Geelong Animal Welfare Society – five months on

It’s hard to imagine that just five months has passed, since the community of Geelong demanded the killing end at their local pound, the Geelong Animal Welfare Society (GAWS).

The organisation had been defending killing for decades, citing that they couldn’t stop killing animals because they were simply not savable, they were unsocialised puppies, there was too much irresponsible breeding, their ‘inbreeding’ made them dangerous, the weather was warming up, people kept treating their pets as ‘expendable’, the ’28 Day Rule’ made it impossible, the rising cost of food and fuel, global warming and a mice epidemic… and all of these factors meant the organisation was ‘forced’ to kill pets.

GAWS encouraged the trapping, impoundment and killing of feral cats, claimed the majority of the pets entering the shelter were untreatably aggressive, and killed pets for being non-english speaking. Video emerged showing dogs being drugged and left overnight to struggle and sometimes die unmonitored and cats being killed by heartstick while staff joked about the inhumane conditions.

In fact, so high on killing were they, that in 2009/10 they killed 852 dogs (~30%) and rehomed just 487 (they also ‘misplaced’ 217 dogs), and killed 2,426 cats (~80%), rehoming just 546. During that same period, the group refused to work with openly with volunteers, release to rescue groups or even advertise pets on the web, instead they called on the government to crack down on irresponsible owners and complained that they were being ‘harrassed’ and ‘vilified’ by animal advocates.

Then, when the community finally said enough is enough…. they walked.

Vice presidents DAVID CECIL and MARK OSBORNE have both resigned, just weeks after president IAN WALTER left the organisation.

The Society has been under siege since the release of hidden camera footage allegedly showing the mistreatment of animals at the society’s Moolap pound.

 

A new dawn

Under the new leadership of Mike Bailey, GAWS is now a very different place.

The shelter is using PetRescue to advertise available animals to the community. They have engaged volunteers and foster carers to help with the holiday influx. They are using the local media to get the word out out about available animals and pet safety. They are calling on the public to help out those pets who need extra treatment. But most importantly, they have committed to a mandate of life saving and are using the No Kill Equation to get there.

So what kind of a difference can just five months make?

Shelter deaths slashed

GEELONG’S animal shelter has recorded new lows of dog kill rates as it moves on from a controversial era.

The Geelong Animal Welfare Society’s latest figures show that just 2% of the 325 dogs admitted to the shelter in December 2011 were euthanased, with 148 finding new homes.
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The shelter had to kill 25% of the 294 cats admitted to the shelter last December, finding 124 of them homes.
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Mr Bailey said an initiative to place existing shelter animals into foster care before New Year’s Eve had allowed more space to host runaway dogs in the notoriously busy post-fireworks period.

The majority of the dogs were quickly returned to their owners, with the pets fostered out then returning to the Moolap shelter.

“Traditionally, shelters will put dogs down beforehand to make space (for the new arrivals),” Mr Bailey said.

Widespread promotion of the benefits of adoption and increased hours on Sundays had also helped improve the shelter, he said.

 

New blood. New ideas. And new hope for the shelter pets of Australia.

The time for change at your local pound or shelter is now. Join us.