The arrival of spring means a huge spike in the number of unwanted puppies ending up in animal shelters.
While most dogs are adopted out, there are still a small percentage of unlucky animals that end up being euthanised.
But organisation Desexy Revolution is working on a long-term solution to the puppy problem.
Every year thousands of dogs and puppies pour into places like the Silverdale Animal Shelter. The staff is passionate about the pups.
Kennel assistant Tanya Pink says the best part of her job is when one of the animals gets adopted, but those that don't find a home have to be put to sleep.
"You can't save them all; it's impossible, and that's pretty heart-breaking," says Ms Pink.
She volunteers for Desexy Revolution, which has been running a clinic where dogs can get de-sexed for free or for a small donation, and this weekend it's giving the snip to its 200th dog.
Auckland Council have thrown their support behind the group and senior advisor for animal management Jessica Moore-Jones says 200 is a much bigger number than it sounds.
"The statistics are something like one mother and her puppies over the course of seven years can create something like 600,000 dogs, just the exponential growth. So 200 makes a massive difference in the long-run," she says.
Aimee Reilly, who also works at the shelter, says she gets frustrated at irresponsible owners, but many people she meets actually have their hearts in the right place.
"They want to make a difference and they want to do the right thing by their animal, but they just don't have the money to do it."
Dewi Thomas has noticed some changes since her dog, Ninja, turned two recently.
"He can smell things on the wind, you know, like girls."
Ms Thomas is studying full-time and is also a solo parent. Coming up with the cash to get Ninja neutered hasn't been easy in the past.
"Yeah, it's quite tricky. So I think I probably wouldn't have got it done actually if I hadn't found these guys," she says.
But she did and, despite nerves about the procedure, Ninja made it through just fine.
3 News
