Te Awamutu's SPCA chief executive has stepped down after being threatened with prosecution over the "filthy" state of the society's premises in the Waikato town.

Dianne Gray was asked to give up her post pending an investigation from the national body for the prevention of cruelty to animals after Waipa District Council found the dog-runs to be overcrowded and in a squalid condition.

I can't quite really imagine an SPCA doing the thing that they prosecute animal owners for...

There must be too many dogs out there for them to care for, or not enough money for building new facilities, or not enough education around the community about the care and responsibility of dogs/cats, or perhaps the consequence of a policy of no-kill in these facilities, if they have a policy like this.