A Canberra-based animal welfare group has celebrated an impressive milestone, helping 3,500 dogs find permanent homes. ACT Rescue & Foster (ARF) took Rosie from the pound last year and placed her with a foster family before she met her new pet parents earlier this month.
Joining the new family and the ARF members for the celebration at Parliament House this morning, Friday 24 March, was one of the organisation’s founding members and now federal Finance Minister, Katy Gallagher.
“I don’t think we would have envisaged this 20 years ago when such an amazing bunch of people got together to look at ways to get dogs out of the pound. To see it grow into such a professional organisation and all on volunteer hours is incredible,” says Senator Gallagher.
The animal rescue organisation is well known around town often hosting stalls and events. Senator Gallagher has remained a strong supporter of the rescue group and says the most important part is that they have been able to give 3,500 dogs an extra chance at life.
Owning a rescue dog herself, Pip the kelpie cross, Senator Gallagher is a strong supporter of the ‘adopt, don’t shop’ movement. Having owned mostly rescue dogs, with one Beagle thrown in the mix, she says knowing how many dogs need a home she would prefer to have them all safely in a loving home before more are bred.
“I think unregulated breeding arrangements are a real problem, animals aren’t well treated. Particularly the breeding animals, even though the puppies might go off and have a good life, the conditions for the breeding animals are really awful. I’m just a big, soft animal-lover and so I just think when we’ve got so many animals – cats, dogs, birds – that need homes, we should look at re-homing those before we get new ones.”
ARF and welfare organisations play a vital role in protecting all animals, Senator Gallagher says. Government-run organisations are also working together to help keep animals off the streets and in homes.
“I know, certainly, the ACT government does a lot with the RSPCA and ARF and making sure the organisations are working together. Domestic Animal Services has a really good record in terms of rehoming animals, and they work with partners like ARF to make sure that dogs like Rosie don’t spend a second longer than they need to in the pound,” she says.
Rosie spent three months with her foster carers, Benson Reid and Emma Nugent, before finding a permanent home. Ms Nugent had been following rescue organisations like ARF on social media for a few years and taking their own dog to some of the events when she thought it was time to get involved.
“They do such great work and there’s such need – particularly at the moment with the pound, RSPCA, lots of rescues really struggling to look after the number of animals that need rehoming,” she says.
The couple played a vital role in not only preparing Rosie for her new home but in deciding who will have her. Once they received applications for Rosie, they went through the process of trying to find the best fit to be her new owner.
“It was hard to say goodbye to her but, honestly, she couldn’t have been any more lucky with the family she’s ended up with,” Ms Nugent says.
Foster carers help arrange home visits with potential families and learn more about their lifestyle and whether they are in a place that allows them to commit to bringing in a new family member. Sometimes the process can take quite a while, with bigger and older dogs receiving less interest than small, young ones.
Rosie received so many applications that they had to put a hold on her listing, as they were sure in the 26 applications there would be a perfect match. Welcoming, retired, and already owning another pug, Jan and Alan Masters ticked all the boxes.
As first-time foster carers, they had a support person through ARF to help them through the process. Louise Harry has been involved with the organisation for three years and along with her family, has helped seven dogs find their forever homes. While she and her family no longer foster, she wanted to remain involved in a supportive role and as a committee member.
“There are so many dogs out there that need homes for whatever reason, we need more carers and support … Just knowing that you’ve helped one dog, saved that dog’s life is just awesome,” Ms Harry smiles.
Rosie the pug has settled right into her new home, already ruling the roost and bossing around her new brother, Frank. Jan says the happy and curious pup has been the perfect addition to their lives.
“She’s just the sweetest little dog and we’re so happy that we were chosen to adopt her and that ARF saved her from the pound. We can’t imagine her being in the pound,” smiles Ms Masters.
ARF committee member and former president, Wendy Parsons, has been with the organisation since 2007. While they are thrilled to have helped so many dogs find homes, the organisation knows there is more work to be done and is urgently looking for more foster carers.
“These people do it in their own home; they take the dogs in and that’s a good thing because it teaches them how to belong to a family. It’s a big job and they love it, but there’s some real challenges, too, but all the good things outweigh the bad things,” says Ms Parsons.
Meet the ARF team at Belconnen Bunnings tomorrow, Saturday 25 March. The organisation will have a stall and some of their pups at the Bunnings Pet Product launch from 10am- 1pm.
Find out more about ACT Rescue & Foster at fosterdogs.org
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