Finding reward in rescuing pets
While for most people a pet is a source of joy, often becoming a beloved part of the family, there are inevitably some circumstances when, for myriad reasons, pets will need to be rehomed.
Roz Robinson, chief executive of Cat Haven in Shenton Park, said anyone thinking of getting a pet should consider getting an animal from a shelter rather than a pet shop.
"You are getting a healthy animal that has been behaviour-assessed, health- assessed and you know for sure the animal has also been desexed and microchipped," she said. "Cats from Cat Haven also completely comply with the new cat laws."
Pet Rescue director Vickie Davy said her organisation's mission was to lower euthanasia rates by finding new homes for as many rescued pets as possible.
"The idea behind it is to make adoption accessible. People don't have to go out to a shelter, which can be quite confronting."
Ms Davy said people often held the misconception that rescue pets were "damaged goods".
"Rescue pets are just normal cats, dogs, guinea pigs and any other animal that you can have at home. The big advantage of choosing a rescue pet is that the rescue team will help match a pet to your lifestyle and that is really important."
She said most pets became homeless because their owners had a change in circumstances.
"Often it is because the owners get divorced and they have to sell their own home and move into a rental property, or the owners get into financial difficulty, or they get relocated for work. Only 5 per cent of the pets that come in to us are there because they have been abused."
Ms Davy said that if one third of all people who planned to get a pet next year chose to adopt rather than go to a pet shop or breeder, there would be no need to euthanase any homeless pets in that period. "People really can do something to help with this issue and when you adopt a pet, it is like you are giving them a second chance," she said.
Adopting a pet - how it works
M.J. Macpherson, founder and president of Homeless and Abused Animal Rescue Team (HAART), said anyone interested in adopting a pet was asked to fill out a questionnaire. From there, a home check was done to make sure there was proper fencing, somewhere with shade and that the area was safe for the animal.
"For cats, we really try to find indoor-only homes, preferably with cat runs and we encourage people to take out pet insurance if they are able to."
She said when a match was made, the new owner was asked to pay an adoption fee which covered vets and vaccination.
"The animal itself is free but we get people to pay for the vet work that needs to be done before rehoming can take place."
She said people who adopted puppies were offered obedience training and HAART also offered adopters a trial period. "We just want to make sure the match is a right fit."
A selection of Perth's animal rehoming centres:
•Cat Haven, Shenton Park, 9442 3600, cathaven.com.au
•HAART, 0408 489 522, haart.org.au
•Dogs’ Refuge Home, Shenton Park, 9381 8166, dogshome.org.au
•SAFE Perth, Joondalup, 0437 870 245, safeperth.com.au
•K9 Dog Rescue, Mandurah, 9581 9005, k9dogrescue.com
•RSPCA Paws Central, Malaga, 9209 9300, rspca.org.au
•Swan Animal Haven, South Guildford, 9279 8485, swananimalhaven.asn.au
