Who we are and what we do:
Sunraysia Animal Rehousing Group (SARG) is a 100% volunteer animal charity been in existence since June 2007, we are leaders in animal rescue in Mildura. We have a committee, are incorporated, hold an ABN, are an ATO recognised Animal Charity with deductible gift status, and registered with the Australian Charities & Not for Profit Commission.
The group is involved in all facets of animal rescue, including facilitating its own in foster care program undertaken in volunteer's private homes where animals are then rehomed via our formal adoption program.
SARG does make a considerable difference to our whole community. We actively promote responsible pet ownership, seek grants and other funding opportunities to achieve these goals.
G2Z Elements & Strategies:
Whilst we don’t have the benefit of a (1) Community Vet Clinic we do have excellent relationships with all local vet providers. We hold an annual dog walk, “Paws Along the Murray” with 2015 to be our 5th annual event – please see our video http://vimeo.com/96041621. All local Vet providers have participated in the day in the format of providing subsidised microchipping on the day to the general public and or donating products and funds for the event fun competitions on the day. Certainly for the rescue Vet work reasonable discounts are applied and consideration is given to individual circumstances. As a past GM of a Private Hospital where “a University based rural school of medicine model" has been very successful - it’s my dream that we encourage a University partnership into our rural community which could then assist with subsidised or community vet fees for our quite disadvantaged community, and provide our region’s Vets of the future.
We do not have the benefit of municipal (or other source) of reduced desexing fees despite our known high level of social disadvantage. However SARG has successfully ensured for instance that the past 2 years RSPCA reduced cost desexing vouchers are 100% utilised - we use the power of our networks & social media, to the point now RSPCA contact us then within as little as 10 days to notify that all vouchers ( approx. 150-200) are fully utilised.
We have actively sought and gained funding from our local Merbein & Community Bank for funding for a cat desexing program (2012) desexing 30 cats. We do this as we have now primarily moved towards only rehoming dogs as we find it incredibly hard to compete with the free to a good home kitten in our rural location. If we can desex cats we can avoid the need for rehoming. It is our intention to apply for this funding again in 2014 in later July early August.
We have been able to encourage two local Vet providers to join in this year for the national desexing initiative – both are offering a 25% discount during July 2014. We facilitate the promotion of this through local media and again through our networks and our social media presence.
We do not have a shelter vet clinic in our community. SARG was created in 2007 with a small grant by MRCC made up primarily of MRCC staff initially as a solution to assist the then Mildura Animal Shelter reduce the number of healthy dogs and cats being euthanased on a twice weekly basis by a visiting vet; whereas now in 2013/14 the euthanasia rate is so very low that the vet no longer needs to visit the Shelter. MRCC took over the shelter from RSPCA.
(3) Community Education, Legislation Support. As President Trudie is serious about being as briefed as she can be of current legislation and current best practice for sheltering of animals. She attended G2Z in 2013, self funded and on leave from fulltime employment which is not in the animal industry. This information is then shared with our committee, organisational members and our partners and community in general. Our volunteers are incredibly active in community education, from requests to visit Joey Scouts, Girl Guides through to visiting both primary & secondary schools. We do this so much now that we sought in December and were able to achieve a grant from the Merbein Community Bank where they provided us with funding to purchase funky water bottles that are branded to SARG & the bank to give to the children as a memento of our visit. One of our foster carers is a primary school teacher – she took puppies to school for several weeks to teach the children all about what it takes to own a puppy including feeding and cleaning up after them. We have also spoken at other community groups such as Rotary etc. We have strong links with the local Delta Dogs trainer who is a sponsor of our Paws Walk – Bronwyn Welsh see Paws Video. Currently Trudie is working with Bronwyn at a local Nursing home with a facility dog.
(4) Rehoming Centre – SARG is thrilled that we were the recipients of a $50,000.00 grant from DEPI in January 2014. We are midway through this project – a partnership with local council, and SuniTAFE to relocate a SuniTAFE bungalow as constructed by students to the shelter site run by council. The bungalow will be used as a multipurpose area conducting both rehoming functions in a an environment away from the main shelter and an education centre used by the TAFE and any other education providers. This project was covered in a local magazine earlier in the year. Once it is in place we expect more publicity. We look forward to an improvement in what I think are already quite positive rehoming rates from our shelter
Adoption, reclaim, foster and euthanasia statistics:
2012/2013 |
|
|
|
|
Cats |
|
|
|
|
Incoming |
Reclaimed |
Rehomed |
Transferred to rescue |
Euth |
704 |
30 |
481 |
481 |
191 |
Dogs |
|
|
|
|
Incoming |
Reclaimed |
Rehomed |
Transferred to rescue |
Euth |
968 |
308 |
565 |
565 |
86 |
2011/2012 |
|
|
|
|
Cats |
|
|
|
|
Incoming |
Reclaimed |
Rehomed |
Transferred to rescue |
Euth |
742 |
41 |
295 |
295 |
405 |
Dogs |
|
|
|
|
Incoming |
Reclaimed |
Rehomed |
Transferred to rescue |
Euth |
1012 |
326 |
608 |
608 |
78 |
2010/2011 |
|
|
|
|
Cats |
|
|
|
|
Incoming |
Reclaimed |
Rehomed |
Transferred to rescue |
Euth |
629 |
14 |
168 |
168 |
442 |
Dogs |
|
|
|
|
Incoming |
Reclaimed |
Rehomed |
Transferred to rescue |
Euth |
1002 |
289 |
551 |
551 |
160 |
Shelter data comparing 2008/09 to 2012/13; Statistics SARG are very proud to be part of.
source MRCC “Domestic Animal Management Plan 2013-17”
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