Wollongong City Council has introduced an animal care program and service that provides a more financially stable choice for adoption and fostering.
Wollongong Animal Care and Impounding Services project director, Daniel Kennedy said since the opening of the new centre in 2024 there has been an increase in animal adoption.
“At the start of this financial year we are starting to see an increase [in animals received]…but adoption numbers are also increasing, the statistics are moving together which is good,” Mr Kennedy said.
Mr Kennedy said the program had witnessed outstanding outcomes, with 433 animals being successfully adopted in the 2024-25 financial year, compared to statistics at the RSPCA NSW for returned/re-homed/reclaim numbers for dogs and cats combined.
WCC Animal Care uses a new scaled adoption model, which begins at a base price for dogs at $300, and cats at $200.
If the animal is not re-homed in the first week the price is reduced by 50 per cent. After that week, the price drops again by 75 per cent of the original price, costing $75 for a dog and $50 for a cat during its third week up for adoption.
“[We’re seeing] more [adoptions] in the later stages of the rehoming process when the animals become a little bit more affordable for people,” Mr Kennedy said.
“When rehoming a dog or a cat for $75 or $50, that animal comes microchipped, vaccinated, desexed, wormed and that costs a lot more than the $50-$75, but again its a burden councils are comfortable to bear to see that animal in a new home.”
The yearly statistics for dog adoptions at the RSPCA were released last financial year and has shown yet another decrease in adoption rates.
Source: RSPCA Yearly Statistics
Receiving animals has seen another decrease by 5.15 per cent compared to the previous year. Although this decline is a positive, the RSPCA is also seeing a decrease of adoptions across Australia.
Companion Animal Network Australia’s (CANA) CEO Trish Ennis told petnews that she believes the cost of living pressures were not making adoptions a viable choice in regards to the Companion Animal Network annual impact report.
“These figures show that while progress is being made, people still face barriers when life circumstances change or when housing challenges arise,” she said.
An RSPCA Spokesperson also addressed this decrease in relation to dogs with more being in their care for extensive periods.
“While RSPCA NSW isn’t seeing a spike in incoming animals, we have observed a drop in the number of animals getting adopted year-on-year,” the spokesperson said.
“The average length of stay for an adult dog is closer to 54 days – a 58 per cent increase in just over two years.”
Although the adoption statistics are dropping, adjustments through services such as the WCC Animal Care program has revealed that sometimes a new system is all it takes to find an animal a new home.
