|
In this issue... Letter from the editor Have we got an issue for you! We're featuring a whole bunch of new pet videos, so it's never been easier to find your perfect pet; one of the founding members of the team has adopted a PetRescue pet, and we have a fantastic story of a rescue dog called Scooby Doo! As the editor of Australia's number one rescue pet website I am also very excited to break the news that we've teamed up with the fantastic national pet magazine, Adore a new breed. In their new edition they've included a large feature on adopting pets from shelters and we're very grateful to be able to work with them to spread the rescue message. We hope you enjoy this months update and we look forward to hearing your thoughts and suggestions! Cheers, PetRescue would like to thank everyone who participated in our recent visitor survey - your information will help us better promote the homeless animals of Australia. |
|
 |
|
|
Scooby Snacks are clearly yummy and are now available at your local Woolworths supermarket - and with part proceeds from every sale donated to PetRescue, you're supporting a worthwhile cause when you grab a great new treat for your four-legged friend! And for a limited time when you buy Scooby Snacks, you can sign up for your very own free Scooby Doo dog tag! |
|
|
|
|
Each year in Australian shelters it’s estimated well over a hundred thousand animals are euthanased, the majority of them cats and dogs. The single most positive influence people can have on reducing the number of killings each year is to be responsible pet owners. The other is to adopt from shelters. Although adopting from shelters is not for every situation or every person, as Karen Graham discovers, apart from the ‘feel good’ factor of saving a life, adoption from shelters can be successful, positive and rewarding. Michelle Williamson was volunteering for a shelter and working for an IT company when she came up with the concept of bringing individual animal shelters together to harness the full potential of the internet. PetRescue, established in 2004, represents more than 220 shelters and seeks to encourage people to think of shelter animals first when looking for a pet. Michelle says one of the biggest problems for shelters is a lack of resources. Their voices go unheard because they don’t have the money or the marketing power to compete with corporate businesses or individuals mass-producing pets. ‘Generally it’s not because there is anything wrong with the animals, but purely because the shelters don’t have the reach other organisations have,’ says Michelle. And most shelters are stretched for resources due to the sheer number of unwanted pets. In the 2005–06 financial year the RSPCA alone received nearly 150,000 animals into their shelters. One of the biggest challenges in the fight against overpopulation is educating people to de-sex their pets. ‘There are some shelters taking 150 kittens a day,’ says Michelle. De-sexing is paramount to reducing these numbers. The full article can be read online at the Adore a new breed website... |
|
|
|
A PetRescue Adoption... via PetRescue!
So we decided it was time for a new family member. The house just isn’t the same without animals… and while we’d love a dog, our lives are a little too full for that level of commitment. So… time for a kitten…? As a strictly dog-only kinda guy, I was sceptical. You know how it is - most people are either dog people or cat people; and as animal-friendly as I am, a week ago I would have firmly placed myself in the former category. But my girlfriend, Pip, a long-time cat fancier (and, as it turns out, kitty toilet-trainer extraordinaire!) talked me around - a cat would suit our busy lifestyle and rental property animal restrictions while still letting us have the pet we wanted so much. So - off to the PetRescue site we went! - or rather Pip went, bombarding me with cute animal emails while I was at work ;) We found a little guy - Chuckie - up for adoption at the wonderful Balcatta Veterinary Hospital. He’d been hit by a car at around 3 months old, and sustained some nasty head injuries. One of the nurses had been caring for him until he was fully healed - and that’s when we met him. The staff at Balcatta Vet were fantastic - we got to play with Chuckie in the adoption room for about half an hour (most of which was spent watching the little terror staking out the fish tank strategically placed in the room!), which gave us a chance to get to know him and make sure he would suit our home. After his desexing op the next day, and a head scan (would that be a ‘cat scan’?) to make sure his brain box was fine, we took Chuckie home.
The only remaining sign of his accident is his slightly wonky eyes - oh, and he does fall off the back of the couch sometimes… but I reckon all kittens probably do that. Another successful adoption, thanks to PetRescue - we couldn’t be happier! |
|
|
|
PetRescue now featuring video!
Check out the following fantastic pet videos: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brisbane, QLD - RSPCA Qld Gala Dinner Lilydale, VIC - VAAT Dog's Day Out |
|
|
|
|
Don't give up; lost pets often found Sad dog park lesson shows need for responsible dog ownership Easter bunny needs a lasting home
Apartments full of puppy love Doting owners get "peternity leave" Man's Best Friend Is Pretty Smart
Adult pets looking for happy home Desex family pets: animal groups Limited space for hundreds of abandoned kittens | |
|
|
| © PetRescue Ltd 2007 www.petrescue.com.au |
|
Hi, I just wanted to say a huge thankyou for our Scooby Snacks dog tag. 2 years ago my family and I went to the animal welfare league in South Australia and found the perfect little addition to our family, a bull terrier x Rhodesian ridgeback puppy. 
After getting him home and a finally picking a name, we decided on Scooby Doo. I searched everywhere for a Scooby Doo dog tag but could never find one anywhere. I love Scooby's new tag and I know he does too. 
From the Adore Magazine article "A Second Home - Adopting from Shelters"
JB is one of the founders of PetRescue - his official title, "web monkey" does little to describe the enormous contribution he has made as our main web developer. So when he and his partner decided to add a new pet to their family - where else was he going to look but PetRescue!! 
A week later, he’s acclimatised beautifully - happily attacking pizza boxes, shoelaces, socks and anything else that moves. He’s found his favourite places to hide and sleep - any window ledge is now his by default, and hiding inside the coffee table and peeking out is a favourite. Toilet training was a dream - kittens are so much easier than puppies in that regard!
PetRescue's newest feature is one of it's most exciting yet... videos of our available pets!
