Trish Burke, Founder of Pets Haven on why Pets Haven started:

“A desire to get into the animal industry led me to establish Pets Haven in May of 2003 when I purchased a pet supply shop in Woodend, Victoria.

I, along with staff and volunteers, have a strong passion for animals and a major dislike of how pet shops are generally managed and viewed, so we decided we wanted to make a difference.

Generally speaking, being in the animal industry really opened my eyes. There are so many abandoned animals, tragic stories, puppy farms and unwanted litters of both dogs and cats, that I could not stand by and allow this to continue.

At significant personal cost, I am proud to say we have homed thousands of both cats and dogs to loving homes, all temperament tested, vet checked, desexed, microchipped and vaccinated. We have rehabilitated hundreds of cruelty cases, taken care of pregnant animals and raised unweaned puppies and kitten, placing all into loving homes.

The dream of establishing a “Pets Haven Pro Life Animal Shelter” finally came to fruition in April 2007 and is ongoing today. Currently, we operate out of a shop front and we really do require a larger facility.

Our dream shelter would enable so many more lives to be saved and not to mention, the human lives Pets Haven also reaches out too.

Recently Pets Haven Foundation was registered with governing authorities. We are awaiting approval in becoming a registered Charity with DGR status.

In essence, Pets Haven staff, volunteers, foster carers and I love all animals. We want to make a difference to the lives of companion animals and responsibly rehouse them back into the community where they belong. We also want to educate our community in the importance of responsible pet ownership.

Trish Burke
Founder

Pets Haven is a Pro-Life Animal Shelter.

Our aim is to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home orphaned and homeless animals.

We do not and will never euthanise animals for economic reasons.

Unlimited veterinary care will be provided for any animal that comes into our care.

We temperament test every animal prior to accepting them into our shelter. If we accept a dog with a mild behavioural problem (such as jumping up, pulling on the lead etc) we will address this at the advice of a qualified dog trainer.

Euthanasia will only occur if:

On the advice of a veterinarian, they are diagnosed incurably ill and the prognosis is not favourable

If the animal displays a temperament which is deemed high risk.

We believe in responsibly giving all life a chance.