Retired Working Dogs NZ was set up in 2012 by Natalie Smith. Since then, we have been finding forever homes for retired working and hunting dogs throughout New Zealand.
Many of the dogs that we are asked to re-home are not retired in the sense that they are old. A good proportion of them are young dogs that simply couldn’t, or didn’t want, to work. They make great pets, as even a ‘failed’ working dog knows basic commands and they generally have fantastic recall. Many of them have been outside dogs but they soon adapt to living indoors and tend not to be hard to house-train. They love attention and cuddles and, as a rule, can be trusted around stock. If you have a dog that needs re-homing you can submit them for adoption here.
Some of the dogs that we re-home come from large stations and are unable to keep up with the demands of a busy working life but would suit a smaller farm or lifestyle block; others are referred to us through vet clinics, after they have sustained career ending injuries. These latter dogs are taken into our foster program, receive the surgeries and medical care they need, and are then re-homed. All of the dogs which come through our foster service are vaccinated, microchipped, treated for fleas and worms, and (with the exception of the very young and very old), de-sexed. You can see all of our dogs looking for their new home here.
We are a registered charity, which means any donations you make qualify for a tax credit or a tax deduction. There is more information available on the Inland Revenue and Charities Service website. In essence this means that your donations will go even further. Our Registered Charity Number is CC55572.