Pumpkin arrived into our care injured and scared. She’d been found roaming the street without a collar. A scan showed she had no microchip so we had no means of finding her owner and no one came forward to claim her.

Pumpkin’s injuries were immediately apparent upon her arrival at the shelter as she was not putting weight on her left front leg.  The vet team went into action giving this sweet little girl pain relief and organising X-rays.  The X-rays revealed a fractured leg and dislocated joint.  Extremely overweight, Pumpkin was also put on an urgent weight loss program with the support of our sponsor Hill’s Science Diet.

Thanks to the wonderful support of our generous community, we raised over $4,000 through our Emergency Specialist Action fund so that Pumpkin could undergo a specialist surgery to try and save her leg.

Unfortunately, Pumpkin’s injury was too old and despite the best efforts of our team, the bone fragments could not be successfully fitted together and we were unable to save Pumpkin’s leg from amputation.

However prior to her surgery, Pumpkin had lost almost 10% of her body weight, thanks to her adoptive parents, making it easier for her to get around. So within 48 hours of surgery, Pumpkin was up, playing and running on her three legs and reunited with her new loving family.

 

Loving cats and dogs equally, Holly is proud to be leader of fundraising group Team Cat in the upcoming City2Surf. “I love all the different personalities of cats,” Holly said, “from too-cool-for-school cats to loving little darlings like Gracie.”

Holly has been a supporter of Sydney Dogs and Cats Home for several years.  It was back in 2015 while helping out behind reception that Holly fell in love with and adopted Gracie, the office Cat.

“With a full-time job involving lots of travel and living in an apartment, a cat is the perfect companion for my living situation. Gracie is just awesome – she has enriched my life no end.  Such a loving and affectionate little lady.”

Holly has run the City2Surf three times and this will be her second time running for Sydney Dogs and Cats Home.  “It’s such a special event, with such a good vibe to it.  Raising money for the Home really enhances the experience on the day, and it is really satisfying to see your fundraising bank increase; it gives you such purpose.”

Holly continues, “I chose to run for the Home as I believe it’s a wonderful and essential service for lost and abandoned animals – I can’t imagine a cause more worthy!  It is also great to know that my funds raised will contribute to the new shelter.  Feedback from those who sponsored me also echoed what a great cause it is, and who doesn’t love helping animals!?”

To sponsor Holly or to join one of the running teams click here.

Join #teamSDCH in this year’s City2Surf as we run to fund the construction of Exercise and Enrichment yards for the animals that will come into our care when we build our new home.

Our current location, which we have called home for more than 70 years, has been slated for redevelopment and our facility for demolition.  We are now trying to raise the funds that will go towards the construction of our new home.   We have set an audacious goal, to raise $30,000 to help fund the build of best-practice amenities for the enrichment of the more than 3,500 lost and abandon pets who will come through our doors each year.

Our own General Manager Stuart Paine has dusted off his running shoes to help raise funds and awareness for Sydney Dogs and Cats Home by running in this year’s City2Surf.  Stuart joined Sydney dogs and Cats Home five months ago.  He was drawn to our organisation because of his own unique experience with Woody, a dog he adopted some 11 years ago.  “Adopting Woody was the best decision I have made to date.  I want to give other people the opportunity to adopt their own rescue pet and share the same amazing journey I did with Woody,” explained Stuart.

It’s been more than two years since Stuart competed in a marathon and even longer since he participated in City2Surf.  Stuart isn’t counting on beating his personal this year as he’s going to be wearing a doggie onesie.  “Our new shelter will provide a better quality of stay with more mobility and outdoor space for the animals that come into our care, and I’m wearing a doggie onesie to emphasise the importance of shelter enrichment and exercise. Whilst promoting the need for donations to build Sydney Dogs and Cats Home – our new home,” said Stuart.

To join Stuart and the rest of #teamSDCH head over to https://teamsdch2018.raisely.com/ and sign up.  Extra perks for joining the team include:

• An exclusive team running singlet given to each member who raises $100
• Recognition of your support when you raise $1,000 by dedicating a real paver that will be laid in a path at our new Home
• A dedicated contact from Sydney Dogs and Cats Home who will provide one-on-one support

So, are you in? We hope so!

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.

Young mum Lizzy was found and brought into Sydney Dogs and Cats Home with her two kittens.  While they were all now safe, Lizzy had a skin allergy resulting in excessive itching and licking as well as hair loss.  The SDCH vet team quickly identified that Lizzy was suffering from a food allergy.

