Resources
We have compiled a list of organisations and services that may be able to assist in times of crisis, in the case that we are unable to help or your situation does not meet our criteria to apply for care.
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Similar Services
RSPCA (NSW) Pets In Crisis Program
A Domestic and Family Violence Support Program helping those experiencing violence and coercion to seek safety for themselves and their animal companions.
Other states: ACT, QLD. WA, TAS.
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Central Coast / Hunter Valley area
The Stay Foundation​ are a relatively new charity who offer similar services to Paws and Recover, helping those in the Hunter Valley and Central Coast areas (NSW).
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Happy Tails Animal Rescue Inc. has a community program to provide temporary, emergency housing for animals of individuals at risk or experiencing domestic violence, homelessness, or other needs in Queensland.
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Animal Welfare League Emergency Boarding Program (QLD)
AWLQ’s Emergency Boarding program offers pet boarding services to people who require short-stay hospitalisation and have no other means for their pet to be cared for.
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Foster care services for those escaping domestic violence, homelessness, or other crisis situations in the state of South Australia.
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Lort Smith Animal Hospital (Melbourne)
A not-for-profit animal hospital offering veterinary services, emergency pet accommodation, and third-party interest-free loans to support pet owners who are facing hardship, homelessness, or domestic violence.
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Do you have an existing Pet Insurance policy? Pet Insurance can also cover emergency boarding, so it's worth checking your policy.
Commercial Services - Pet Walking, Feeding, & Minding
Paws and Recover helps those who do not have the financial means for commercial rates of boarding and pet services. However sometimes pet owners come to us as they simply aren't aware of the commercial options below.
Mad Paws, PetCloud. or Pawshake
These three websites are searchable directories that allow you to find verified pet sitters, dog walkers, and in-home feeders, for a fee. Individuals determine their own rates.
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Local Pet Service Businesses
Most areas have multiple local businesses to choose from who offer pet minding, dog walking, and in-home visits. They can be found by searching the name of your local area together with the service you are looking for. Most are also active on social media.
Airtasker is a marketplace to help you find someone nearby to complete a task for you. It is not a pet-specific platform, however they have a Dog Walking category. You can set your budget when posting a job, and Airtaskers local to your area will submit a bid.​
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House-sitting
While not for everyone, if you are open to having someone stay in your house to look after your pet, there are many websites to find verified people such as Happy House Sitters and Aussie House Sitters. Some charge a fee, others do not.
Domestic Violence Support
This NSW government page has helpline phone numbers for those experiencing homelessness and domestic violence (not pet-related).
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Ask Izzy is a free search tool to help you or someone you know find shelter, food, health, and other essential support.
Can help with finding pet-friendly short-term accommodation for those experiencing domestic and family violence in the state of Victoria.
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The Similar Services section at the top of this page also lists some organisations that help with pets in cases of domestic violence.
Homelessness & Housing Issues
Pets Of The Homeless (Victoria)
Pets Of The Homeless are based in Melbourne. They help to keep vulnerable people and their pets together in times of hardship, through collaboration with human homelessness support organisations and by providing pet supplies directly to people who are homeless or facing homelessness.
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Pets In The Park provides free veterinary care to pets of people experiencing homelessness across Australia.
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Project HoPe is a compassionate initiative dedicated to helping the homeless population of Australia by providing medical care and treatment to their companion animals.
Rehoming Your Pet
Due to the current cost of living crisis most rescues are overwhelmed. We urge you to consider all reasonable options before attempting to rehome your pet, and to instead reach out for help if you only need temporary assistance with supplies to get through a difficult period.
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If you find there is truly no other option, Paws and Recover is not a rehoming organisation but the below resources may help. As rescues are overwhelmed, the more information about your pet that you can provide on first contact the easier it will be for them to assist you.
OLG Approved Rehoming Organisations (NSW/ACT)
This list gives contact details of approved rehoming organisations for those in NSW and the ACT.
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PetRescue have an Australia-wide searchable directory of rescues that can be filtered by state.
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PetRescue's Home2Home program is designed to keep pets out of an unsafe system and support their adoption journey from their current home, directly into their new home.
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Detailed Guide To Rehome A Pet
Visit Compare Pet Products to view a comprehensive pet rehoming guide on how to responsibly rehome a dog or cat.
Breed-based Organisations
If you are needing to rehome a purebred pet, you will find there are many organisations and Facebook groups specific to that breed. There are too many to list here, but some breeds have dedicated rescue groups that will help with rehoming. Dogzonline may be a helpful resource in finding them.
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Facebook Groups
While using an established and trusted organisation for rehoming is strongly recommended, in the current crisis some have found rehoming groups on Facebook to be the only option. We urge you to take your time screening and getting to know a potential adopter, as there are people who use these groups to source animals for distressing reasons, particularly if they are offered free. The same advice applies to any general unchecked marketplace, like Gumtree.
Support For Pet Care Costs
Paws and Recover
If you are experiencing genuine hardship, we at Paws and Recover may be able to help with one-off assistance of supplies for your pets if we have enough physical supplies to donate (e.g. food). Please contact us to discuss. We cannot pay vet bills; if you are needing help to pay vet treatment consider a payment plan with the vet or a Centrelink loan if you are eligible. VetPay is also an option.
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The Cat Protection Society advocate for cats and have a lot of useful resources. If there is an eligible vet in your area they can assist with vouchers for discounted cat desexing. They also have resources on renting with cats that may be helpful for those having trouble with pet-friendly housing.
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Created by the Animal Welfare League, this directory may help you find lower cost desexing options in your area.​​
​​SafetyNetPetAssist (Certain NSW areas)
A recent initiative for eligible residents of Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Cessnock, Maitland, Port Stephens or the Central Coast areas, offering free online/phone vet consults and discounted follow-up referrals if attending a vet in person is necessary.
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For seniors and people with disability in South Australia, this is an initiative by Hope Springs Eternal Dog Rescue to help with medical costs of emergency pet care.
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Perth Vet Bill Assistance (Perth WA)
Helping pets get the treatment they need when owners are facing financial hardship.
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Find the cheapest price for pet products across Australian retailers. Compare Pet Products lets you search for a pet product and shows you the cheapest place to buy the product out of more than a dozen stores.