RSPCA again tries to clear its shelters

THE RSPCA went on a mission to Clear the Shelters at the weekend, cutting adoption fees to $29 for all animals great and small in care nationwide.

The goal was to rehome as many animals as possible over the three-day adoption period running from February 22 to February 24.

In Victoria, Clear the Shelter ran at all RSPCA Victoria locations and participating Petbarn stores.

In 2018, a record-breaking 2,792 animals found their “furever homes” across the country in RSPCA’s most successful adoption promotion to date.

“This promotion is all about finding homes for the animals currently in our care, and providing the extra incentive to people looking for a new pet to consider adoption,” RSPCA Victoria chief executive officer Dr Liz Walker said.

“We monitor adoption promotions carefully and have found that the price someone pays to acquire an animal has no impact on return rates and no negative impact on the animal’s welfare. All available research confirms this.

“RSPCA Victoria does not put a number on how long an animal is in our care – in fact, we have some animals available for adoption who have been with us for almost a year. However, we believe that pets belong in homes, not in shelters.”

Ahead of the weekend, RSPCA Victoria had 369 animals available for adoption, including dogs, cats, kittens, rabbits and guinea pigs.

All adoption animals are desexed, microchipped, vaccinated, health and behaviour checked.

Evidence from research shows low fee adoptions do not affect return rates or impact negatively on the welfare of the animals.

The RSPCA says Clear The Shelter benefits all involved – animals spend less time in shelters and find forever homes sooner, which better positions the shelters to continue to take in and care for more animals.