Brought in as a stray, Chuck first arrived on the doorstep of Sydney Dogs and Cats Home in May 2017. A lovely Kelpie Cross, Chuck wasn’t microchipped and no one came to claim him.

With the exception of his teeth, this 10-year-old gentleman was in good health.  After performing much needed dental work resulting in the extraction of some teeth, Chuck was ready to be rehomed.

However, it soon became apparent that Chuck wasn’t coping well in the shelter.  He was anxious and fairly distressed and we knew we had to take action.  Thanks to our wonderful network of volunteers a temporary foster home was found for Chuck, enabling him to have some time out of the shelter.

Fortunately for Chuck it didn’t take long upon his return to SDCH to be adopted. But after only four months in his new home, Chuck’s circumstances changed.  His new owner had to move into an aged care facility and couldn’t bring Chuck along.

Chuck once again found himself at SDCH.  Knowing that the shelter was too stressful for Chuck, we placed him into a foster home with Caroline, a first-time foster carer.  Chuck spent two months in his foster home before Alexis spotted him on the SDCH website.

A meet up with Chuck, Caroline and Alexis was organised to see if Alexis and Chuck would be a suitable match. Based on the photos below, we think Chuck and Alexis are a perfect match.  So our beautiful old boy, almost a year on from first entering the Home, has landed himself a wonderful new forever home and human.

With your support we are looking to raise $100,000 by 30 June to fund the Senior Pet Project for the next 12 months, enabling us to provide care for the seniors like Chuck who require a bit more time before they find their homes. Donate now to support the Senior Pet Project.

I had only been appointed as General Manager to Sydney Dogs and Cats Home a short time when I first met 12-year-old Zeek.

I had been told to prepare myself for the neglect cases but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw when Zeek first arrived from the Fairfield City Council area just before Christmas.

My heart simply sank.

The first thing you noticed was an orange-sized suspected cancerous growth.  After we ran tests we discovered it was not cancerous.  It was a large necrotic growth that due to his poor skin health, had ulcerated and was hanging painfully from his chest.

We sped him through a consult with our Vet Team and after closer examination, they found he was severely arthritic and his poor old body was covered with large callouses caused we believed from Zeek spending most of his days on concrete.

It was clear, that this sweet old dog would quickly become a favourite amongst the team, including myself. Despite his large size and the small space we call our office there were no objections to having Zeek as our daily office dog.

With no owner in sight and deteriorating health, it was clear that in this current state Zeek would not have long for this world.  So as always my incredible team jumped into action to ensure what time Zeek had left was the best it could possibly be.

This included performing surgery to remove his pendulous tumour, a pain management plan for his arthritis and finding him a palliative care home – preferably a place with a very soft and comfortable bed.

I knew I could provide the perfect place for Zeek to recover after his surgery and to enjoy some much needed TLC.

Initially we had a life expectancy for Zeek of only a few months.   Fast forward to today and he has made an incredible turn-around and is showing no sign of slowing down.

Zeek’s story was our inspiration for the Senior Pet Project, because we not only wanted to highlight this special group but ensure we were prepared for those cases that turn up on our door step tomorrow.

That is why we have set ourselves the ambitious target of raising $100,000 before June 30.  Since we launched the campaign only 3 weeks ago we have raised just shy of $40,000 which will go directly to support the animals in need, like Zeek!

On behalf of all of us at Sydney Dogs and Cats Home, thank you so much to those who have contributed to this campaign.  If you would like to make a donation to support the Senior Pet Project, please do so here .  If you donate before June 30 you can claim your donation in this tax year.

I can personally vouch that special case seniors are worth the time and investment.  The joy and happiness they give makes our Senior Pet Project and the work that we do so worthwhile.

Yours sincerely

Stuart Paine
General Manager

Tasha arrived at Sydney Dogs and Cats Home four days before Christmas.  This  12-year-old girl was in a bit of a state.  She had a flea allergy resulting in inflamed skin, scaly patches and hair loss over a significant portion of her body.  Her ears had signs of chronic inflammation and Tasha had a large hot spot (i.e. hair loss) on the elbow of her left front leg. The little hair she did have was full of flea dirt and her coat had numerous small matts.

Tasha was microchipped and although we tried to contact her owner on several occasions our calls went unanswered and unreturned.  Finally after the 14 day hold period passed, Tasha was ours to care for whilst we tried to find her a new loving home.

Our vet team quickly developed and implemented a care plan for Tasha.  She was given a full-body clip and bathed with a medicated shampoo to soothe her skin.  A good quality flea and mite treatment was also administered to remove the underlying cause of Tasha’s allergy.

