Our most ambitious strategy to save more lives
Every pet deserves to be safe, respected and loved.
Across Australia, councils, shelters, rescue organisations, vets and community groups are working every day to create better outcomes for pets and the people who love them.
Together, we've made enormous progress.
More pets are being adopted than ever before, communities are embracing compassionate approaches, and we know that positive change is possible.
But too many pets are still entering an animal management system that responds to crises after they happen rather than preventing them in the first place.
An estimated 100,000 pets are killed in Australia's animal management system every year. Most are cats who, despite having someone in the community caring for them, enter council facilities with no rehoming pathway and no chance of finding a new home.
The answer lies not in blaming people or communities, but in creating systems that support them.
Pets are family. When families face hardship, every member of that family feels it, whether they sleep on the bed or live independently alongside a neighbour who quietly fills their bowl each morning.
The real challenge is a system that's inconsistent across the country and focused on responding to problems rather than preventing them. It falls short of what communities expect and what pets deserve.
The good news is, we know what works. When councils, shelters, rescue and community organisations work together, and when support reaches people before pets ever enter the system, outcomes improve dramatically.
From connection to change
When PetRescue launched in 2004, our goal was simple: get rescue pets online and make adoption the obvious choice. We thought that if we could help one pet find a new home, it would be worth it.
Twenty years on, rescue pets are nationally loved and sought after, and PetRescue helps our members find homes for more than 65,000 pets every year. But too many pets are still separated from the people who love them.
Creating lasting change means addressing the conditions that put pets at risk in the first place and working across the whole system — councils, rescue organisations, vets, communities and the people who need support to keep their pets at home.
Here's how that work takes shape.
Helping communities care for their cats
Cat listings and adoptions on PetRescue have grown year on year since COVID, which means more cats are finding new families. But best estimates still put the number of healthy cats and kittens killed in Australian council facilities each year at around 70,000, with no lasting effect on urban stray cat populations, which replenish reliably without intervention.
Reactive approaches haven't moved the dial. What does work is getting in front of the problem: community-based desexing programs, local partnerships, and giving people the knowledge and practical support to care for cats where they live.
PetRescue supports cat management research, celebrates organisations taking proactive and humane approaches, and shares learnings with our members and councils across Australia.
Read more about council-led desexing programs.
Keeping pets out of the system
The most effective way to improve outcomes for pets isn't to process them more efficiently once they arrive at a facility. It's to make sure they never need to enter one.
Research shows that reuniting found pets quickly with their guardians, and offering practical support around care costs, behaviour challenges or major life changes, can make the need to rehome a pet disappear entirely. These proactive, community-based approaches are proving that when support reaches people early, fewer pets need to enter the system at all.
That's why PetRescue launched Home2Home in 2020. Home2Home supports pets and their guardians through the rehoming journey directly from one home to the next, bypassing the system altogether. When councils, rescue organisations, vets, and shelters all orient around keeping pets in homes, not just managing them once they've left, the outcomes speak for themselves.
Humphry, Upper Hunter Shire Council
Working with councils: one facility at a time
It's still a reality that most pets entering council care are never listed for adoption.
In many communities, volunteer-run rescue organisations play a critical role in creating positive outcomes for pets in council care. While their contribution is extraordinary, it also places significant financial and emotional pressure on volunteers and community donors.
We want to change that. Every council should have a clear, structured pathway for pets to find homes, one that draws on PetRescue.com.au, so every pet gets the best chance to find a new loving home.
Through our Safe and Sound Pets programs, we work with individual councils to build from where they are now, toward a future where every community can trust that pets are safe in council care.
Stormi, wat djerring Animal Facility
Collaboration is at the heart of change
No single organisation holds all the answers. PetRescue partners with council facilities, NFP shelters, rescue organisations, foster networks, and vet clinics, supporting them to strengthen adoption programs, actively profile the pets in their care, and learn from others doing similar work across the country.
Vets are a particularly important part of this. They're often the first person a guardian turns to when they're struggling to keep a pet, making them one of the most valuable early intervention points in the system. PetRescue is actively working with vet clinics to build their knowledge of pet retention and rehoming options, so they can connect clients with the right support before a situation becomes a crisis.
We're also building partnerships beyond the sector: with researchers, local and state governments, human support services, and peak bodies in animal management.
Many of the challenges that place pets at risk are the same challenges human support services address every day. When these systems work together, more families receive the help they need, and more pets can remain safely in the homes that love them.
Learn more about how we are collaborating to shape a better future for pets.
Sharing knowledge to create better outcomes
Real change happens when people understand what's at stake and feel equipped to act. Many of our followers and supporters are passionate advocates for pets, but aren't yet aware of how the animal management system works, or what practical, community-based solutions could look like in their own backyard.
That's why, alongside adoption stories and Happy Tails, we also talk honestly about the bigger challenges facing the sector and the progress being made to address them.
Supporting the rescue community
Volunteer-run rescue organisations place almost half of all pets adopted via PetRescue. In 2025, that was close to 33,000 pets across the country. Their contribution is extraordinary, but it comes with significant financial and emotional pressures on this vital workforce - many often using personal resources when donated funding falls short.
PetRescue is committed to helping build a rescue community that is sustainable, effective and supported. Alongside advocating for systemic change, we're investing in research, resources and partnerships to help member organisations become more effective and sustainable and strengthen the people who make positive outcomes possible.
Learn more about how we partnered with La Trobe University to give a voice to our members about their experiences and our ever-growing variety of member resources.
Using technology to connect pets and people faster
Technology has always been at the heart of PetRescue's impact.
Once a pet enters care, creating the moment of connection that inspires someone to say "that's the one" can make all the difference. But for many rescue organisations, limited time and resources can make responding quickly a challenge.
Through the PetRescue platform, we're developing tools that help bridge that gap and make it easier for pets and people to find each other, including The Matchmakers Project, AI-assisted profile writing and Pet Alerts that connect adopters with their ideal companion.
We won't stop until every pet is safe, respected, and loved.
The path forward is a collaborative one. Creating lasting change takes all of us.
When councils, shelters, rescue organisations, vets, researchers, governments and communities all move in the same direction, toward proactive support, shared resources, we can build a future where fewer pets enter the system, more families receive support, and every pet has the opportunity to thrive.
We don't have all the answers, and no single organisation can solve these challenges alone. But together, we're creating a kinder, more connected system that keeps pets safe and helps families stay together.
Join us in creating a future where every pet in Australia is safe, respected and loved.