Who you are and what you do:

Animal Rehoming Tablelands rescue unwanted and abandoned cats, kittens, dogs and pups in and around the Tablelands and protect these pets in foster homes until the right forever homes are found. Our aim is to stop the cycle of unwanted pets through desexing and by raising awareness by owners why they should desex their pets to help prevent the high rates of euthenasia in our pounds. Animal Rehoming Tablelands is on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland but we have rehomed many pets right around Australia as far west as Perth and south to Melbourne. We use Jetpets, Dogtainers and Anitrans to move our babies wherever they are wanted. All our cats, kittens, dogs and pups have been microchipped, vaccinated, desexed, wormed and flea treated before they leave our care, which can be arranged at an early age. Animal Rehoming Tablelands is a private rescue operating on private funding, so we appreciate very much the assistance of our vet partners and Atherton & District Animal Welfare Society. We also thank Tableland Regional Council for their implementation of policies that allow ART to operate as a foster based rescue group.

G2Z Elements & Strategies:

Community Vet Clinic

• ART uses two veterinary clinics who provide discounted desexing, michro chipping and vaccinations for our rescues.
• Our vets both practice early age desexing from 8 weeks and 1 kilo in weight for kittens and puppies 2 kg.

Shelter Vet Clinic

• Our vets also provide health checks, worming, heart worm tests and aids tests at discounted prices for our pets.

Rehoming Centre

• Efficient movement through the system by Australia wide advertising and use of Facebook Sites.
• Substantial fostering and volunteer program, with up tom 52 carers and volunteers registered.
• Socialization due to foster home bases.
• Rehabilitation of treatable cats and dogs.
• Focus on increasing rehoming rates each year
• Available all hours
• Positive communication, promotion and marketing of pets
• Pre-adoption interviews
• Post adolption support
• Involve the community in the zero euth goal
• Invovle community networks to help rehome
• Data gathering

Community Education, Legislation & Support

• Coalition of stakeholders inhcluding local governments, wildlife groups and shelter & rescue groupsdeveloping cooperative involvement in solutions
• Education of the whole community on euthanasia rates
• Legislation which supports rehoming i.e. foster carers and rescue groups, excess animal permits for foster carers.
• Pre-surrender interviews
• Information and support for new and inexperienced owners and carers
• Post adoption support
• Indoor only or cat safe fencing education
• Early age desexing education

Recent achievements in Getting 2 Zero:

• Obtained the cooperation of two local vets who will desex our rescues at age 8 weeks and/or 1200 grams.
• Sought approval and received it from local council to allow our foster carers freedom from the two dogs or two cats registration limitations.
• Obtained assistance from our local Animal Welfare Society which ensures that cat owners who foster their own kittens can have access to half price vouchers to desex the mothers.
• Obtained assistance from our local Animal Welfare Society who will, if funds allow, compensate our group by paying half our vet bills for desexing and micro chipping.

Support needed:

• More foster carers
• More support from local Facebook
• Buy Swap Sell groups who discriminate against rescue groups.
• More gratis publicity from the media
• More national publicity to help raise awareness and increase the number of homes available for our rescues.

Adoption, reclaim, foster and euthanasia statistics for last two full financial or calendar years:

Zero euthenasia . . we are a no-kill rescue group. We currently have a group of 54 foster carers and volunteers. We have rescued 153 companion pets and rehomed 110 since we commenced in July, 2012. Every pet has been rehomed fully vetted i.e. vaccinated, micro chipped, desexed, flea and worm treated.