Space is getting a tad cramped at the Queanbeyan-Palerang Animal Management Facility with a hoard of animals seeking their loving furever homes. To aid in finding the cats, dogs and rabbits a place to call their own, the facility is offering reductions in adoption fees until Wednesday 6 March.
At capacity when the sale started, the team saw a number of the animals already find loving families and hope the others will too. Like many other animal organisations around the region and country, Queanbeyan-Palerang has seen an increase in the number of animals coming through their doors.
“There has been a large volume of people surrendering both cats and dogs for various reasons. Also, people from surrounding areas as other shelters/pounds are at capacity. For example, we have recently had three surrender inquiries within a three-hour time span,” says Sheree Curwen, Team Leader, Animal Management.
The number of animals the facility can house at any one time depends on the species and desexing status of the residents.
“We can house 20 dogs plus a litter of pups and up to 15 cats plus 3 litters of kittens with mum,” says Ms Curwen.
Aiming for a turnaround of 21 days, there have been cases of dogs seeking a home for over six months. They have found that some animals find it easier to cope while being housed at the facility.
While the facility is not a no-kill centre, Ms Curwen says they try everything within their power to help the animals in the care find a place to live a happy, healthy life.
“We seek to rehome every animal that is safe to be rehomed in the community. We try to exhaust every avenue available to ensure our euthanasia rates are as low as possible,” she says.
Discounts on adopting a pet may raise some eyebrows, however, Ms Curwen is confident in the team’s ability to pair pets and fur parent and their stringent adoption process.
Animals that are old enough to be desexed will be before being sent home, everyone is microchipped and vaccinated. To ensure they know the pets well enough to match them with an owner, dogs undergo enrichment programs, obedience training and temperament and health assessments. While cats undergo temperament and health assessments.
Sometimes house inspections will be conducted to ensure suitability and the team has the right to refuse adoption if they have any concerns. At the end of the day, their priority is finding a home where the animal can relax and live the good life.
“We really want to encourage responsible pet ownership, making sure that people will care for these animals and give them a safe home. This includes keeping the animal safely contained on your property, walking dogs on a lead unless in an off-lead area, and most importantly providing them the care they need,” says Ms Curwen.
You can see animals that are available for adoption via the website or you can head to the facility and meet your potential new best friend on Monday- Saturday. If you can’t make the standard opening hours, there is the option to book an appointment and meet the animals.
Find out more about how to bring a new member home at the Queanbeyan- Palerang Animal Management Facility on Old Sydney Road, Queanbeyan. Open Monday- Friday 8:30am- 10:30am and 3pm-5pm and Saturday 1pm-5pm; www.qprc.nsw.gov.au/animal-adoption
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