Working towards a safer future for pets in Victoria

You may have seen last year’s article about PetRescue taking part in the Taskforce on Rehoming Pets by providing and supporting recommendations to Animal Welfare Victoria that will change the future for pets and ultimately help keep them safer in the system. 

Well, we’re happy to be able to provide an update!

One step closer to a transformed animal welfare system that protects vulnerable pets

In good news for pets, Animal Welfare Victoria (AWV) has accepted in principle all seventeen recommendations from the Taskforce on Rehoming Pets Report (if feasible). It’s committed to funding a 4-year consultation and development process to implement these recommendations along with its stakeholders. 

PetRescue’s animal welfare sector knowledge gathered from working with members (rescue groups, shelters, local government rehoming facilities, and vets who rehome) for 18 years, as well as extensive data and insights gathered from the platform, have helped to inform our input and participation in the Reforms.

PetRescue’s Founding Director Vix Davy and Program Specialist Dr Diana Rayment were part of a stakeholder workshop, along with several rescue organisations from Victoria. The workshop focused on finding out what aspects of the law currently are and aren’t working, as well as feedback on the development of regulations for all pet rehomers in the state. 

Specifically, AWV aimed to gather suggestions from rehomers in Victoria about ways to improve the welfare and outcomes for cats and dogs rehomed within the state to help shape this framework. PetRescue shared a short feedback survey with the member community in Victoria that included rescue groups, vets, shelters and council pounds.
 

Improved transparency & visibility to drive transformation

Simply put - we believe that more transparency and visibility around homeless pets, both within the system and for their adopters, are key components of driving transformation. We have recommended that this is achieved with the use of a platform that tracks individual pets: where they came from, how they came into care, who they’re in care with, and then whether they find a safe home.

Additionally, PetRescue strongly recommended that the scope of the reforms be expanded to include proactive and preventative measures to keep pets in their homes and out of the system in order to provide positive welfare outcomes.

More clarity is needed around what exactly rehomers class as an ‘adoptable pet’, as well as setting up transparent systems for assessing the behaviour of animals. As part of this, PetRescue supports AWV in investigating and creating further education opportunities for individuals and groups in the rescue sector. 

By integrating with existing rehoming platforms (like PetRescue), animal management software, and microchip databases, we can harness technology to keep pets safe in the current system and give the pet-loving public access to important data about pets and their safety and outcomes.

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Banner image credit: Shvet Productions via Pexels