NSW residents are being encouraged to adopt from their local council pound or animal shelter rather than shopping if they\u2019re considering getting a pet this Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Christmas period is a prime time when many families welcome a new, furry family member into their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But with councils and rehoming organisations reporting an increase in surrendered or abandoned animals recently, there are many loving pets across the state waiting to find their forever home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the 12 months to 30 June 2023, there were 21,580 dogs and 14,370 cats in the NSW pound system, including 5680 dogs and 5030 cats which were released to organisations for rehoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adopting a pet provides a safe home to animals in need of a second chance while also reducing the demand on the state\u2019s facilities. This includes 100 approved rehoming organisations and 98 council pounds across NSW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Current and prospective pet owners are also being reminded about responsible pet ownership and the importance of microchipping, desexing and registering their pet via the NSW Pet Registry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sadly, summer is a peak time of year for pets to go missing, whether they\u2019re spooked by New Year’s Eve fireworks or escape into unfamiliar surroundings when taken on the family holiday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ensuring your pet\u2019s details are up to date on the NSW Pet Registry can make all the difference in the chance of a happy reunion if your pet goes missing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Registration via the NSW Pet Registry is free for desexed cats and dogs adopted from pounds, animal shelters and approved rehoming organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To adopt a pet this Christmas, visit your council pound, RSPCA, Animal Welfare League, Cat Protection Society or another approved rehoming organisation in your local area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
See the full list of rehoming organisationslaunch<\/a>, or contact your local councillaunch<\/a> for information on council pounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDogs and cats are beloved members of the family in homes across NSW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey can provide love and companionship and adopting a pet which might\u2019ve had a rough start to life can be an incredibly rewarding experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you\u2019re welcoming a new pet into your family this Christmas, please think about visiting a council pound, animal shelter or rehoming organisation to see if there\u2019s a dog or cat that would suit your household.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMore than 3480 dogs and 3690 cats were adopted from NSW pounds in the year to 30 June 2023, showing just how generous the people of NSW can be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhile pets can bring a lot of joy, it\u2019s also important to remember they are a big responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo before adopting a pet ensure you\u2019re in the best position to give them the life and home they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NSW residents are being encouraged to adopt from their local council pound or animal shelter rather than shopping if they\u2019re considering getting a pet this Christmas. The Christmas period is a prime time when many families welcome a new, furry family member into their homes. But with councils and rehoming organisations reporting an increase in … Continue reading “Adopt don’t shop for an animal companion this Christmas”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24637","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24637"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24638,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24637\/revisions\/24638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}