There are no Catahoulas listed in Wellington rescue at the moment. Catahoulas come up periodically, so it is worth setting an alert, and Catahoula crosses are worth considering too.
Rescue availability changes constantly. Set an alert below and we will email you the moment one is listed, or browse every adoptable dog in Wellington.
We will email you the moment a Catahoula becomes available in Wellington, from a rescue or an owner rehoming.
The Catahoula is a large dog breed originating in the United States (Louisiana). Adult dogs typically weigh 23 to 43 kg and live 10 to 14 years. Typical traits: work-driven, independent, protective, high-energy.
Experienced, active homes that can give a serious working dog a job and firm, fair leadership. The Catahoula is a driven herding and hunting breed that needs space, exercise and structure. Apartments, novice owners, or homes with small pets. Under-exercised and under-led, the breed becomes reactive and destructive.
Adult Catahoulas need about 90 minutes of daily exercise; adolescent dogs typically need 105 minutes. The coat is short-coated with moderate shedding, and brushing every 3 weeks keeps the coat manageable.
Use the city links to narrow to your area, or browse the full list below.
Breed-associated conditions worth asking any rescue about before you adopt. A good rescue will already know whether a dog has been assessed for these.
A genetic joint malformation common in large working breeds; ask about screening.
Source: OFA →Linked to the merle coat; double-merle dogs are at high risk of deafness and eye defects.
Source: OFA →Editorial summary for adopters, not medical advice. Ask the rescue about a specific dog's health, and consult your vet for individual guidance.
Rescues rehome across the country, and many will consider adopters outside their immediate area. It is worth checking the nearby cities too.
As of October 2026 there are no Catahoulas listed in Wellington rescue on LocalPetFinder. Catahoulas are among the rarer dogs in New Zealand rescue, and availability turns over quickly, so setting an alert is the most reliable way to catch one when it arrives. Catahoula crosses are worth considering too.
LocalPetFinder lists Catahoulas available for adoption from rescues across Wellington and New Zealand. A dedicated single-breed rescue is not always active near Wellington, so the fastest route is to watch the general rescues and set an alert. Every listing links straight to the rescue that has the dog, and the application is handled by them, not by us.
Catahoulas typically live 10 to 14 years.
Adult Catahoulas need about 90 minutes of daily exercise. Adolescent dogs (under 2 years) typically need 105 minutes, more than mature adults.
Breed-associated conditions to ask the rescue about include Hip dysplasia, Congenital deafness, Progressive retinal atrophy. See the citations in the health section above for authoritative information on each. This is an editorial summary, not medical advice, so check with your vet for individual guidance.
Not for sale, for adoption, which is usually the better deal. Every Catahoula here comes from a New Zealand rescue or shelter, not a breeder, pet shop, or classified seller. If you searched "catahoula for sale wellington" or "catahoula puppies for sale", adopting gets you a healthy, vetted dog for a fraction of the price.
You can buy from a registered breeder, but it is worth weighing against adoption first. If you do buy, insist on seeing where the puppies were raised and getting vet records, and check the breeder against your local pet-sale rules. For most families in Wellington, adopting a rescue Catahoula is cheaper, faster, and gives a dog in need a home.
Both, but adults far outnumber puppies, and it is worth knowing that before you start looking. Most Catahoulas arriving in Wellington rescue are adolescents and adults, because that is the age at which first homes tend to give up. Puppies do come through, usually as accidental litters or with a surrendered mother, and they are typically spoken for quickly. Setting an alert beats refreshing the page. It is also worth asking whether you actually want one: an adult arrives with a temperament a foster has already observed and described, where a Catahoula puppy is a prediction, and for this breed in particular knowing what you are getting is the more useful thing.
Start with the listings on this page, which pull from Wellington rescues and shelters and are refreshed regularly, so what you see is what is genuinely available rather than a stale directory. If nothing suits today, that is normal for this breed: rescue intake is intermittent rather than steady, and a breed with none listed this week often has several next month. Setting an alert beats checking back, and it is worth widening to nearby suburbs and towns, since most rescues serving Wellington will adopt out across a reasonable driving distance rather than only inside one council area.