Did you know 100,000* healthy pets are killed in Australian pounds each year, most without ever having a chance to find a home?
It’s a shocking figure. And completely unnecessary.
Pounds are not safe for pets.
The pound system is underfunded and out-of-date. There are no laws, no uniform standards, and no way to guarantee the humane treatment of animals.
But with adequate funding, time, and care, most pets can find a safe and loving home. Of the pets listed on PetRescue, 95% are successfully adopted.
If we had a magic wand, we’d transform the system so it protects and cares for vulnerable pets. There’d be universal, well-funded support, rehabilitation and care.
But we’re a long way from that.
It’s PetRescue’s goal for Aussie pounds to be Safe and Sound by 2030.
So we’re working with councils, shelters and animal welfare organisations to reform the system.
Safe and Sound Pound projects are our first steps.
They include projects that enable visibility and transparency to benchmark, understand, and track progress; and assisted rehoming programs to reduce the number of pets in shelters, rescues and pounds. When there are fewer pets in the pound system, there are fewer to kill or rehome.
Read more about PetRescue's Animal Welfare Strategy.
And we want all council pounds to join PetRescue to give their pets the best chance to find a home.
Every pet in Australia deserves to be safe, respected and loved - whether it’s owned, surrendered to a shelter, unclaimed at the pound, seized by authorities, or trapped by rangers.
Find out more about PetRescue's initiatives that ensure every pet is safe, respected and loved.