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Western News: May 06, 2021

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4 Thursday <strong>May</strong> 6 <strong>2021</strong><br />

Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz<br />

WESTERN NEWS<br />

From army life to rescuing and<br />

• By Bea Gooding<br />

MARK WEAVER had a lot more<br />

time to spare after concluding<br />

20 years of service with the<br />

army reserve, so that’s when he<br />

decided to rescue the abandoned<br />

dogs of Canterbury.<br />

It started with the adoption<br />

of his first dog – Weaver was<br />

training his black labrador collie<br />

cross when he thought to put<br />

those skills to good use at the<br />

Dogwatch Sanctuary Trust.<br />

Four years later, he has pawed<br />

his way to the top, from training,<br />

walking and exercising<br />

the rescued dogs from pounds<br />

across the region, to ensuring the<br />

rehoming process runs smoothly<br />

as the trust’s new chairman.<br />

It was a long way from the<br />

tours he served in East Timor<br />

and Egypt, and his current<br />

project management job, but his<br />

affinity with animals meant he<br />

has always been conscious for<br />

ensuring they were treated with<br />

respect.<br />

“I haven’t always had a dog, I<br />

grew up with cats,” he said<br />

“But I’ve always had an affinity<br />

with animals, and I’ve always<br />

been conscious for ensuring<br />

they’re treated the right way.<br />

“I’ve always had that mindset<br />

that you’ve got to give back to<br />

Read local<br />

RESCUE: Dogwatch Sanctuary Trust chairman Mark Weaver with rescue dog Kora. Weaver<br />

helps abandoned dogs from the pound find their new forever homes.<br />

the community, so that’s part of<br />

it, the other part is improving<br />

the lives of the dogs – it’s just as<br />

important as improving the lives<br />

of the people who adopt [them].”<br />

Dogwatch rescues, cares for,<br />

and rehomes dogs that have been<br />

abandoned at council pounds in<br />

Christchurch, Selwyn, Rangiora<br />

and Ashburton, for the last 39<br />

years.<br />

The trust rehomes dogs when<br />

the pound can no longer keep<br />

them, especially if owners do not<br />

come forward, or if they were<br />

surrendered from private situations,<br />

such as deceased owners.<br />

It operates from a two hectare,<br />

For everything<br />

AUTO ELECTRIC<br />

CARS • BOATS • TRUCKS<br />

CARAVANS • TRAILERS • 4WDS<br />

ELECTRIC & HYBRID VEHICLES<br />

• Starter Motors<br />

• Alternators<br />

• Central<br />

Locking<br />

• electric<br />

Windows<br />

• ABS & Airbags<br />

• Stereos/<br />

Alarms<br />

• Batteries<br />

• tuneups<br />

• engine<br />

Management<br />

Amazing<br />

Auto USUALLy<br />

AAE Electric SAMe DAy<br />

ServiCe<br />

65 Coleridge St, Sydenham<br />

Phone 03 379 4250<br />

www.amazingautoelectric.co.nz<br />

purpose-built adoption centre<br />

in Bromley with large outdoor<br />

yards and exercise paddocks.<br />

It also educated owners about<br />

their moral and legal responsibility<br />

when owning a dog to prevent<br />

dogs from being seized by the<br />

city council in the first place, by<br />

providing advice, food, bedding<br />

and crates.<br />

“We’re just trying to be a ‘sign’<br />

at the top of the hill rather than<br />

the ambulance at the bottom.”<br />

Last year alone, 160 dogs were<br />

rehomed. It was about the average<br />

number of canines that were<br />

adopted out each year since the<br />

trust was established nearly four<br />

decades ago.<br />

The original founders were<br />

not satisfied with the conditions<br />

of the city council’s pound back<br />

then, so they started to rescue<br />

and foster the vulnerable dogs<br />

themselves, growing into what it<br />

is today.<br />

Said Weaver: “I think it’s<br />

rewarding to see a dog that<br />

comes in that’s just terrified of<br />

everything, and over time, with<br />

the right understanding, that<br />

dog turns around and becomes<br />

the quintessential, happy dog.<br />

“It’s why you do it – it’s why<br />

you’re out there, in the rain and<br />

the cold, picking up dog poo and<br />

doing the less glamorous bits.”<br />

A fAmily friendly club<br />

lookinG for Junior & senior<br />

players to Join us in <strong>2021</strong><br />

Go to our facebook paGe:<br />

facebook.com/riccartonkniGhtsrlc<br />

The service we received from Cameron and his team was first<br />

class. From managing the marketing campaign and putting<br />

together the paperwork, through the open homes and right<br />

through to auction day<br />

the service was gold standard.<br />

- Jacqueline & Richard -<br />

Phone or text 027 555 7079<br />

REINZ Salesperson of the Year across all brands in NZ<br />

cameron.bailey@harcourts.co.nz<br />

No.1 Harcourts Canterbury 2012-2020<br />

No.1 Harcourts New Zealand 2017-2020<br />

www.cameronbailey.harcourts.co.nz No.1 Harcourts International 2017-2020<br />

Licensed Sales Consultant REAA 2008

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