Mel gives SPCA a big helping paw

One Hamilton dog's good fortune is spreading to other needy animals, after her owners made a $10,000 donation to Waikato SPCA.

Mel's owners, who want to remain anonymous, blew the organisation away when they sent the cheque in last month on her behalf, after reading about the SPCA's plight in Hamilton Press.

"It's an absolute disgrace that the SPCA is worried about survival," they said.

The donors have pledged to give the organisation $10,000 every year, provided their income stays the same, and challenge other Hamiltonians to dig deep to help the SPCA.

"(Our donation) shouldn't be amazing. A lot of people could afford to give that amount."

SPCA committee member Adrienne Corfe says the donation left the organisation in shock.

"We were astonished, dumbfounded and appreciative. We went through every emotion, it was incredible."

Mel, thought to be a staffy-german shepherd cross, was about three months old when she was found on the streets of Auckland. There was no room at the Auckland SPCA, so she was shipped to Hamilton.

After losing their other dog nine months earlier, the couple felt their house was "terrible" without a dog –- so the search began.

The woman's visit to Waikato SPCA on Christmas Eve was Mel's lucky break, when the woman fell in love with the pup –- and adopted her on the spot.

"She came home with a dog when she just went to look," her partner explains, laughing. In her defence, the woman says she could not possibly leave Mel behind when she found out the puppy was abandoned.

The donors say they would have written the cheque even if they did not have Mel.

"We're all animals, and every creature in New Zealand has the right to someone who will help them."

They say they can not understand why Hamilton City Council can build a stadium, but not pay for the SPCA.

"It's cheap and mean."

If the SPCA was to close, they say more feral cats and dogs would be a disaster for wildlife in the region.

- Early figures from last week's annual SPCA appeal show double the $23,000 raised last year, not including Mel's $10,000. Adrienne Corfe says greater public awareness of their financial plight has contributed to its success. Counting should be complete at the end of this week.

Reference: www.stuff.co.nz

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