Media Release: 11 January 2012

Penny the dog recovering from surgery after being beaten with a stick

Penny was brought in to the Animal Welfare League Vet Clinic on the weekend following an alleged cruel attack by a jogger passing her house at Kemps Creek, who struck her with a piece of wood.

Penny, who was adopted from Animal Welfare League 3 years ago, suffered from a broken jaw and teeth and was in urgent need of specialist surgery to relieve her pain and repair her jaw.

Animal Welfare League has committed to covering the costs of Penny’s treatment, and an appeal to the public has resulted in a wonderful response. Kind members of the community have come forward to donate funds for Penny’s surgeries, and send their wishes for a speedy recovery.

“The cruelty of this incident seems to have really struck a chord with people - the thought that someone could attack a small, defenceless dog like this. We have been receiving messages and well wishes of support for little Penny all week – showing the broader community cares about pets and will not tolerate cruelty of this nature.” Mark Westman, Senior Vet for Animal Welfare League NSW.

Penny underwent her surgery yesterday at Small Animal Specialist Hospital, and she is now recovering well post-surgery.  This operation was only made possible by donations to Animal Welfare League, and we thank everyone that has supported her.

Penny has now gone home to recuperate with her family, who were thrilled to be reunited with their beloved pet and incredibly grateful for the support they have received.

Animal Welfare League has established a Special Needs Fund to provide vet care for special cases like Penny and gratefully accept donations at www.awlnsw.com.au or 8899 3333.

The Special Needs Fund will provide urgent veterinary care for dogs and cats being cared for by Animal Welfare League who have suffered from cruelty, have been abandoned or neglected, or have another special need for assistance.

Police are still appealing for information to identify the assailant that attacked Penny – please call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000 with information, and callers can remain anonymous.

MEDIA RELEASE - 7 DECEMBER 2011

Animal Welfare League challenges the idea that Christmas can’t be the ideal time to welcome a new pet.

In recent years, the community has heard the message loud and clear that pets are not for Christmas.

Tim Vasudeva, CEO of Animal Welfare League NSW, challenges this message – and says the holidays can actually be the ideal time to welcome a new four-legged member into your family.

“Many people feel guilty about adopting a new pet in December, because it’s been so widely reported that Christmas is not the time to buy a pet” says Tim. “Pets should never be a surprise gift, and that rule applies for any time of year. But if you’re adopting a pet for your own family, the holiday season can actually be the perfect time - if you’re off work and have the extra time at home to help your new pet settle in” adds Tim.

Animal Welfare League are so confident of matching the right pet to a new family over Christmas that they have extended their health guarantee and pet return policy to the end of February 2012 for any pet adopted during December.

Animal Welfare League has hundreds of dogs, cats, puppies and kittens looking for new homes right now. Adopting from a shelter is the best choice when looking for a new pet this Christmas, as all pets are desexed, microchipped, vaccinated and temperament tested. 

“If you adopt a pet from Animal Welfare League, you’ll be making a safe choice”, says Tim. “Our trained staff will help match the perfect pet for your lifestyle, and our Behaviour Team is on hand to provide advice to help with settling in. And best of all, the loyalty and love you’ll receive from a shelter pet is a gift that will live on long after Christmas.”

For those not quite ready to make a life-long commitment, foster caring is a great alternative. The Animal Welfare League shelters are overflowing at Christmas, so foster carers can help save lives by providing temporary homes for shelter pets during the holidays. “Foster caring shelter pets is a great way to test run whether your household is ready to take on the long-term commitment of a new pet” adds Tim.

For more information on the cats, kittens, dogs or puppies available for adoption visit the AWL adoption gallery at www.awlnsw.com.au or call 8899 3333.  AWL Shelters are open 7 days a week between 10.00am and 3.30pm, except Christmas Day.

Animal Welfare League’s top tips for adopting a pet these holidays: 

• Never buy a pet as a surprise gift or on impulse - ensure all members of the household are involved.
• Remember, puppies and kittens don’t stay small for long - make sure you’re ready for the full growth potential of your adopted pet, and their personality and physical traits suit your lifestyle.
• Be prepared for a life-long commitment - cats and dogs can live up to 20 years, and along with bringing joy and love into your life, they also bring vet bills, food costs and need your attention.
• Christmas Eve is not the best time – the noise and bustle of Christmas Day can stress your new pet. Best to adopt now to get them settled in prior to Christmas, or wait until Boxing Day.
• To make it fun for the kids – why not wrap up pet toys, bowls and bedding for the kids to unwrap on Christmas Day, and then visit a Shelter after Christmas to bring your new family member home.
• Avoid buying a pet online - as this is a key distribution source for puppy farms. Best to adopt from a shelter.
• Adopting from a Shelter like Animal Welfare League is the ideal solution – you’ll be saving a life, plus all pets are desexed, vaccinated, health checked, and temperament tested.

MEDIA RELEASE - For Immediate Release

Keep your pet safe this New Years Eve

Pet owners are being urged to keep their pet safe during the festive season, and especially on New Year’s Eve when many Sydneysiders end the year with a bang by viewing our cities various spectacular fireworks displays.

According to Animal Welfare League NSW (AWL), most animals’ hearing is far more acute than that of humans and fireworks in particular can distress and frighten pets. The league has reported incidents of dogs jumping fences, becoming disoriented and even sadly being hit by a passing car, while trying to run away from the noise of fireworks.

