PetRescue Membership Code

By using this website, you accept all of its terms (including this Membership Code, Pet Listing Rules, Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy).

PetRescue fosters a supportive community for like-minded members to come together and collaborate towards a shared goal. Respect and kindness are fundamental values that we uphold, and we're dedicated to maintaining a safe, progressive, and encouraging environment for all- members and potential adopters alike. We approach every interaction with genuine curiosity, because understanding people’s circumstances always leads to better outcomes for pets.

Our platform supports responsible and ethical rehoming of companion animals, with membership being exclusively offered to organisations that agree to and abide by our Membership Code and Pet Listing Rules. Any violation of these guidelines may result in immediate suspension or cancellation of membership.

PetRescue members are known for their professionalism in all aspects of rehoming, from liaising with surrendering owners to coordinating pet care, managing the adoption process, and providing exceptional customer service to the public and platform users alike.

We understand that searching for a new family member can be an emotional investment, and we strive to ensure all potential adopters have a positive experience. As a PetRescue community member, it's important to positively promote adoption of rescue pets and create an experience that they'll want to recommend to their friends and family.

Below are the outlined areas that all members agree to abide by when becoming a member of PetRescue.

How to read this code: items marked must are mandatory for all members. Items marked are encouraged to reflect strongly recommended best practice.

 

Organisation:

• Members must have an active Australian Business Number (ABN) registered in the name of the organisation or linked to the organisation as an ASIC registered business.

• Members must provide a veterinary reference that can confirm their organisation as a client of their clinic, that they have seen & completed vet work on their pets, and verify their rescue efforts. Exceptions may apply for council facilities who are not yet actively rehoming or able to meet state rehoming requirements or PetRescue rehoming requirements. Veterinary references are not required for veterinary members.

• Members must operate their organisation according to, and in compliance with, all federal, state, and local regulations, laws, rules, ordinances, statutes and codes, and possess the required permits or licence(s). For details on rehoming requirements, see here.

  • Members (including all individuals acting on behalf of or associated with the organisation) must conduct themselves in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations at all times, both in their capacity within the organisation and in any actions that may reflect upon it, and must not engage in, facilitate, or encourage any conduct that is unlawful, fraudulent, deceptive, or likely to bring the organisation into disrepute.

• Members must care for pets in an environment that meets or exceeds the state legislative requirements for the care of companion animals. 

  • Members are encouraged to use  The Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV) Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters as a reference for acceptable standards of care.

• Members must demonstrate transparency, accountability, respect and overall professionalism in communications and operations, within the organisation and between all team members. This includes, but is not limited to, foster carers, volunteers, supporters, and employed staff.

  • Members must foster a positive and supportive environment, and prioritise the well-being of all individuals - ensuring that both animal welfare and human welfare are valued equally.

  • Members must extend the same professionalism, respect and curiosity to all external interactions, including members of the public seeking help, advice, or looking to adopt. This applies to all interactions, regardless of whether a pet was listed on PetRescue, as member organisations represent one another and the platform as part of the PetRescue community.

• Members must operate to support the welfare of the pets in their care. Any fees charged for adoption or other services are directly invested in the organisation's ongoing animal welfare work. Members must operate as a not-for-profit, for-purpose or charitable organisation. Outside of this, membership is also offered to registered veterinary clinics and Australian Government Councils.

 

Adoption process:

• Members must endeavour to match pets with appropriate new homes, ensuring a quality fit and alignment of needs and requirements for both guardian(s) and the individual pet(s). 

• Members must be dedicated to the care of pets as well as education to promote the welfare of those pets. As part of this commitment, your organisations must make provisions to offer post-adoption follow-up and support to your adopters. This also includes pets that are adopted via assisted rehoming programs.

  • Members must have provisions in place to accommodate situations where an adoption is unsuccessful, is not a right match, etc. including having a returns policy in place and refund process, which are communicated with adopters, and shared online or in the adoption paperwork.

  • Members are encouraged to outline their returns and refund policy (either in full or as a link) on their PetRescue group profile as well as within the adoption contract, to ensure that it is available to adopters and all potential adopters.

• Members must provide any relevant adoption paperwork such as change of ownership, desexing, microchip, vaccination & parasite control details, vet history and behavioural records to the new owner in a timely manner. Where a pet has pre-existing or ongoing health conditions, their full vet history must be included with the adoption paperwork to ensure continuity of care.

  • Members are encouraged to ensure adoption paperwork travels with the pet at the time of adoption to avoid follow-up issues.

 

Adopter Experience:

• Members must respond to enquiries generated from any pet listings via the PetRescue platform within a timely manner. Members may wish to use the auto response feature to assist with managing this.

  • Members are encouraged to respond to all enquiries within 72 hours.

• Members must maintain respectful, professional, informative and non-judgemental written and verbal communications at all times.

• Members must commit to referring unsuccessful applicants or enquirers back to the PetRescue website to continue their search should they not be the right match for your rehoming organisation or pets you have in care.

• Members must ensure that adopter information and data that is taken off the PetRescue platform is managed and stored safely and securely, in line with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and National and State privacy standards. For guidance on your obligations, refer to the OAIC’s Australian Privacy Principles and Guide to Securing Personal Information. 

  • Members are encouraged to safely delete unsuccessful applicants’ personal and private information once it is no longer needed.

 

PetRescue platform and membership:

• Members must confirm they have read and agree to abide by this Membership Code as well as the Pet Listing Rules, understanding that failure to do so will result in the immediate removal of the offending listing(s) and may result in the suspension or removal of membership.

• Members must commit to keeping all information regarding their organisation on the PetRescue website correct and up to date, including their contact details and the current status of their listed pets.

• Members must recognise PetRescue makes no guarantee of any of the information posted by your organisation. Any pets found, adopted through, or listed on PetRescue are the sole responsibility of the advertising organisation and/or the adopting party.

• Members must acknowledge that PetRescue may contact your organisation at any time to verify the information submitted to the website. Organisations are required to ensure a contact name, email and phone number remain on the organisation’s profile for such purposes. Organisations understand that their membership may be suspended if they fail to respond to PetRescue’s direct communication within a week.

• Members must acknowledge that upon joining the organisation, they are automatically enrolled in PetRescue support services and programs as part of their membership, including any third-party affiliate programs. Members consent to the organisation sharing relevant information with third-party affiliates where necessary to facilitate access to these services.

• Members must understand that PetRescue may make changes and/or updates to the Membership Code or Pet Listing Rules at any time, which will be announced to members via PetRescue communication channels, and your organisation will be required to adhere to these changes to remain a member. 

• Members must acknowledge that PetRescue has the right to remove, edit or alter any information posted on the website at their discretion to ensure compliance with the rules and responsibilities of using this platform.

 

If you have any queries about PetRescue's Membership Code or Pet Listing Rules, please email members@petrescue.org.au.

Please note: PetRescue does not comprehensively evaluate nor endorse the practices of any organisation or individual.