Thinking of adding a new pet to your family? Think about the advantages of adopting a rescued dog, cat, or other pet from a pet rescue organisation. A rescue organisation is a group of volunteers who save abandoned pets from local pounds before they are put down. They may also accept surrendered pets from people who not longer want them. The organisation cares for animals, usually in foster homes, until they find new homes for them. They advertise available animals online and by posters and word of mouth.
One advantage of adopting a pet from a pet rescue organisation is that the pet is living in a loving foster home where he or she is receiving obedience training, toilet training, veterinary care, grooming, flea and worm treatment, and lots of love. The foster carer will be able to tell you all about the pet: their preferences, quirks, behaviour, needs, likes, and dislikes. The foster carer will be able to advise you if the pet you’ve chosen is a good match for your lifestyle, and can recommend alternative pets in case the one you’ve considered is not right for you.
Rescue groups have a wide variety of puppies, dogs, kittens, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, birds, etc. They have every breed (including purebreds), size, and age of pet.
Your adoption donation is a lot less than prices charged by pet shops and breeders and includes vaccinations, flea, and worm treatment, microchipping, and usually registration. It also includes desexing. If the puppy or kitten is too young to be desexed then your adoption fee will include mandatory desexing as soon as the animal is old enough (usually 5 months old). Rescue groups don’t want to contribute to Australia’s pet over population problem.
Many rescue organisations have a trial period, usually two weeks. If you decide the pet is not working out within that time, you can return him or her for a refund (sometimes minus a small charge).
After adopting from a pet rescue organisation, they will be there to support you. You can contact them for advice or help with any pet care concern you may have. Most groups will take the animal back at any time in the future should you no longer be able to care for your pet.
Most importantly, when you adopt a rescued dog or cat you are saving a life. After you adopt your new family member, the group will then be able to save another pet from death row at a pound.
All major cities and most regional areas have pet rescue organisations. Ring your local council or council pound for information or search online. In Newcastle and the Hunter there is Dog Rescue Newcastle www.dogrescuenewcastle.com.au which has pets available for adoption to loving homes anywhere in Australia. There are also groups which specialise in a particular dog breed. To find a rescue organisation, refer to Operation Toby http://www.operationtoby.com.au/ a comprehensive list of rescue groups. Also, be sure to check PetRescue www.petrescue.com.au , a large national website where rescue organisations from all over Australia list their pets. With nearly 4,000 animals listed, you’re sure to find your new best friend!
Petitude, in partnership with Dog Rescue Newcastle, will publish pet adoption articles until end of May 2010. To learn more about Petitude’s new advocacy campaign and what you can do to help our less fortunate furry pals while doing your online shopping, please subscribe to our newsletter.
Guest Author: After a long career in IT, Terri now divides her time between bookkeeping for the family business and volunteer work with Dog Rescue Newcastle.
March 13th, 2010 - 1:35 am
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Love the post!. I was searching for Puppy Training guides. I found this post on Google and I found what I was looking for. I’ve bookmarked this post for future reference
Nice comments – Cheers Matt
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