Animal shelters call for help as hundreds surrender cats, dogs in Albury-Wodonga

Hundreds of animals are being surrendered in Albury and rescues are overwhelmed amid a worsening crisis, while a pound sits empty just minutes away.

Albury-Wodonga Animal Rescue cat co-ordinator Rae Smith with rescue kittens at The Hub.

Cats and dogs are dying at the Albury Animal Care Centre and rescues are overwhelmed with surrenders while another pound sits empty and unused just minutes away.

The AACC is the only pound in the region, covering the Albury, Wodonga, Indigo, Towong, and Greater Hume local government areas.

Animal rescue organisations say the large area and the worsening rental crisis means the AACC cannot rehome all its animals, euthanizing 40 of its 153 animals between January and March.

Pet owners are instead turning to animal rescue services when rehoming cats and dogs.

But Wodonga Dog Rescue co-ordinator Peta McRae said it was also at capacity and is calling on the Wodonga Council to reopen its pound or let the rescue use the facility.

“We need help from the council but they won’t do anything,” she said.

“The pound is just sitting there and they won’t let us use it.

“We want to use it just to put animals in because there are a lot of good dogs that have nowhere to go because we’ve got nowhere to put them.

“We’ve don’t have reliable foster carer’s either, people take a dog for one day and then change their mind.”

Wodonga Council decided not to reopen the Wodonga pound at its meeting in May.

Instead it will pay the Albury City Council almost $120,000 to provide a pound service for the next three years.

Wodonga Council chief executive Mark Dixon said the Wodonga facility, which was last open in 2016, would need to spend up to $2 million for it to be operational.

“The present facility does not meet the Victorian standards for use for long stays, as a shelter or rescue facility,” Mr Dixon said.

“That upgrade has been estimated to cost from $1.8 million to $2 million to develop it into a commercial-grade facility that meets the required animal welfare standards.

“That facility would also cost about $300,000 a year to run, as opposed to the $120,000 that we will pay to Albury.”

Mr Dixon said there were also regulations stopping the facility from being used by other animal rescues.

“Being located inside the Waste Transfer Station site also makes it inaccessible to the community outside of opening hours, as well as being subject to OHS considerations with heavy vehicle movements associated with the waste operations,” he said.

Albury Council will take over the Albury Animal Care Centre as of July 1, which is being run by contractors.

Council plans to redevelop the site to meets the increasing demand and is conducting a survey to understand the severity of the situation.

“Our new Animal Care Centre will be bigger and designed to ensure it can provide a regional service catering to the number of animals required,” Albury City mayor Kevin Mack said.

“The new centre will have a strong focus on education and rehoming.”

Cr Mack added that under law non-microchipped animals could be put down in seven days while those with a chip were another week to be claimed.

“Our priority is to always rehome animals where possible so we encourage pet owners to ensure their pets are microchipped and registered so we can get them back home safely,” Cr Mack said.

Albury-Wodonga Animal Rescue cat co-ordinator Rae Smith.

Albury-Wodonga Animal Rescue cat co-ordinator Rae Smith said less animals were being adopted because of the pandemic.

Her rescue is also at capacity with 15 kittens and 15 or 16 adult cats.

“There’s only so many you can take,” Ms Smith said.

“People are moving around for various reasons and can’t keep them.

“I know people living in caravans, and motels, and emergency accommodation.

“We have three here because their owners were evicted, one where the owners are retired and travelling, they all have a story to tell.”

Ms Smith said less people were adopting animals because of the pandemic.

“The adoption rates are slower than normal because people are a little more cautious, nobody is secure at the moment,” she said.

Ms Smith said Albury-Wodonga Animal Rescue was a no-kill shelter and would keep the animals until they were adopted.