Rescue dogs are finding new homes in Wānaka with support from a network of people who fly dogs from the North Island and foster them locally before they find their forever homes.

Victoria Hoskin is the founder of the volunteer-run Animal Welfare Network New Zealand (AWNNZ) and her mission is to transfer as many dogs as possible into safe, loving homes.

Listen to Victoria on The Outlet podcast here.

“We were set up as a network to help the rescues and the pounds in the North Island deal with the overflow of unwanted dogs that they were receiving,” she told the Wānaka App.

“The South Island isn’t without its problems but in the North Island pounds and rescues are telling us the overflow is the worst it's ever been.”

Over the last seven years AWNNZ has built what Victoria calls “communities of kindness” all over the South Island: groups of people who help with the rehoming process, flying down with the dogs, acting as fosters, helping with logistics and so on.

“We’ve got people like vets and canine trainers and vet nurses and all sorts of people with different sorts of expertise that are threaded through the network.”

Volunteer numbers in the Cromwell and Wānaka network are increasing but the AWNNZ needs more help and assistance of any kind is welcome, whether it’s providing food, financial support, fostering, or considering adopting a dog.

AWN needs more people to help with ‘flying dogs’ - transporting them to the South Island. PHOTO: Supplied

“It’s a raw story and it’s hard to hear but there really is a crisis - we need all the help we can get,” Victoria said.

It also needs more locals who are willing to fly the dogs down (or even transport empty crates back up) an offshoot of AWNNZ known as ‘flying dogs’.

Fiona Tomlinson is one of the Wānaka residents who is part of ‘flying dogs’.

“In the past two months I have ‘trafficked’ eight puppies for the group and I have to say that each time I have been overwhelmed at the warmth and help from the Air NZ staff in Queenstown and in Auckland,” she told the Wānaka App. 

“There is always a lot of gush when they know the puppies are heading to a life down south.”

Bo was transported to Wānaka at 12 weeks old before he was adopted by a family in Lake Hāwea. PHOTO: Brett McGowan

There are currently five foster homes in Wānaka which look after the puppies while AWNNZ goes through the process of carefully vetting prospective owners.

One of them is Tania Delahunty, and it was through her and AWNNZ that Hāwea resident Brett McGowan found his puppy Bo, now six-months-old. 

Brett said he was told that Bo and three of her siblings were found abandoned in an alleyway, riddled with fleas and severely malnourished.

Bo is now living a happy life with Brett’s family: she has won over his partner and two-year-old, although the family cat and Bo have yet to warm to each other.

The Sharpei/Staffie cross has plenty of energy and usually has three walks a day. She’s slowly warming up to the idea of swimming in Lake Hāwea, Brett said, and she likes trying to catch birds.

Brett said it was “pretty incredible” how well she had adapted to her new life and slotted into the family.

Victoria said it was happy stories like Bo’s that make all the work of running AWNNZ worthwhile.

“There’d be no point doing what we do if these dogs aren’t going to fantastic homes,” she said.

Anyone who would like to learn more about fostering or ‘flying dogs’ or offer their support to AWNNZ, can contact Victoria on 0275098041. Donations to support the work of AWNNZ can contribute using the following bank account number: 12-3405-0043803-50