‘Scooby’, ‘Major’, ‘Halo’, ‘Rolo’ and ‘Penny’ have been waiting patiently for their forever families to walk through the door at Tauranga SPCA.

SPCA volunteer coordinator Bethany Thomson said a long-stayer was an animal that had been available for adoption for more than 30 days.

‘Halo’, ‘Rolo’ and ‘Penny’ have been in the shelter for more than 60 days, and ‘Scooby’ and ‘Major’ have been there more than two months.

“All animals available for adoption stay with SPCA until they are adopted,” she said.

But Thomson reckoned it was worth it to take a chance and adopt a long-stayer.

The reason they had been in SPCA care for so long was not necessarily because they were ‘broken’, instead it was often because they were less popular than a puppy or less conventionally ‘cute’.

There was one big benefit to adopting a long-stay animal — the fact staff knew the animals extremely well, Thomson said.

“We know their personalities and likes and dislikes.

“We’ve spent much more time with these dogs, so we can give you a lot more information on their quirks and who they’ll thrive best with.

“It gives you a real boost, taking on a dog that everyone else has overlooked and being their second chance is really special.

“Long-stay dogs are just as deserving as the ones snapped up quickly, all they want is a family to love them.”

A long stayer is a healthy animal that is ready for a home, and which is essentially holding up a kennel vacancy for another dog that could be in desperate need of rescue, or sick, injured or vulnerable in its current living situation.

Thomson said it was sad for staff and volunteers to watch a lovely dog or puppy become sad or frustrated stuck in the shelter.

“Long-stayers have a negative impact on team morale as we know how amazing the dog or puppy is, but the public coming can’t see it and overlooks them.”

Major (black adult dog) Boxer cross Staffy, 3 years, 3-legs. Charming and friendly, loves to play and go for walks. Enjoys a good pat and just loves to hang out with people. Photo: David Hall.

Thomson said when a long-stayer was adopted it gave the staff and volunteers a huge boost and reminded everyone why they do their job.

“It feels like a real achievement for the team when a long-stayer finds their forever family and countless hours and resources have gone into preparing them for that moment.

“It’s great to adopt a long-stayer dog as it shows the community that there are people out there who really care.

“It shows good community spirit because at the end of the day, pets are part of the community too and they need safe and loving homes.”

Thomson said there were success stories of long-stayers who found their forever homes.

In April 2023, Weekend Sun reporter Georgia Minkhorst spoke with the Tauranga SPCA about the long stayers. ‘Ludo’, a one-year-old male Shar Pei-cross had been waiting for five months at the time of the interview. Thomson said after seven months of searching, Ludo was adopted.

“His new mum even came back a few months after adopting him to get him a friend and she took another long-term puppy named Chloe.

“Chloe had also been looking for a home for over four months.”

In January, the Weekend Sun spoke to the Tauranga SPCA about long-stayer ‘Kelly’ who was 2 years old and had been in the shelter for more than 100 days. Finally, ‘Kelly’ was adopted on September 4 after being at the centre since October 19, 2023. “It was almost a whole year,” Thomson said.

To enquire about Tauranga SPCA’s current long-stayer dogs, phone 07 5780245.