Last week, the Northern Advocate reported puppies that barely had their eyes open were being sold for $50 each in a carpark near the Saturday Kaitāia market.
The SPCA said it had been making inquiries into the alleged sale of underage puppies.
“At this stage, the owner remains unidentified despite numerous attempts to locate them, and we encourage anyone with further information to … contact their nearest SPCA centre.”
Harman said the sellers took advantage of busy market days but because they weren’t actually in the market, the organisers couldn’t do anything.
“All we can do is support people,” she said.
“If they [people with unwanted litters] reach out to us for help we can help, they don’t have to be dumping or selling them.”
Under animal welfare rules, puppies must be able to feed independently and be in good health when made available for sale or rehoming, unless they have been orphaned.
Bay of Islands Watchdogs co-ordinator Leonie Exel said an overwhelming number of people are getting litters of puppies from their dogs.
The case of puppies being sold in Kaitāia was “tragic ignorance”, she said.
“You can’t just hand out vulnerable puppies.
“Give them to a rescue or look after them yourselves; if you want a dog to have puppies you have to look after them.
“We’ve got to do something about it; we’ve got to get breeder regulations.”
Apart from high euthanasia rates in the Far North, there is an ongoing problem of stray and roaming dogs attacking people, pets, and livestock.
Animal rescue groups have long been calling for mandatory desexing to stop unwanted dogs, with education about responsible dog ownership.
The Far North District Council has not directly answered questions about whether mandatory desexing would be introduced.
While not committing to mandatory desexing, the council says it wants to reduce financial barriers to desexing and supports reforms that could include penalties for owners who do not desex their dogs.
Exel – who also wants to stop puppies being sold on social media – said there are many myths people in the Far North believe about de-sexing.
“A lot of people think that a bitch needs one litter before she’s spayed to keep her healthy and happy – that’s false.
“Many farmers and pig hunters believe if their dog is desexed it will make the dog less effective or change their personality. That’s also untrue.
“Breeding puppies for profit is not okay.”
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and social issues.