Food hypersensitivity can occur in both cats and dogs, and it can appear at any age or at any time.  The exact cause of food allergies is not yet know but is likely to be triggered by a change in the animal’s immune system.  This results in certain ingredients become perceived as foreign by the pet’s immune system and triggering an immune response.  This response can result in the typical symptoms such as itching, licking and chewing, and diarrhoea may also occur.

To minimise the stress on Lizzy’s compromised immune system, she and her kittens were place into a foster home which would be less stressful for them all.  Lizzy was also put on a specialist diet,  Hill’s Prescription Diet z/d, to try and eliminate the adverse food reaction.

It took several weeks, but Lizzy’s condition cleared up and her hair grew back.  And we are happy to report that Lizzy and her kittens have all been adopted.  In fact, Lizzy has found her new home with her wonderful foster carer.

Volunteers play an integral role in all aspects of Sydney Dogs and Cats Home’s day-to-day operations.  Whether it is helping out in the kennels or cattery, providing administrative support, fundraising, being a foster carer or participating in our events, Sydney Dogs and Cats Home wouldn’t exist without their support.  And we are so pleased that our own Peggy Christodoulides has been recognised for her outstanding contribution to the Home.  Peggy was recently presented with a 2018 Banks Volunteer Award.

Peggy has been volunteering at Sydney Dogs and Cats Home since October 2016 and contributes so much to the smooth running of our shelter operations.  A quiet achiever, Peggy is well-known and well-like by the entire team of staff and volunteers.  Peggy is extremely dedicated and is frequently spotted at the shelter doing copious amount of laundry to ensure the animals in care have clean, dry bedding.  She’s also been known to coerce her friends and family into helping out with the laundry and washing of food bowls. Sydney Dogs and Cats Home wants to say congratulations and a big thank you to Peggy and all our volunteers.

 

The Hon. David Coleman MP and the Hon. Julie Bishop MP, Minister for Foreign Affairs present Sydney Dogs and Cats Home volunteer Peggy Christodoulides with the 2018 Banks Volunteer Award.

Some animals need a little more time and assistance to find their forever homes.  This was true of Charlie, the Labradoodle.  Not even a year old, Charlie arrived at Sydney Dogs and Cats Home in September 2017.  Over the course of the next six months Charlie was rehomed and subsequently returned to SDCH a few times.

Understanding that Charlie would need a bit of extra training to overcome behavioural and anxiety issues that had emerged, SDCH staff member and volunteer Sue decided to make Charlie her first foster doggie.

Sue recalls, “it took Charlie about three weeks to settle and for me to be able to observe what would trigger Charlie to run for the tea towels, hand towels, socks or any small item he could potentially eat”.  You see, in addition to suffering from anxiety, Charlie had Pica.  Pica is a condition where an animal craves and subsequently eats non-food items such as dirt, fabric, plastic, etc.

Sue worked diligently with Charlie for more than two months so that he stopped eating things he shouldn’t.  She was able to teach him to be a much calmer dog who would not mouth nor run around in circles when people came over for a visit.

Charlie’s rehabilitation involved provision of a structured routine including vigorous daily exercise and walks and reinforcement of acceptable behaviours to help build his manners.  Charlie, under supervision, was also exposed to various stimuli – different dogs, family and friends including kids as well as trips to the beach and cafes.

Along the way there were hiccups, including a memorable emergency trip to the vet after Charlie swallowed a dressing gown cord before Sue could take it away from him.  However all the hardwork and time that Sue, Charlie and the SDCH team invested paid off.

In February of this year, a lovely couple Peter and Michelle expressed interest in adopting Charlie…it seemed like a perfect match.  The couple had experience working with behaviourally challenged dogs and already had a Labradoodle named Chad that needed a mate.  And a doggie mate was just what Charlie needed to help him with his long-term emotional stability and to help him burn all his excess energy.

Charlie won the hearts of Peter and Michelle, and is now living the life going to the beach in Newcastle, playing with Chad, and exploring his new home, a 50-acre property near Mudgee.

Charlie is the perfect example of why SDCH doesn’t place a time limit on any adoptable animal.  It may take a little more time and a little more work, but animals like Charlie are worth it and make our work rewarding.

A big thank you to Sue and everyone at SDCH who played a part in Charlie’s journey to his forever home, and to Peter and Michelle for opening up their home to Charlie.