As with every year during the holiday season, animal shelters around the state are overflowing with dogs and cats that have fled their homes or been abandoned. We visited a north coast animal rescue centre and met some of the pets looking for a loving home.
Animals occupy every room of the Lismore Animal Rights and Rescue Centre.
Even the bathroom is inhabited by a fox terrier and her five pups, who were abandoned on a hot day in a Lismore caravan park.
In the next room, sits a timid mother and her puppy, who were abandoned on a rural property after their owner was hit by a car.
There are currently more than 70 cats and dogs in care with the far-north coast Animal Rights & Rescue Group.
Thirty of those have come in after mid-December.
With a no-kill policy, most of the pets are housed in foster care until the centre can find a suitable long-term home.
Many animals have been rescued from pounds around the region, just before they were about to be euthanised.
But the group has reached capacity, which means they’re unable to collect any more of the dogs and cats facing death.
While in foster care, volunteers document the animal’s traits and characteristics to find a good match.
Animal Rights & Rescue Group founder and president, Barbara Steffensen says there is a detailed process to make sure each animal goes to the right home.
She says people need to be committed to caring for their pet for its whole life, including providing adequate care while they’re away on holiday.
If you’ve been thinking about getting a cat or dog and would like to see if there is one at the Lismore Animal Rights & Rescue Centre that would suit your home and lifestyle, visit its website or call (02) 6622 1881.
http://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2013/01/03/3663725.htm#.UOZi1Kkh3nU.facebook