Adopt A Rescue Dog or Cat

If you are looking for a dog, please click on Dogs & Puppies in the menu at left to see all of our dogs and puppies who are eagerly waiting for permanent homes. If you want a cat, click on Cats & Kittens.

If you see one or more pets that interest you, please phone or email the person listed on each pet's description. Please be patient as it can sometimes take a day or two for someone to get back to you. Refer to our Adoption Procedure, below.

If you don't see a pet you would like, please contact us. There are dogs and cats of all breeds waiting in pounds and we can find just what you are looking for. There is no need to go to a pet shop or breeder.

Can't decide which one of our adorable pets would be best for you? We know their personalities and needs and can recommend one or more which will suit your lifestyle. Please contact us to talk about your preferences.

"On Hold" or "On Trial"

If a pet is marked "On Hold" it means they are temporarily unavailable for adoption. It may be because they are recovering from a cold, or maybe someone has paid a deposit on them. They will either be available again soon or adopted soon. If you are interested in this pet, please ring or email the contact person in the ad and leave your contact details. If or when the pet becomes available you will be contacted.

If a pet is marked "On Trial" it means they have been adopted and are on their 2 week trial period. If you are interested in this pet, please ring or email the contact person in the ad and leave your contact details. If the trial doesn't work out, you will be contacted.

Why Adopt a Rescue Dog or Cat

There are many good reasons why it is better to adopt a rescued dog or cat than to get one from any other source:

• You know what you are getting. The dog or cat's foster carer can tell you all about their personality, preferences and needs. They can advise about the suitability of their foster dog or cat for your home.
• While in foster care, our dogs and cats have time to recuperate from being in the pound. Their health is assessed and are treated if necessary so they are healthy when they are adopted.
• All our dogs and cats are desexed, vaccinated, and microchipped and have their flea and worm treatments up to date.
• Adult dogs and cats are lifetime registered with the NSW Animal Registry.
• Puppies who are too young to be desexed when adopted, must be desexed when they are old enough. The cost of his or her desexing at our vet is included in your adoption donation.
• While in foster care, they receive house training and basic obedience training.
• All of our pets start out on a 2 week trial. If it doesn't work out, you can return the pet and get your money refunded.
• If you are no longer able to keep your rescue pet at any time, even years later, we will help you rehome him or her, or we will even take him or her back.
• We are always here to support you for as long as you own one of our rescue dogs or cats. If you have any questions or concerns at any time just give us a ring. We can help if your pet gets lost. We can help to arrange temporary or holiday care.
• Pedigree pets often experience more health problems than the hardy cross breeds we mainly rescue.
• If you don't have the time or dedication needed to raise and train a puppy or kitten then we are your best source of adult dogs and cats. You can skip past the house training, chewing, and chaos of a baby and choose an adult. Adults are already trained and their size and temperament are known …and you can teach an old dog new tricks!
• Most importantly, by adopting a pet rescued from death row at the pound, you are saving a life!
  • When you adopt a rescue pet from us, your pet's foster carer becomes available again and we can rescue another pet from certain death at the pound.
  • When you purchase a pet from a pet shop you are probably supporting the torture of dogs and cats in puppy and kitten mills. When you see an adorable puppy or kitten in a pet shop, think about the life of exploitation and misery the mother and father of those pets must be enduring so the breeder and pet shop owner can make a buck. Read about Australian puppy mills at Where Do Puppies Come From?
  • When you purchase from a breeder, whether a registered or backyard breeder, or a newspaper ad, you are encouraging more and more breeding of excess pets.
  • When someone can profit from breeding then they are encouraged to breed again and again. With so many unwanted but perfectly healthy and loving dogs and cats put down in pounds every day, it is cruel and irresponsible to deliberately breed more pets. It is why all our pets are desexed as soon as they are old enough (5 to 6 months). We don't want to contribute to the pet overpopulation problem.

Our Adoption Procedure

If you see a dog or cat on our website which you may want to adopt, what do you do next?

1. Either ring or email the contact person listed on the pet's description (contact us if you can't reach them). The pet's foster carer can tell you all about the pet. They will also ask you about what sort of home you are offering in order to assess if it is a good match.
2. Arrange to meet the pet, usually at the foster carer's home or nearby.
3. We will arrange a property check so we can verify that your home and yard are suitable for the pet you've selected.
4. If both sides agree, then you can adopt your new family member! When you pick up your new pet, you will be asked to:
   1. sign our Adoption Agreement, and
   2. pay the Adoption Donation (cash, bank cheque, postal order, or direct debit —no personal cheques) *If you pay by direct debit, do it at least 24 hours before picking up you pet so we can confirm receipt, and print a receipt to bring with you.
5. The two week trial begins on the day of adoption. If, at the end of the trial period, you are happy to adopt the pet, and we are happy to allow it, then we complete the change of ownership paperwork and register it at council making the pet yours. About a week or two later you will receive the ownership documentation in the mail, along with your new pet's vaccination and desexing certificates.

This is just a guide. Special arrangements and variations to the procedure are made when you live outside the Newcastle/Lake Macquarie area. Most of our pets are available for interstate adoption. Please contact us about this procedure.