This post is a redux of a post from July 2013. I’ve added new current information…

 

The Lost Dogs Home has for more than ten years, provided pound services to the city of Darebin.

– In 2010, 276 unclaimed dogs were left at the facility.
85 were rehomed, while 169 were killed.

– In 2011, 231 unclaimed dogs were left at the Lost Dogs Home.
82 were rehomed, while 130 were killed.

– In 2012, 204 unclaimed dogs remained in LDH care.
73 were rehomed with new families, while 119 were killed.

 

Cats saw even worse outcomes.

– In 2010, 26 cats were rehomed, while 1,007 cats were killed.

– 2011 saw 79 cats rehomed, 924 killed.

– And 2012 saw 72 cats placed, and 762 cats – or still ten times as many – killed.

 

Thanks to backlash from their local community over these appallingly high kill rates, Council had claimed to be considering its options;

“A Darebin Council policy change will save hundreds of lost, abandoned or stray cats and dogs from being put to death in animal shelters.

Rucker Ward Councillor Trent McCarthy said the council also had long-term plans to set up a local animal shelter in partnership with animal rescue groups with a view to becoming a ‘no-kill’ municipality.

 

 

Update

Darebin City Council, when challenged by the community’s pet owners, claimed they were going to work to save pets. Now they have re-signed with the largest killer of pets in the state – the same organistion who has failed in its duties for more than a decade.

Council last month renewed its animal pound contract with the Lost Dogs’ Home for another three years.

This is despite the kill rate of animals in its care being up to 30 per cent higher than its competitors, such as the RSPCA.

The contract was renewed just five months after the council announced it would aim to drastically reduce the number of dogs and cats euthanised at its animal shelters and was aiming to become a ‘‘no-kill’’ municipality.

Darebin mayor Gaetano Greco said the organisation would be ‘‘100 per cent compliant’’ with the council’s new goal of reducing the number of animals put down in its care.

‘‘We believe our new contract specifications are a first for local government and provide a humane template for other councils to follow,’’ he said.

He said the new contract had incentives built in to lower the rates, which have already started providing results.

‘‘We’ve already seen an 8 per cent decrease in the number of dogs being euthanised and a 17 per cent decrease in the number of cats euthanised; a positive trend that we expect will continue.’’

 

The reassurances that the Lost Dogs Home have turned over a new leaf ring hollow, considering the latest statistics for their North Melbourne facility showed a kill rate vs rehoming rate of nearly 1 for 1 dogs – 2,119 adopted, 2,060 killed. And that of the 10,816 cats impounded, nearly 8,000 were killed.

Council is saying all the things the community want to hear;

New council measures to reunite owners with their pets include a dedicated Facebook page featuring lost or abandoned animals and increasing registration, desexing and microchipping of pets.

The council’s Domestic Animal Plan 2013-17 aims to reduce the number of dogs and cats killed by 10 per cent and 50 per cent respectively within four years.

 

However, in order for any plan to be successful, it need to be being willingly and emphatically driven by the management of the shelter putting the programs into place.

The Lost Dogs Home under current management have a history of killing pets before their holding period was up / painting rescue groups as hoarders / manipulating their animal statistics / withholding animal outcome stats from the public / and co-opting the language of No Kill to deflect criticism.

So colour me skeptical.

Council said they’d work to save pets. They have settled on killing while SAYING they’ll save them, and hoping no one will notice the difference. It’s a sad day for the pet-lovers of Darebin, who now have to continue to fight to keep their family member’s safe from being killed by the very facility paid to protect them.