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$910 of $997 goal

Given by 25 generous donors in 23 days

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Please help us feed and de-sex Rehua, our foster doggy

Waiheke Island, Auckland

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We rescued Rehua (who we renamed) 7 weeks ago from almost certainly being euthanised via surrender to the pound, as there was no one to look after him after his owner died.

This rescue was coordinated by Paws Awhile, a small unregistered charity with few resources and little funding. There is presently no funding for on-going costs, so we as fosterers are now seeking to independently fund-raise. Decisions about his future will still be made by the rescue organisation.

Rehua was a chained dog with a traumatic past. He has come such a long way in such a short time and is now consistently expressing his loving, soft, goofy and affectionate nature. Now that he's settled & happy, the best next step is to have him de-sexed. It's a great opportunity for this to be done while he's in our care, as we work from home so can look after him post-surgery. We are seeking funding from the SPCA, but so far have had no luck, so this is uncertain. If we don't get an SPCA voucher, we'll prefer to de-sex him locally on Waiheke Island to avoid travel cost & time.

Rehua has been enjoying leashed walks to cafes and beaches where people comment how lovely he is, and he is starting to shine his true nature, showing some great social skills with both dogs & people, including small dogs. He’s intelligent, is learning many commands, loves cuddles and takes treats with a gentle mouth. He has been living with a calm, older staffi x lab and has started to play with other friends.

Rosamund Edwards' involvement (page creator)

Rehua was chained up all his life with 3 other dogs, for some of that time with no shelter, and was left with no food & water after owner died. He ended up with a relative. We rescued Rehua from surrender to the pound and have now fostered him for 7 weeks.

Use of funds

15/08/2025

Funds will go towards Rehua's vaccinations

- De-sex for Rehua on Waiheke Island is $650. If via SPCA de-sex voucher to be done in Auckland, then car ferry cost from Waiheke to a city vet - $200

- Next bag of food $177 -20kg discounted

- Any surplus will go to Paws Awhile Animal Sanctuary to be redistributed to other foster dogs in need

Rehua is now Reggie 20 November 2025

During fundraising, a friend posted a comment that auto-corrected to Reggie, and we thought it was quite a cute 'transliterated' name from Rehua/ Rehi. He seemed to love the happy-go-lucky vibes of it when we tried it.

He also seemed to love the process of being de-sexed - the care he received from the nurses was great- and during his recovery, began to meld with our family . A turning point came when our older, very calm lab x staffy (who had been 'tolerating' Rehi's overwhelming presence and willful nature) one day lay bum to bum with him in the sun for the first time! When Rehua was offered a home from TradeMe advertising, his overwhelm began to rise again, and my own sense was it could send him backwards.

As he'd been showing signs of making such an effort to begin to shift his energy and fit with us, we decided to offer him a permanent home.

And thus, he became a "foster fail" and is now officially called Reggie!

This was a MASSIVE surprise and U-turn for us.

We'd invested time into basic training out of necessity, and I set about getting him to the next level for off leash walks with solid recall - a huge leap for him.

He's very intelligent, absolutely loves ball retrieval (the harder the retrieval, the better), and has learned loads very quickly. He is very cuddly and affectionate and has let go a lot of trauma. - the difference is hard to describe. We are VERY grateful for your support to create a pathway for Reggie for his transition into a new life with us!

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