Yogi's Fund

This is Yogi and his adoring family. When Husky Rescue took on Yogi after his owner died, they knew they would need to find him an extra special home. Yogi howled for two weeks while pining and grieving for his old owner and he needed someone who knew the pain and loss he was going through. His new perspective owners Blu and Frankie had recently lost their daughter in a tragic accident , devastated and heartbroken they knew what Yogi was going through . They drove to Christchurch to meet Yogi ,and it was love at first sight, they knew in their hearts they could help each other heal. Blu also had suffered ill health and a disability which he knew would be greatly improved by walking his new dog and friend . This couple is very experienced with dogs, their section is fully enclosed with over six-foot fencing.

Husky Rescue left no stone unturned and after a thorough background inspection, they had no doubt this was the perfect home for Yogi. So, Yogi went to his new home in Alexandra and he fitted into the family as though he had always been there. Yogi had a huge selection of toys, he went everywhere with the family - his beautiful coat was groomed daily and he went for regular walks - together they helped each other heal. Early on in their journey together Yogi became quite protective over his new family and he would show dominance with other dogs.

Yogi was confronted by a dog and had a fight. So, his family made sure if they left the property Yogi was suitably muzzled. One day when Yogi was swimming on a long lead with his mum at the river, a man who they had encountered on another occasion started to approach with a dog and the dogs had a fight - the other dog received stitches. Yogi was labelled according to the Central Otago District Council a menacing dog.

Many months later after returning from a walk, this time with his dad, they entered their driveway and his dad fell and broke his shoulder. While his dad was trying to recover and get up a small dog was being walked past the gate so Yogi bounded out excited to see it. Yogi had another incident with a smaller dog and its owner, and Yogi's owner covered their vet fees. Thinking it was all over the family carried on as usual, however a few days later while walking Yogi his owner was surprised to see his car surrounded by police and dog control. Unfortunately

Yogi was then taken to Dunedin pound 2 1/2 hours away - his distraught family for some time didn't know where he was or what was happening - a meeting with the council informed him the lady who was walking her dog had laid a complaint and that Yogi was considered a menacing dog so he would be impounded and the fees would be $28 per day, BUT - he could volunteer to have Yogi euthanised and the council would revoke the impoundment charges. His owners were beside themselves, Yogi was a beloved member of their family and was not a menacing dog, there were exceptional circumstances and if Yogi's owner hadn't fallen the incident would not have happened and it was not the attack the lady was now making it out to be. Yogi's owner was not about to let his best friend be killed - he was going to have to go to court and appeal it - But he couldn't find a lawyer that would represent him against the council. Distraught and unsure of the process Furever Homes, a Councillor and a very kind lawyer stepped in - Council continued to be relentless in their pursuit for Yogi to be euthanised. After six months of not seeing Yogi and not knowing the outcome, the stress was too much for Yogi's owner and he ended up in hospital with high blood pressure and his diabetes took a turn for the worse which resulted in him having to have two toes removed. The Councillor offered to visit Yogi on the family’s behalf and check on his well-being, but the pound nor council would allow the visit - the impoundment fees were now reaching into the thousands of dollars - something drastic needed to happen. The lawyer, Councillor and Furever Homes got together and put a proposal to the council for Yogi to be returned to the ownership of Husky Rescue. After much consultation it was agreed that Yogi be released to the care of Husky Rescue - council specified that Yogi was never to return to central Otago and that the family must pay the impoundment fees to the tune of nearly $ 2500. . Yogi is now in the care of Husky Rescue who expressed their concern about the condition Yogi was in when released from the Dunedin kennels . His coated so severely matted and filthy took a week of constant grooming - his gums were abscessed and needed $1200 of dental work with 6 of his teeth being removed. The family are happy Yogi is alive and has a safe loving place to live, but for them the grief they feel daily knowing their family member has been taken from them forever - the huge impounding bill before them and the dental work needed to restore Yogi to health is still taking a terrible toll on them, if they want to see Yogi they have to travel 7 hours to see him, which they realistically can only do a few times a year. Please help us help this family, life is so very short and when a family member is taken away unfairly and beyond their control, it is truly tragic to say the least, not only are they struggling to find the money to visit Yogi, they are struggling to come up with close to $4000.