Here are just a few of the many tales we come by. We are constantly astounded by the cases of cruelty and neglect that come to our attention.  We do our best to turn fate around for these animals and no one is more delighted than us when they are placed into loving homes.

Poppy

This little dog was in a dreadful state when he came in. His previous owner obviously didn't treat him right, and it took Tracey, groomer extraordinaire and volunteer Barbara two hours clipping through his fur which was a matted mess. His coat was covered in faeces, burrs, dirt and he was riddled with fleas. After all the clipping, Poppy felt so much better he gave Tracey a big lick on the cheek to say thanks.

If you'd like to help, our dogs always need walking and our cats love having humans spend time with them. Click onto the Volunteering tab at the left to find out more.

Bertha

Bertha, a Mastiff X, came into Sydney Dogs & Cats Home about 3 years ago in a neglected state. We all fell in love with the biggest pair of sooky eyes and her forever wagging tail. It was obvious Bertha had been used as a breeding machine, as well as having a distended abdomen which  looked ominous. From fundraising we were able to do exploratory surgery which revealed multiple abdominal tumours. Several were sent to pathology and thankfully they were benign growths. Bertha was ready to be rehomed.

Bertha won the heart of one of our volunteers, Carol, who used to come in and walk Bertha and soon became a member of their family. Bertha's new life began and she would regularly visit their  south coast farm and ride the tractor with Graham on his rounds of the property (see photograph),  swim in the river, check her food bowl was full, then collapse with exhaustion and lay in the sun!

During the past 2 years Bertha went through several operations to remove mast cell tumours, and finally succumbed to renal failure. Bertha was given the best possible care by her parents and even though she was sad at being in our hospital, her second family - vet, Dominic, (see photograph)  and the team at St George Animal Hospital - gave her lots of love and special care. She was often heard through the corridors with her soprano howl hitting a High C without any problems when Pound staff member, Tracey, came to visit. Only they both knew what they were singing!! Just recently Bertha lost her courageous battle and is now resting peacefully on the south coast property where she loved to be.

Floss

Floss came into Sydney Dogs & Cats Home from the St George area. She had obviously given birth recently as she was still lactating. Her previous owners had been breeding her with a very obvious mammary tumour protruding from her and it is quite obvious that they were unconcerned about her well-being.

This tumour has been growing on Floss for at least six months. Each pregnancy would have escalated the growth due to the increased metabolic rate in each pregnancy.

Sydney Dogs & Cats Home veterinary surgeons removed the mass and at the same time, desexed Floss finding that she also had a badly infected uterus. Without treatment for the tumour and the infection Floss would have died.

Her operation has been quite successful and Floss with her amazing disposition has won the hearts of the Sydney Dogs & Cats Home staff. All she needs now is a loving family who are able to give her the love and care she has never had.

Pat Hood (Shelter Manager)

UPDATE: Floss has now been rehomed.

Jack 

Just take a look at Jack, a gorgeous four week old white kitten who was brought in with his sister. No mother or siblings were found and after two weeks Jack was alone – his sister had died of pneumonia.

When you look at Jack you can see the extreme state he was in.  He not only had cat flu, but because he was immunosuppressed he was diagnosed with herpes in his eye. It was so bad it was bleeding and at this point we thought he would be blind in one eye. Then it was found he had ringworm and we were starting to wonder if he was also deaf.  Not much else could go wrong ...

Jack isn't the only one...

Many kittens and cats who are under a huge amount of stress suffer like Jack.  Sadly we can't treat them all, but we realise that with time, effort and money we can save many more. You can see from Jack’s photographs how he was when he came in and how he is now – Jack has now gone to his new home near Lake Macquarie to terrorise the existing house cat and dog!  We know he will be a great family member but we have many more like him who may not get a second chance without help.

If you would like to assist us with our cat and kittens we would appreciate your donation and you can do so through our Donations page.

Lizzy and Odin

This is a photograph of Lizzy, a 2 year old Ridgeback X and Odin, a 3 month old kitten – both rehomed from Sydney Dogs & Cats Home. Odin also lives with 5 year old rottweiler called Roxy and the three get on famously, as do many households with both dogs and cats living together.

Unfortunately in Sydney today, the overabundance of cats is out of control. Sydney Dogs & Cats Home receives abandoned cats from 10 Sydney Councils so we know! Some “Pounds” do not appear to have this same problem as they do not receive cats.

Recently Sydney Dogs & Cats Home built a new cattery to make the cats more comfortable during their stay here, and to give them a better chance of being rehomed.

Many cats are not rehomed due to a variety of reasons – one being that dog owners believe their dog will not get along with a cat coming into the home, but as this picture shows, it is possible. A cat can stand up for itself and both will sort out the “pecking” order!

Our cat situation is desperate – please consider rehoming a kitten or cat into your family and perhaps you will be very surprised! We have some beautiful and loving older cats that need a second chance.

The cost is $190 which covers the first vaccination, worming, desexing, microchipping and lifetime registration with your Council. The veterinary work alone is worth over $200 so we are giving you a great discount to save a cat’s life. Phone us today on 02 9587 9611 or click here to check out the Cats for Adoption page.

Crystal

(formerly Dizzy)

Dizzy came into Sydney Dogs & Cats Home from the St George area in early September. A few months prior a cocker spaniel came into us, also from the St George area, which was voted by all to be the worst case of neglect they had ever seen - until we saw this three year old, female Shih Tzu.

Dizzy was so badly matted that the grooming clippers could not be used until the matted masses were cut in half with scissors and spliced open. The clippers were then used to remove the mats. Dizzy was stoic during this procedure, sitting quietly and realising that we were trying to help her.

Her skin was crawling with fleas. It was obvious that she had never been clipped so that in the past few hot summers of her life, she would have been most uncomfortable.

From each eye hung a pendulous mass of discharge and matted hair. Under her back feet were solid balls of matted hair so she was actually walking on these instead of on her pads. Because of the excessive amounts of mats between her back legs she was forced to walk in an abnormal way. After clipping we found that she still walked in that fashion but she is adjusting to her new comforts.

Within 24 hours of her impounding, Dizzy was seen by a visitor to Sydney Dogs & Cats Home who had just lost her Shih Tzu due to ill health. She fell in love with Dizzy and Dizzy just snuggled in her arms. The new owner has now renamed her Crystal.

It appears that this dog has not been traumatised by the neglect it has suffered over the past three years. If she has, we believe it will be quickly forgotten because of the love she is receiving from her new owners.

It amazes all our staff that living amongst us today are pet owners who are totally oblivious to the fact that their dogs need regular grooming and veterinary care. Long-haired pets, such as Maltese, Shih Tzus, Lhasa Apsos, etc. are in a huge over-abundance in the Sydney metropolitan area because of excessive breeding by puppy farmers supplying to pet shops and markets. Buyers are ill-informed when sold these puppies and, of course, when these dogs end up in an animal shelter they are left abandoned.