Our first initiative has begun

Our first step in this project is now happening with the support of our coffee table book Moments of Connection.

As $22 of every book sold goes to not-for-profits, we are encouraging shelters to get on board and sell this book. Not only will they raise funds for animal bushfire relief, they will also raise much-needed funds for themselves. As many shelters are part of the Pet Rescue network, a small donation from books sold by shelters will also be donated to Pet Rescue.

If you are a shelter or rescue organisation and want to get involved, please fill out our Affiliate application appearing below in our Navigation Menu.

If you are an individual wanting to support a specific shelter, please contact them for their affiliate details.

Background

Each year in Australian shelters more than 150,000 animals are euthanased, the majority of them dogs and cats. Most shelters are stretched for resources due to the sheer number of unwanted pets.

There are more than 220 shelters and care organisations in Australia; most of them are small or individually run. They have sprung from an overwhelming need felt by these individuals to help abandoned animals. Most of them are under-funded and continually stretched for resources to care for their animals.

The logistics of rehoming animals is often a full-time job in itself. There is little time for finding resources and funding, or for investigating the latest research in adoption techniques or the logistics of implementing new programs to match.

Our Dog Rehoming Project

We aim to help shelter and rescue organisations in two key ways:
• by providing them with an easy and effective method of fundraising
• by developing an adoption program designed specifically for their needs, based on proven research for successful adoption

As well as improving the re-homing success of animals in shelters, the adoption program aims to reduce euthanasia rates, create standardised practices and alternative adoption points and make adopting from shelters a positive, enjoyable and long-lasting relationship for all parties.

Adore Animals Foundation’s shelter project aims to assist shelters by:
• reducing stress on animals in shelters
• increasing re-homing success
• reducing euthanasia rates
• creating standardised practice
• creating alternative adoption points
• making shelter adoptions a positive experience

We aim to support shelters and rescue organisations in achieving measurable programs which are standardised Australia-wide and rolled out in stages. Each stage will be supported by educational and practical instruction materials and, where necessary, hands-on demonstrations. The Adore Animals Foundation aims to facilitate relationships to implement these programs.

We also aim to work with appropriate pet stores who are willing to take shelter dogs (and cats) for readoption in their stores. We’ve already successfully facilitated a meeting between Pets at home and the Lort Smith Animal Hospital which resulted in Lort Smith Animal Adoption Centres at Pets at home stores.

From our knowledge of the industry, although there are willing parties, there is also some reluctance from both sides. Many shelters disagree with pets in pet stores, and many pet stores only want puppies. It is an emotionally charged debate. Some traditional pet stores, like zoos, have come a long way in recent years in improving animal welfare, of course, while others still have a long way to go; many simply offer good advice and don’t stock pets at all.

In many ways, however, we believe responsible pet stores may be part of the solution to the huge oversupply of animals in shelters. The rise in internet sales of live animals is alarming: equally so, the rise of backyard breeders. These practices promote an industry unconcerned about animal welfare and concerned only with profit; where there is little in the way of regulation, accountability or health checks.

Of course, many steps need to be in place before adoption from pet stores can occur. If adopting shelter animals from pet stores can be a positive experience for all involved parties, then this provides another solution to Australia’s massive oversupply of dogs and cats.

We know that independent shelters need funding and we also know they don’t have time to find it because they’re so busy looking after their animals.

That’s where we come in…

Pilot Project

The next step in our project is to find shelters and willing (and able) pet stores to participate in a pilot project. We’ll also need a sponsor.

As the majority of shelters are small, or individually-run, organisations, and are the ones with the most severely stretched resources, these are the shelters we most want to help.

We hope to begin a pilot program in 2010.

The Adore Animals Foundation’s Dog Rehoming Project is an holistic, collaborative approach to a massive problem. The Foundation views this project as a well-reasoned, intelligent and pragmatic approach to solving the crisis of unwanted dogs and cats in shelters. We know people working in shelter adoptions are working with the very best of intentions. We aim to provide them with a comprehensive program which will ensure positive outcomes not only for dogs and cats, but for all animals, industry and society.