Author Archives: admin

Scrap value: the economics of animal rescue

By admin | Published: May 17, 2013

The iron fist of the real, inside the velvet glove of airy mathematics.~Gregory Benford, Timescape  The reality for many, if not most, rescue groups, is that we are beggars at the gates of the shelters and pounds, dependant on their good will to save lives. We plead with them to give us animals, turning a [...]


Posted in rescue groups, shelters and pounds | Leave a comment

Someone like you? Our foster care survey

By admin | Published: April 29, 2013

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It’s not.  ~ Dr. Seuss   Fill out my online form.


Posted in Foster care, rescue groups, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

If not us, then who?

By admin | Published: March 22, 2013

“If not us, then who? If not now, then when?”  John Lewis Do you know what the single, biggest problem that rescue groups in Australia are facing today, right now, this very minute? It’s not shelters killing, it’s not legislation, it’s not lack of resources; it’s something much simpler and more fundamental. It’s a place [...]


Posted in Foster care, rescue groups | 1 Comment

A day in the life of (rescue)

By admin | Published: January 3, 2013

It goes like this. On Tuesday afternoon David from Mildura drives to Broken Hill to pick up animals from Broken Hill pound, a 7 hour round trip. Because of the heat, it’s decided that this transport effort will happen at night, so David arrives back in Mildura at 11pm with several dogs, a cat and [...]


Posted in philosophy, rescue groups, shelters and pounds | 6 Comments

Our new video thanks to Deloitte’s Impact Day volunteering

By admin | Published: November 17, 2012

Last year Deloitte (the international consulting firm) contacted us and asked if we’d like to be part of their Impact Day program, where Deloitte employees are encouraged to volunteer a day of work to a non-profit organisation. We were delighted to be involved and the lovely at Deloitte designed our logo and rebuilt our website, [...]


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A (new) agreeable friend

By admin | Published: November 6, 2012

Animals are such agreeable friends – they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. George Eliot “Pets are good for our health and good for the health of our communities. The tangible benefits to the physical and mental well being of pet owners have been confirmed by scientific research. Pets provide companionship, encourage exercise and [...]


Posted in breeders, pet shops, rescue groups, shelters and pounds | Tagged | Leave a comment

Pet over-population doesn’t add up

By admin | Published: September 4, 2012

  The essence of mathematics is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple.  S. Gudder 63% of 7.5 million households in Australia have a cat or dog.* That is 4,725,000 households have one or more pets, one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world. Let’s assume that [...]


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Shadow dogs and ancient contracts: are we barking up the wrong tree when opposing breed specific legislation

By admin | Published: July 13, 2012

Introduction For those of us who love dogs, the cases of Lennox in Ireland and Bear and Kooda in Victoria are heart-breaking. The relentlessly pursued death of dogs who were loved and who committed no other crime than looking as they did is so monstrously unfair and so inhumane that commentators all over the world [...]


Posted in dogs, philosophy | Tagged , , | Comments closed

Every letter deserves a reply …

By admin | Published: January 17, 2012

There is a letter making its way around rescue groups, ostensibly written by an anonymous “shelter manager” in South Carolina in the US.  It’s one of those internet things that pop-up on Facebook and forums so that everyone can indulge in a bit of recreational outrage. Presumably the author was venting his/her frustration and anger [...]


Posted in change is hard, dogs, shelters and pounds | Leave a comment

The myth of the “irresponsible public”

By admin | Published: December 13, 2011

If you are at all interested in the welfare of companion animals and read blogs or rescue sites, you’ll quickly realise that one of the most common, if not the most common, theme is the “irresponsible public”. Over and over again passionate advocates of companion animal welfare rail against the “irresponsible” public; tell stories of [...]


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