Port Macquarie Animal Shelter bombarded with calls, cuts phones as dachshund pups put up for rare adoptions

Phones had to be cut due to huge demand when trendy sausage dogs went up for adoption at a Mid-North Coast animal shelter – which has seen a spike in post-pandemic surrenders.

The response to a social media post about eight dachshund puppies needing homes after being surrendered to the Port Macquarie Animal Shelter was so huge phone lines had to be cut.

It’s the first time an entire litter of purebred puppies has been surrendered at the Mid-North Coast shelter – during a national cost of living crisis and in the wake of the Covid pandemic.

More than 300 inquiries poured in from across the country in just over an hour following the shelter’s Facebook call-out.

A litter of dachshund puppies surrendered to the Port Macquarie Animal Shelter in early June.

The puppies were “surrendered due to inability to sell them and housing issues”.

“It is a good reminder to breeders to look at the current market as puppy prices and demand has severely dropped,” an update reads.

Mid-North Coast resident Bec Rooimans was one hour into what would normally be a four-hour appointment, with foils and dye in her hair, when she saw the puppy post on June 6.

“The hairdresser said ‘this isn’t happening is it?’ and I said ‘yes’ so she took out all the foils and quickly rinsed the dye off and I dashed over there,” she said.

Little more than two weeks later, the excitement has died down.

Workers at the shelter matched all puppies with new owners, based on what team leader Emmalee Andrew described as a first in, most suitable basis.

Port Macquarie Animal Shelter team leader Emmalee Andrew.

Ms Andrew said the dachshunds were so popular because “they are a small, popular breed of dog” and “quite rare in a shelter”.

“Another reason is that for many of the inquiries it was their (the caller’s) dream breed, but ethically they would never buy from a breeder,” she said.

“So when the opportunity to adopt came up they obviously jumped at it.”

Willow Sams, 3, with Lulu. Picture: Facebook.

Ms Andrew said receiving a litter of surrendered purebred puppies was a first for the shelter.

They came from a breeder in the region and, according to Ms Andrew, it’s indicative of a number of post-Covid and current cost of living factors.

“During Covid everyone wanted a puppy and that drove a huge boom in breeders, but people aren’t buying them now – particularly with the increases in the cost of living,” she said.

Ms Andrew said most dogs surrendered lately have been puppies bought in the pandemic.

“They are mostly one to two-year-old large breeds – people made the wrong choice and can’t handle them or want to travel again,” she said.

The puppies were all given zodiac signs as names when they entered the shelter.

Willow Sams, 3, was lucky enough to be matched with Aquarius

“Willow chose to name her Lulu,” mum Samantha O’Brien said.

“Lulu’s the perfect new addition to our family – Willow looks forward to seeing her each and every morning and we look forward to having her settle in to her new environment soon.”

Katie Rooimans with Leo.

And Ms Rooimans was successful in adopting puppy Leo for her daughter Katie, after abandoning her hair appointment.

“We have kept him (named) Leo – he has only been with us two days but he is settling in beautifully and has a very gentle nature,” she said.

“I also have a very good hairdresser so I am going back to finish the colour – my hair wasn’t ruined.”

The animal shelter charged the breeder a $91 surrender fee for rehoming.

“Given we microchipped, registered, desexed, vaccinated, wormed, flea treated and fed them for two weeks we didn’t actually make a profit for the shelter,” Ms Andrew said.

“The adoption fee was $408 each – it was purely to find them good homes.”