Sheep rescued in kayaks, stray dogs being taken in as Aucklanders refuse to leave animals behind

Milford resident Sami Thompson spent a sleepless night away from home having had to move to a neighbour’s property further up the road.

Having first noticed the flooding about 7pm, she followed neighbour’s advice and left her house, carrying her 16-month-old border collie Arlo​ who weighs 20 kg through chest-deep floodwaters.

“The current was so strong, the water was so gross. It was terrifying,” she said.

While Thomspon was left shaken by the experience she said Arlo had behaved well, nuzzling into her neck and his “little paws trying to wade through water”.

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Auckland born and raised, she had never experienced anything like it before. She said more information would have been helpful especially for pet owners.

With the floodwaters having receded on Saturday morning, she was now clearing the property which included removing broken fences and fixing the dog kennel.

Arlo was recovering from the ordeal with nap and Thompson was thinking about joining him.

Not all pet owners were able to take their animals with them, with some neighbours finding animals that were lost in the confusion.

Mangere resident Bella Hotene was able to remain in her home last night as it was slightly elevated. She and her whānau were joined by a lost dog found whimpering at the back door.

A bit nervous about the “big dog”, she decided it was friendly and just wanted somewhere warm and dry for the night so let it in.

She said several neighbours’ homes were flooded – “You couldn’t see any ground – just their house sitting in the middle of a pool” – and thought this was why the dog had come to their property.

The dog, named Lola, was later picked up by her owner who had been evacuated from their flooded house a few streets over.

Green MP Ricardo Menéndez March​ also found himself temporarily caring for a stranger’s dog before being evacuated from his Mt Eden home.

Jordan Clark​ and a quartet of mates attempted a rescue of about 20 sheep left on rapidly shrinking higher ground in a neighbour’s paddock near Waimauku.

Nearby cattle had been taken up the hill but Clark noticed the sheep were stranded in rising floodwaters.

“[The ground] kept disappearing and getting smaller and smaller.”

He and his friends pulled two kayaks out, with two helping to offload them and another helping pulled the waterlogged sheep onto the vessels.

“It felt like the right thing to do,” said Clark.

They managed to get eight sheep to safety but as the water rose, it become too strong and the others got caught in a rip.

Clark later learnt the owners of the sheep were unable to move them as they had been been stranded while trying to help another neighbour shift their stock.

“It felt good to be able to help.”

Laura Schwerdtfeger​, director and veterinarian of The Lifestyle Vet, expected there would be hundreds of animals in need of medical care after the flooding.

The Waimauku-based clinic had been busy fielding calls most of the morning and seeing to some animals being brought in – including a sheep found five metres up a tree after floodwaters receded. The rest of the flock died.

She said animals might be suffering from hypothermia, water aspiration and lung consolidation, injuries from debris, and weakness or inability to stand from severe muscle fatigue associated with treading through water for long periods of time.

Animal owners were encouraged to check animals temperatures and for laboured breathing.

The clinic was also helping co-ordinate the removal and disposal of dead animals which had been found as this posed a further health risk.

Auckland Zoo has closed the public after a rain event its director Kevin Buley​ called “unprecedented” in the zoo’s 100-year-long history.

“We’ve got the creek that runs through the zoo which most of the time is an idyllic brook … but when the stormwater comes it becomes a raging torrent.”

By about 7.30pm on Friday it has broken the banks and at points he said zoo staff were “chest deep in water” as the team worked to ensure all animals were safe.

The team was aware of the bad weather forecast which allowed them to secure “dangerous animals– like the zoo’s tigers and lions. Some animals had been relocated, including the alligators which live in the area adjacent to the creek, Buley said.

Auckland Zoo is shut this weekend with its grounds having been “significantly impacted by the volume of rain” experienced on Friday.

Gabby Clezy​, chief executive of the SPCA, said it was keeping in close contact with Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) who coordinate the emergency response for animal displacement in these situations.

“Our Inspectors [are] responding to urgent welfare concerns only – however we will stay close to the situation and will be attempting to provide assistance where we can during and following this emergency.”

Tony Sutorius​, chairperson of Animal Evac New Zealand a charity dedicated to animal disaster management, said MPI has not sought to use their services as it appeared Auckland Council had the issue in hand.

Two thirds of New Zealand households have at least one pet, and historically worries about their care has been the biggest factor in evacuations failing, Sutorius said.

People who require emergency housing for their pets should contact MPI on 0800 00 83 33

Here’s a link with tips on what to do if you’ve lost your pet – talk with neighbours, use lostpet.co.nz, along with checking on the companion animal register. Social media is also a powerful tool to use when your pet goes missing.