Animal Aid is an open door, not for profit animal welfare shelter that has been in operation for 65 years. Our primary function is to shelter, rehabilitate and rehome stray and relinquished cats, dogs, pocket pets, poultry and small livestock into suitable homes.

We have three shelters located in Coldstream, Bairnsdale and Fulham Victoria that provide pound services for the Yarra Ranges, Maroondah, Wellington and East Gippsland Shire Councils and take unclaimed animals from seven other regional and rural pound only operations.

A strong focus is placed on education and we provide accredited, hands on training for animal industry professionals and community education programs on a wide range of animal care and behaviour related subjects.

Our business arms provide much needed income to help support our shelter work. We have a commercial Boarding Kennels and Cattery, Professional Veterinary Clinic and Grooming Salon and provide Animal Training and Behavioural Advice which specialises in problem behaviour and pets adopted from a shelter, as well as four Opportunity Shops. 

We provide assistance and low/no cost desexing to people who are going through financial and/or emotional hardship. Our Pets in Peril program is designed specifically for families who are experiencing domestic violence by providing emergency accommodation for their pets while they seek safety.

G2Z Elements & Strategies:

Animal Aid shares many of the G2Z elements and strategies and has implemented live saving programs and services in all aspects of animal sheltering. As mentioned above our Pets in Peril program and community welfare service are a great example and our kitten foster program allows us to place around 600 kittens each year, a figure that would not be possible through our three facilities alone.

We have been providing early age desexing for over 17 years as well as offering reduced rate desexing for the parent animals belonging to people who are surrendering litters of kittens or puppies. In addition our veterinary staff volunteered their services to AMMRIC in the Northern Territory and SPCA in Fiji.

Recent Achievements in Getting to Zero:

Animal Aid is committed to responsible rehoming as well as reducing euthanasia. We actively promote desexing as a major key to reducing pet overpopulation and participate in both national and international initiatives such National Desexing Month and International Spay Day.

We pride ourselves on our adoption rates for both dogs and cats, but particularly with cats. We aspire to match people with a pet that will have the best chance of suiting their lifestyle and enhancing their family dynamic. We also provide lifetime back up support and advice to adoptive families, including those who have adopted from any shelter or rescue group, not just from Animal Aid.

In August 2012, we hosted the 1^st International Shelter Animals as Therapy Conference in Lakes Entrance, Victoria.  Attendees were treated to presentations by industry professionals from around the world. Topics included the important role that animals can play in the therapeutic fields and that shelter animals are an untapped resource. Based in East Gippsland and dubbed the Rembrandt Project after the delinquent German wirehaired pointer who is now providing not only therapy the disabled and elderly people, but also educational programs both in schools and at the Bairnsdale shelter.

Support Needed:

We are always in need of foster carers, this is an ongoing need. This program also comes at a substantial cost to Animal Aid and is in desperate need of a sponsor. Annual cost ~$60K.

Volunteers are vital to our survival, and through their involvement, the outcomes that we can achieve for the animals are vastly improved. Currently we would appreciate expressions of interest from people who would like to join a promotional team. The aim of the team will be to help raise our profile by thinking of new promotional and fundraising ideas and attending existing community events.

Our Community Welfare Services, including Pets in Peril and general emergency accommodation, is a very important service that we provide. We give pet owners experiencing financial or emotional hardship a temporary option for their pets while they get themselves back on their feet. If we didn’t provide this service then they may not have had any other choice but to surrender them to a shelter. We know that our job is just as much about keeping pets and people together as it about bringing them together. This program is currently unfunded, apart from sporadic donations from individuals. Animal Aid wears the cost of providing this service and a sponsor would also be greatly appreciated for the much needed community resource. Annual cost ~$36K.

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