So, our tips to keep your pet safe are:

DO plan ahead: If your dog or cat gets nervous by fireworks think about boarding or pet sitters in an area where they cannot hear the noise.

DO see your vet or veterinary behaviourist to see if medication can be a solution to manage your pets noise phobia.

DO keep calm in the presence of loud noises. Your pet may look to you for your reaction and if you are panicking your pet might think it’s the right thing for them to do also.

DO give your pet a ‘Safe Room’ to go to when they are frightened. This should be an area where the noise is at a minimum, a yummy treat can help pass the time in the safe room and distract attention from outside noise.

DO maintain good health and nutrition in your pets. Some stress and anxiety can be increased by an animal not feeling well physically. Give your pet plenty or exercise, especially on the day where there is going to be a noise event, such as New Year’s Eve fireworks. This can help them feel  good via the release of serotonin as well as tire them out physically and is a good practise to get into anyway!

DON’T reassure your pet verbally using “Good boy” or “It’s OK” during a panic response. Although this might work with humans, dogs interpret this as you telling them that they are doing the right thing by panicking and inadvertently conditioning the incorrect response.

DON’T give your pet any human medications such as sedatives or anti-anxiolytics. Only ever give medications that have been prescribed by a vet or under supervision by a veterinary behaviourist

DON’T ever punish your pet for their reaction. Not only is it counterproductive, but it simply will not work, and in some cases, make the problem worse.

If you pet does go missing over the festive season, Animal Welfare League NSW recommends you contact your local Council Pound or Veterinarian.

For more information on the work of Animal Welfare League NSW or consult our Behaviour Department call 8899 3333 or visit us at www.awlnsw.com.au     AWL Shelters are open 7 days a week between 10.30am and 3.00pm for adoptions, except Christmas Day. 

 MEDIA RELEASE    - 22 August 2011

Make September a Life Saver!

 With signs of warmer weather on the way, dog and cat breeding season will soon commence across the country.  This means a potential influx of unwanted litters will to arrive on the door step of animal shelters such as the Animal Welfare League NSW (AWL).

Australia has one of the highest incidences of pet ownership per capita in the world, with 36% of households owning a dog and 23% of households owning a cat^. However, sadly many abandoned animals are euthanized across Australia each year, due to the inability to find forever homes.

So, in an effort to combat this and reduce euthanasia AWL is holding an adoption drive Save a Life in September. During September we aim to re home 200 puppies, dogs, kittens and cats in 30 days.

All adoptable animals in the care of AWL are temperament tested, so they can be carefully matched with the lifestyle of the most suitable owner. In addition, all puppies, dogs, kittens and cats are vet checked, desexed, microchipped (including lifetime registration), vaccinated, wormed and are on flea prevention. Importantly, we match pets with potential owners to find long lasting forever homes.

Save a Life in September will be officially launched on Thursday 25 August in Martin Place. AWL staff, volunteers and lots of adorable puppies will be in the city from 8am until 2pm to raise awareness about the adoption drive.

Owning a pet is a big responsibility and is something that should not be done on impulse. So if Sydney-siders cannot bring an abandoned dog or cat into their life, they can support Save a Life in September by making a donation on line at www.awlnsw.com.au  or by calling (02) 8899 3333 during business hours.

AWL does not receive government funding to support our adoption work; therefore we solely rely on donations from generous individuals.

All donations received will help AWL to provide the animals in our care with high quality nutrition, toys for environmental enrichment, leads, collars, grooming and lots of hugs form our dedicated staff.

If you can bring a pet into your life, you can view available pets for adoption on line at www.awlnsw.com.au. You can also visit us at our Ingleside Shelter located on the northern beaches or Kemps Creek Shelter, south-west of Sydney between 10.30am and 3.00pm daily.

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For more information on Save a Life in September call 02 8899 3333

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MEDIA RELEASE -  17 August 2011

A  new era dawns in animal welfare

The Animal Welfare League NSW Board is pleased to announce that Tim Vasudeva has accepted the position of Chief Executive Officer of Animal Welfare League NSW.

He will take up his appointment on Monday 29th August, 2011.

Tim has extensive experience within the animal welfare sector both in Australia and Asia. Most recently he has held the position of Strategic Development Manager at Sydney Dogs and Cats Home and prior to this, he was the Pet Foster Program Manager at PetRescue.

Tim also lived in South Korea for a number of years during which time he managed the adoption and foster care programs for Animal Rescue Korea, work which led to him receiving the Macquarie Bank Foundation Volunteer of the Year award in 2008.

Along with his extensive animal welfare achievements, Tim brings extensive management experience together with industry and government contacts to his new role.

He has a strong grounding specifically in the world of finance, previous employment includes Head of Commodities Trading, Woori Macquarie Joint Venture at Macquarie Group in South Korea, Head of Precious and Base Metals Sales at Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Treasurer at Aurora Gold Mines Ltd and Treasury Dealer at Ashton Mining Ltd.

He has also been a champion of the Getting to Zero (G2Z) initiative which AWL NSW has recently embraced as a strategy to continue to strive to improve our adoptions rates.

The AWL Board and staff look forward to working with Tim in furthering the objectives and vision of Animal Welfare League NSW.

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To interview Tim call 02 8899 3333