Hundreds of animals find homes in Victorian adoption drive

A THREE-DAY adoption drive across Victoria has found homes for more than 500 animals as part of a statewide effort to encourage pet adoptions.

The ‘Mission Adoptable’ initiative, led by RSPCA Victoria alongside eight other shelters, ran from February 21 to 23, offering reduced adoption fees of $50 for cats, kittens, dogs and puppies, and $20 for small pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs.

The adoption drive saw 103 animals adopted from RSPCA Victoria alone, while hundreds more found homes through shelters such as The Lost Dogs’ Home, Bendigo Animal Relief Centre, Shepparton Animal Shelter, and the Geelong Animal Welfare Society.

RSPCA Victoria’s head of operations Tanya Drakopoulos said the drive aimed to ease pressure on shelters, which have been operating at capacity.

“Between increasing operational costs, the cost-of-living crisis, and fewer reclaims of lost pets, many Victorian animal shelters are finding themselves at capacity more often than not,” Ms Drakopoulos said.

“When our shelters are full it puts a strain on our staff and volunteers, as they have less time to dedicate to each animal.”

Dr Jessica Wilde, director of veterinary services at The Lost Dogs’ Home, said all adopted animals were desexed, vaccinated, and microchipped.

“We make sure that animals are health and behaviour-checked so that we can give every adoption the best possible chance of a successful match,” Dr Wilde said.

While the adoption fees were reduced, standard adoption procedures applied to ensure animals were matched with suitable homes.