for a fresh start.

“By bringing all our shelters together in one place online, ‘Puppy Love’ gives these dogs the best chance to be seen, meet their people, and begin a lifelong bond built on trust, care and a lot of tail wagging. And let’s be honest, dogs are better at relationships than most of us,” Bartley said.

Auckland Council will host a Puppy Love adoption event at the Band Rotunda in the Auckland Domain from 11am to 1pm, giving Aucklanders the chance to meet dogs in person and begin the adoption process.

More details can be found on OurAuckland.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.