Once again, we wrapped up the year with a special campaign to help 12 pets most in need. 12 Pets of Christmas helped shine a spotlight on some of the pets listed the longest on PetRescue and provided extra support to the councils caring for them until they found homes. 

Collectively, these pets had been waiting almost 3,000 days to find homes. But finding a home for every pet is possible… 

Thanks to you, Bowser, Yoshi, Pete, Matilda, Mouse, Jimbo, Felix, Morse, Nelly, Rusty and Shadow have all been adopted!

 

“We have used PetRescue for many years now and have had great success stories… By using this platform, we are able to connect with people all over Australia.” 

- Canterbury Bankstown Animal Shelter

 

But that’s not all!

Here's how you saved lives and created happiness for thousands of Australian pets and the people who care for them in 2023…

 

A home for every pet

Your support helped 63,448 homeless pets find homes quickly through PetRescue's free adoption platform in 2023. 

In even more tail-wagging good news, last year, PetRescue’s adoption platform reached a massive milestone of 800,000 pets adopted since it launched in 2004!

A pet is not a pet without a home, and this would not be possible without the community of hundreds of thousands of pet lovers (including YOU!) whose generosity and kindness have helped bring pet adoption into the mainstream - creating happiness and saving lives!

Boop the button below to read some of the happy tails made possible thanks to you and the incredible PetRescue community.

You helped the rescue community care for and rehabilitate pets in need.

Thanks to you, PetRescue’s platform remains free for all and provides ‘time-saving for life-saving’ tools that continue to help member rescue organisations from every corner of Australia manage the adoption process and get pets into new homes quickly, no matter where they are. 

The AI-powered pet profile writer is one of the ‘time-saving for life-saving’ tools you helped launch in 2023. This feature has improved what can be quite an arduous, repetitive task for many of the PetRescue member community. By helping rescue organisations write pet adoption profiles, the feature helps relieve workloads, speed up the adoption process, and, in turn, increase the capacity for rescue organisations to help the most vulnerable pets.

And it had a significant impact on helping pets find homes faster! In 2023, pets whose profiles have been written using the AI assistant have found homes on average in 20 days compared to those not written using the feature with an average of 34 days! That’s a speedy time to adoption of 39.07% faster for pets whose profiles were written with the help of PetRescue’s AI writer! 

 

Winky, adopted thanks to Strong Hearts Farm Sanctuary, who've saved time writing pet profiles using the AI powered profile writing assistant.

“Definitely makes it quicker. Looking at profiles now versus before is totally different. It's amazing! The difference doesn't even compare. It's chalk and cheese, such an improvement.” 

- PetRescue council member

 

Your support helped coordinate the complex logistics of $554,049.64 worth of vital food (a chonky 91,425kg!) and pet products that were delivered to pets in need across Australia!

PetRescue's food and product donation program helps rescue organisations feed pets in their care, freeing up funds to cover other critical care needs. 

“Thank you so much. I sent one box out to the fires, and we are giving the other box to the homeless groups where pets are living in cars.”

- Angels Rescue, recipient of MyDog blanket donation

 

Happy kitties from AWL Hawkesbury Valley Branch were purr-ty keen to get into their dinner!

 

Brand new cat scratchers for lucky kitties!

 

Keeping pets safe

It’s because of your support that Home2Home is reaching more people and pets in need! The program is now open to all states and more species of pets. 

The program has already made a significant positive impact by supporting pet owners with kindness throughout their pet rehoming journey, whether that’s helping find new loving homes for pets or supporting pet owners to keep their pets, which is, without a doubt, the most ideal outcome.

Hagrid, adopted via Home2Home

 

"I spent a few months trying to find a solution to my situation, but all the rescues I contacted were full, and I didn't want to put my cat in a shelter or list him on other trading platforms. I'm so glad I stumbled on this program because it was exactly what I was looking for in terms of safety and security for my cat. The team was understanding and supportive, and the process of getting my cat's listing up was smooth. I had a bunch of questions, but the communication was excellent throughout. Within a week, I had a number of great inquiries and ended up finding a great fit a lot sooner than I expected. I would recommend to anyone looking to find a (new) home for their fur children."

~ Pet guardian who used Home2Home to find a new home for their cat, Hagrid.

 

The PetRescue team introduced the Home2Home program to hundreds of councils and rescue organisations from all over Australia as an alternative to surrendering.

By openly sharing learnings from the program's pilot and giving councils and rescue organisations the tools and blueprints to set up their own assisted rehoming program or the ability to refer pet guardians to PetRescue’s Home2Home program, we can reduce intake and enable rescue organisations to focus their efforts on the most at-risk and vulnerable pets.

Together, we can continue to prioritise the welfare of pets and the well-being of the people who love them and strengthen and support the entire rescue community.

Thanks to your support, Home2Home has grown into the program it is today - a game-changing option for councils, shelters and rescue organisations. 

Read more - Home2Home is recognised for innovation in animal management and welfare.

 

 

Creating a better future for pets, together

You helped increase safety for pets within the current system.

Your support saves lives by enabling the PetRescue team to do crucial behind-the-scenes work to build relationships with councils and introduce them to the benefits of PetRescue's adoption platform as a rehoming tool.

Getting more councils on board using PetRescue's adoption platform as a rehoming pathway is crucial in keeping pets safe. Without this opportunity, pets within council facilities are possibly invisible and might never get a second chance. Digital rehoming gives councils and shelters access to a much bigger community of adopters (including the possibility of interstate adoptions) while reducing the burden on rescue groups at capacity. 

 

Fleur adopted thanks to Goulburn Mulwaree Council

 

Over 5,628 pets have been marked as adopted by 29 councils on the PetRescue platform in 2023 (with an average time to adoption of just 12 days!). But there’s more work to do. Thanks to your support, we’ll continue to work one-on-one with the community and councils to change the future for pets.

 

Collaboration for Impact

Through PetRescue's Safe and Sound Pets program, together, we are working towards preventing 100,000* pets from being killed each year by working collaboratively with each council, facility by facility, and person by person, to meet their specific needs, identifying barriers that are preventing progress, help remove or bypass them, and help find homes for pets so that they have the chance to rehabilitate. 

 

 Stormi, found love thanks to wat djerring Animal Facility

 

Read more about how collaboration is shaping a better future for pets.

 

You helped people and pets in crisis.

Thanks to your support, the PetRescue helpdesk team answered 707 calls for support from people and pets in crisis. Using the new crisis care directory, folks experiencing crisis situations such as hospitalisations, homelessness, domestic violence and financial hardship are connected directly with local organisations that offer outreach, crisis support services and safe short-term accommodation for their pets, saving precious time and resources.

 

Thank you for creating a whole lot of happiness in 2023.

And thank you to our generous pet-lovin' partners and sponsors for supporting the mission to find a home for every pet that needs one:

Pets Regardless | Elsie Cameron Foundation | Bunderra Foundation

 

 

Banner image: James, found love thanks to Ballarat Animal Shelter

*Source: https://www.petrescue.com.au/library/articles/petrescue-stats-on-pets-killed-in-pounds