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Leaving haven but on a high note
Friday, July 27, 2012 • Sophie Rishworth
OVER the two-and-a-half years that Gisborne SPCA animal welfare manager Lesley Lousich has overseen the Matawhero haven, the numbers have all gone in the right direction.

Euthanasia rates have dropped, adoption rates have soared and de-sexing of cats and dogs has almost tripled.

On August 6, Ms Lousich will bid farewell to her managerial role and take up a new position involving more numbers — this time next month she will be working as a financial analyst with the New Zealand Defence Force in Wellington.

Ms Lousich is leaving the haven on a high note after it was named as one of the top 10 centres in the country this year.

To oversee the transition until a new manager is officially named, animal welfare inspector Bernice David-Goodwin will take on extra managerial duties.

Ms Lousich says the move and fresh challenge is exciting and asks the Gisborne community to continue to support the centre and get in behind Ms David-Goodwin and Op Shop team leader Steph White. A full time volunteer who will also be taking on extra duties.

Ms Lousich reflects back on her time at the haven as she knows best — with spreadsheets — and by thanking all who have helped contribute to the positive direction the centre has headed.

“It’s a huge team effort. It’s not just one or two people. I just really want to thank the volunteers and staff for their support.”

The positive numbers would not have been achieved without the centre’s veterinarian Lachie Hulme-Moir and the support of East Coast Pet Vets for on-call emergencies, she says.

Almost 100 percent of admissions to the centre are stray or abandoned cats and dogs, with only around 4 percent of animals taken in surrendered by their owners.

The focus under Ms Lousich’s leadership has been about saving their lives and getting them de-sexed.

She was instrumental in the Saving Lives campaign, which meant Animates pet stores began to take kittens and puppies from around the country to adopt out through their nationwide pet stores.

Today, 50 percent of adoptions out of Gisborne are through Animates, with the other half homed back into the community.

In 2009, 60 percent of animals had to be put down — today that figure is 8 percent.

Part of fixing the problem has been to make sure the animals themselves are de-sexed to try and reduce the numbers. In 2009, 369 animals were de-sexed through the Matawhero centre. In 2011, that figure jumped to 1013.

Education has also increased with visits to schools around the district, and participating in the Gateways education programme in the region’s secondary schools.
BOWING OUT: Gisborne SPCA animal welfare manger Lesley Lousich leaves her position at the Matawhero haven on a high note as it is named one of the top 10 centres in New Zealand. Ms Lousich is leaving Gisborne and the SPCA to take up a new role with the New Zealand Defence Force in Wellington. She leaves behind some positive numbers and success stories like Lucy, left, and Austin – two dogs abandoned close to death but who have both made remarkable recoveries and found happy homes. Picture by Dave Thomas
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