About Us

On this page: Who We Are, History, Funding, Where Our Dogs and Cats Came From

Who We Are

We are a group of people, just like you, who love animals. We have decided to do something about the disgraceful number of dogs and cats who are euthanased daily right here in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, the Hunter and Central Coast. Statistics show that every year there are 250,000 companion animals killed in Australia, including 60,000 in New South Wales alone. These numbers are increasing. Visit Death Row Pets for details. Most of these are healthy, re-homeable animals, with their only crime being born into an uncaring society.

Go to our News page to read or sign up for our Newsletter.

History

Dog Rescue Newcastle was officially established in May 2008. Before that time we were helping dogs in need, but not under the official banner of Dog Rescue Newcastle.

Sue and Anne are the co-founders of this group, and spend many, many hours and dollars of their own money each week making sure that the pets and their foster carers get what ever they need. Their phones never stop ringing. Sue and Anne each have many, many years of experience in dog rescue.

Because of the limited number of foster carers, space and time, when the group first formed we concentrated our efforts on small dogs. As the number of carers increased and the demand for medium and bigger dogs became obvious, we now take almost any type of dog, as long as we have a carer available.

Early in 2010 we started trying to save some of the thousands of cats and kittens on death row.

Since formation, Dog Rescue Newcastle has re-homed more than 600 hundred dogs who would otherwise now be dead. This is a great achievement considering our size and funds. We always welcome more volunteers into our small, friendly group.

Funding

We are all volunteers. We do not receive any government or big business funding. Our greatest expense is veterinary fees, which are thousands of dollars each month. We manage to pay our vet with money raised from BBQ’s, chocolate sales, donations and money received from the sale of the dogs and cats. After vet fees are paid, there is very little profit left from the sale of each pet, and many dogs which have had extraordinary needs are sold at a loss.

Please make a donation or learn more about the many ways you can help us.

Where Our Dogs and Cats Came From

Our priority is to save dogs, and cats when possible, from "Death Row" in local pounds. These are the ones with the most desperate need. They have only days, sometimes hours, to live.

We rescue dogs from Cessnock Council Pound, Port Stephens Pound, Wyong Pound, and sometimes Singleton Pound, Musswellbrook Pound, and more. The RSPCA, which is used by Newcastle and Lake Macquarie City Councils instead of having their own pounds, will not release dogs to rescue organisations. These dogs have little hope.

Dogs and cats in pounds are perfectly healthy, normal family pets. They have become lost and remain unclaimed, or are surrendered by owners who can no longer care for them. Very occassionaly we find a pet who has suffered from neglect, such as Victor, below. Victor was close to death from starvation. His dedicated foster carer nursed him back to health and now he is very happy in his forever home.

We regret that our resources do not allow us to take dogs from people just because they want to surrender them to us. It is your responsibility as a pet owner to find a suitable new home for your pet if you no longer want it.