In addition to her skin issues, Tasha was also highly anxious. So the team put Tasha on a medication to help reduce her anxiety.  And we were fortunate to be able to place Tasha into foster care with one of volunteers, who happens to be a vet student.

Tasha is doing really well in foster care.  Her hair is growing back and her medication for anxiety has been reduced.  Tasha’s true personality is emerging and despite her age, she is proving to be an energetic, sprightly little dog.  Tasha is a senior pet that has been transformed and is now looking for her new forever home.  Check out Tasha’s profile to learn more about this sweet girl.

With your support we are looking to raise $100,000 by 30 June to fund the Senior Pet Project for the next 12 months, enabling us to provide care for the seniors like Tasha who require a bit more support to prepare them for their new homes. Donate now to support the Senior Pet Project.

For almost seven months, Sasha has been in the care of Sydney Dogs and Cats Home. This warm sweet nine- year-old Staffy X – that’s approximately 61 in human years – was picked up as a stray, and arrived at the Home with her pal Tank, a six-and-half year old Staffy X. Unfortunately due to a change in their owner’s circumstances the pair was surrendered into our care.

Having identified that Sasha was an anxious dog, our behavioural team tried to rehome Tank and Sasha together. However while many people were interested in Tank, Sasha was a bit of a wallflower. No one expressed interest in adopting her.

It is also the rare person who can take on two big boisterous dogs at the same time. So after two months the team made the difficult decision to rehome the pair separately. Tank, immediately found a home and not long after so did Sasha.

Within a few days however Sasha was returned as she didn’t get along with her new housemates, a pair of cats. Again, day in and day out, this beautiful old girl waited patiently at the Home, and despite her gentle loving nature she continued to be overlooked by potential adopters.

Rather than letting Sasha’s anxiety grow with a prolonged stay in the shelter, Sasha was placed into foster care, where she has remained for the past few months. While Sasha is being spoiled rotten and loved very much by her foster family, this is only a temporary arrangement.  Sasha still needs to find her permanent home, and until that time we will continue to look after Sasha’s needs, ensuring she is well cared for.

With your support we are looking to raise $100,000 by 30 June to fund the Senior Pet Project for the next 12 months, enabling us to provide ongoing support for the seniors like Sasha who remain in our care that little bit longer. Donate now to support the Senior Pet Project.

Betty White, a 12-year-old Maltese-cross, who entered the Home in March, is the epitome of the seniors who need the special care that is provided by The Senior Pet Project.  Betty, a tottering old girl was brought in as a stray.  Her fur was dirty and matted, and her breath was putrid.  Our vet team performed a health assessment and it was clear by Betty’s neglected state that she hadn’t been to a vet in a very long time, if at all.  We did have contact with her owners, and they did not want Betty back so she came into our care.

The treatment plan was quickly developed and set into action.  Betty underwent major dental work, resulting in the extraction of most of her teeth. She had surgery for the removal of numerous mammary tumours.  She also had a complete shave as the knotting of her coat was so extensive it had to be cut back to her skin. What emerged may not have been the prettiest girl, at least not yet, but Betty had a new leash on life and was alert, friendly and energetic.

Betty enjoyed three weeks at the Home.  She was our much loved office dog and spent the days greeting all our visitors.  Until one day a very special group of visitors came, Lucy and Kelly, and their roommate Ami.  The trio instantly fell in love with our Betty White and adopted her that day.

With your support we are looking to raise $100,000 by 30 June to fund the Senior Pet Project for the next 12 months, enabling us to provide the seniors with the much needed care to set them up for success in their twilight years.  Donate now to support the Senior Pet Project.

As Sydney’s only registered charity pound and active rehoming facility, Sydney Dogs and Cats Home has been opening its doors to lost and abandoned pets for over 72 years. Sadly, embracing neglected seniors is all too familiar to us, and in recent times it seems we are experiencing an increase in the numbers of senior dogs and cats needing our help.

This increased demand was the catalyst for the Senior Pet Project, a new Sydney Dogs and Cats Home initiative. We have created the Senior Pet Project as a means not only to put a spotlight on these golden oldies to help with their rehoming, but also to raise the funds required for their much needed veterinary care and often prolonged stay at the Home.

Not surprisingly, the majority of senior cases do require extra veterinary treatment. This additional cost may be the reason why many owners do not reclaim their senior pets. Seniors also tend to have a longer stay in the shelter or foster care whilst we search for a suitable home, and in some cases that one in a million person willing to provide love and palliative care in a pet’s final months, weeks or even days.

With your support we are looking to raise $100,000 by 30 June to fund the Senior Pet Project for the next 12 months, enabling us to provide the seniors with the much needed care to set them up for success in their twilight years, just like Elf pictured right.  Support the Senior Pet Project today.