Whakatāne SPCA has 11 new puppies looking for homes.

The litter was rescued from under a house in the Tāneatua area on August 22, after a woman called the SPCA concerned about the mama dog and her puppies.

SPCA animal attendant Gemma Cahill said the team went out in its animal ambulance and collected the mother, named Ruby (named after Black Fern Ruby Tui), and her puppies, which have since also received rugby-theme names.

“They’ve all got their little personalities coming through; they’re really sweet-natured little puppies. Mum’s done a really good job with them.”

The puppies have been treated for fleas and worms, had their first vaccinations, been microchipped, and will be eight weeks old tomorrow, making them old enough for adoption.

There are eight boys and three girls in the litter, all black and white with different markings.

Ruby is brown and white and has a naturally short, bobbed tail, leading the SPCA to believe the puppies could be an Australian cattle dog mix.

The father is unknown, but the puppies are expected to grow to around the same size as their mother, which is about 23kg.

Each puppy has been named after a current or retired All Blacks or Black Ferns players, with names including Beauden, Jordie, Portia, Jonah, Carlos, Zinzan, Maddison, Richie, Carter and Dougie.

Cahill said the SPCA often gave litters a theme to help staff remember where animals had come from.

In this case, an SPCA colleague was very interested in sport and the timing of the litter’s recovery lined up with first All Black test against South Africa.

The SPCA would love to see some of these siblings adopted in pairs but understand that taking on two puppies comes with an additional cost and time commitment.

“Training one puppy is hard enough work,” Cahill said.

“If people have got the time and the finances to take two, that would be wonderful. But if it’s just one of them that can find a home, we’d be equally as happy with that as well.”

The puppies will be listed on the SPCA website, where potential adopters can view their individual profiles and personalities before filling out an online application.

The cost to adopt is $400, which includes desexing.

Cahill said adopters needed to have time to settle the puppies in, as they would initially need someone at home with them for most of the day, as well as a fenced and safe area.

While the SPCA will be sad to see the puppies leave, Cahill said seeing them find homes was part of the job.

“I’m going to be sad to see them go, but it’ll be good. It’ll be bittersweet for sure,” she said.