More than a job: Meet the animal control officer who’s fostered over 50 dogs

When Emily reflects on her career, she started working with animals when she was 16 years old and hasn’t looked back since. 

“I’ve always been into dogs. My first job was at a dog groomer, then a doggy day care, the SPCA, dog boarding, then animal control. Before this role, I was in animal control for four years and then I left a year ago to work with military dogs. I helped with their training at Base Ohakea.

“When the contract changed over in April for the Council to run their own Animal Services team, I decided to come back. Now, every day is different. We deal with a lot of roaming dogs, aggressive dogs, barking dogs, and a lot of dog attacks. Although we aren't a rehoming charity, we do try and adopt out suitable dogs through our website when we can.”

A lot of the dogs that are adopted are ones that have been found and weren’t claimed by their owners. One of the most recent pups currently up for adoption is Trixie, a one-and-a-half-year-old Greyhound Cross. 

“Trixie was found in the bush. She was really skinny with bad sores and itchy skin. And she was really timid. My workmate picked her up from the vet and she had to carry Trixie back to the car because she was so scared.

“She was with us for about a week and then I took her home because I felt sorry for her. Now she’s all sorted. Her skin healed up really well, and she’s finally put on weight. She’s happy and loves people.”

Trixie is Emily’s 27th foster animal while she’s been at the Council, but she’s fostered over 50 dogs since she was 16.

“My first foster was a German Shepherd Cross puppy from the pound. She got adopted into a great home and the family kept in touch with me. She only recently passed away at 11-years-old. 

“I’ve kept one foster, which is my 12-year-old dog Bentley, along with two cats. When I took Bentley in, he was recovering from his leg being broken with a cricket bat, but he is so happy now. Bentley loves it when I bring home other dogs because he likes having a friend, but I think he enjoys having a break when the dogs leave. He likes to play with other dogs, but he also loves his nap time. He enjoys his peace and quiet!” 

Every foster situation is different, but Emily’s goal is to always make them feel at home. 

“Sometimes I’ve had fosters for one night, or a few months – it depends on the dog. I just treat them like my own dog. 

“I take them home with me and then bring them to work with me. They hang out with Bentley, and I take them on walks and things like that. I try to socialise them because not all of them have the same exposure, and some of them haven’t had the best start to life.”

Emily encourages people to look at the Council website to find their new best friend when there are wonderful dogs like Trixie available. Not only will they have peace of mind knowing that it’s the right fit, but their dog will also have all the treatments needed to kick-start their life. 

“We are pretty careful about who we match the dogs with. We don’t do adoptions after just one meet and greet. We do a proper two-week trial to make sure both parties are the right fit for each other. One of the dogs up for adoption was a sausage dog and we managed to find his brother, who was his litter mate. He was adopted into that family!

“Our dogs are desexed, microchipped, registered and vaccinated which probably costs less than you would pay on your own at a vet. You know that they’ve been checked and will hopefully make good pets.”

For those looking to welcome another member to the whānau, Trixie is currently up for adoption. As her foster parent, Emily says that adopting a dog is one of the best things you can do. 

“Trixie loves people. She loves to do zoomies, because she’s part greyhound she loves to run around the yard. She needs someone reasonably active, and I think she would love going on a run. 

“But she is also equally cuddly – she’s in the middle, she’s high energy but then can be very lazy! She’s really good with other dogs and she loves people - I’ve taken her to a café, and she lets everyone pat her. She’d make a great addition to someone’s home.”

Find out more about Trixie and other dogs up for adoption through the Wellington City Council website.