A section with key insights from PetRescue's 2025 guardian-assisted rehoming program report: Finding another way home.
Overall observations and trends in Home2Home outcomes
Home2Home adoptions by pet species
Cats and dogs are the largest cohorts adopted through Home2Home on PetRescue. Trends mirror the broader platform, though Home2Home cohorts differ in notable ways.
Dogs
Over time, Home2Home saw:
- A rise in successful dog adoptions
- A decrease in dogs staying with their guardians
- A decrease in dogs rehomed through rescue or shelter relative to program entries
These changes likely reflect improvements in guardian support procedures, helping direct guardians to appropriate pathways at or soon after they applied, before acceptance into the program.
Cats
Most cats are adults, with a higher proportion of seniors compared to the general platform (few kittens are available through Home2Home). Despite this, adoption timeframes are favourable compared with other rescue member pathways.
Over time, Home2Home saw:
- A rise in successful adoptions
- More cats staying with their guardian or being rehomed via private networks
- A decrease in cats rehomed through rescue or shelter after acceptance
Niche species
The adoption of niche species (categorised as "Other," including rabbits, birds, guinea pigs, etc.)
- Adoption of niche species is almost entirely concentrated on the main platform, not Home2Home.
- Demonstrates the platform is highly efficient at matching specialised pets with specialised guardians.
- Suggests a low-friction market for these unique animals once listed.
We have a limited dataset showing patterns in case progression through the program, focusing on Financial Years 23-24 and 24-25.
Home2Home progression: applications to adoption
A large proportion of guardians stop communicating after applying, with a further substantial group disengaging after their pets are accepted into the program. As a result, outcomes are unknown for many pets, and this pattern persists despite efforts to engage guardians early and provide tailored support.
Although there are more dog applications, more cats are accepted into the program, resulting in more recorded outcomes for cats than dogs.
Species specific key learnings:
Up until the end of July 2025, we had accepted 2209 pets into the program with known outcomes for 1414 pets.
PetRescue’s Home2Home team helped the community come together to find Luna a new home. Read Luna’s story here.
Home2Home outcomes overview
Home2Home tracks outcomes that keep pets out of the system, including:
- Rehomed via private network: Pets go to family, friends, or contacts without entering the formal rescue system.
- Stayed with guardians: Pets confirmed to remain with guardians, usually after receiving support.
- Adopted on PetRescue platform: Pets listed and directly adopted, moving straight from old home to new home.
Other pathways, such as surrendering pets to rescues, shelters, or councils, are less visible, as follow-up is rarely available. Over the life of Home2Home, 656 guardians were advised to place their pets elsewhere, but the final outcomes of these pets are unknown.
Listing Status Before Outcome
- Private network: 44 pets (70.97%) were already listed on PetRescue before the outcome.
- Stayed with guardians: 105 pets (62.87%) were already listed.
- Adopted via platform: All pets were listed.
There is a strong bias in our data toward pets whose guardians have been supported for longer.
Most pets that stayed with their guardians or were rehomed via their private network (with confirmed outcomes) were already listed on PetRescue when the outcome occurred.
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