The Snowy Mountain Animal Rescue Team is a group of dedicated volunteers who believe that there is a need in our communities to encourage responsible pet ownership. Part of this responsibility is ensuring that adequate care and provisions are made by animal owners to ensure that the life of their pet is a good one, free from neglect, abuse and harm and in conjunction with current legislation such as the Companion Animal Act.

The S.M.A.R.T. team believes that in our community there is a need to develop a system that allows for animals that have been abused, neglected and harmed through irresponsible ownership, to be surrendered and relocated to appropriate foster careers and for good homes to be found in the community for these animals. These foster careers are volunteers willing to finance the care of fostering an animal until an adoption family is available. S.M.A.R.T. recognizes that some animals cannot be saved, will be difficult to relocate, and for some animals the kindest alternative is euthanasia. However S.M.A.R.T. also recognises that a lot of pound animals can be relocated to suitable adoptive families, preventing taxpayer's money being used on the care and eventual termination of these animals.

S.M.A.R.T.'s polices encourage and advocate the necessity of desexing, micro chipping and the registration of all domestic animals. We advocate all current legislation that ensures the responsible ownership of animals. S.M.A.R.T.'s objectives are to encourage animal owners to be aware of responsible ownership, and all that this obligation entails.

The basics of S.M.A.R.T. can be outlined in a few simple steps:

First an animal can be surrended to S.M.A.R.T. by the owner no longer willing or able to take care of the animal. Or with the exemption under Clause 17 S.M.A.R.T we can now work with the Tumut Council Ranger and help suitable animals from the pound be put into foster care while waiting for an adoption family. The animal is then assessed by S.M.A.R.T. for suitability in adoption. For example, any dogs used for pig hunting or aggressive dogs would not be suitable and would not be accepted by S.M.A.R.T.

The animal once assessed would be passed on to a foster carer.

The animal would be micro chipped, vaccinated, wormed and checked by a vet, all at the expense of S.M.A.R.T. Once in foster care the animal would be advertised and sold to a suitable adoption family for a fee. As per S.M.A.R.T policies the animal would be desexed, microchipped, vaccinated, wormed and registered before being adopted out. Each animal will cost S.M.A.R.T. on average $100 to process, even after the money from the sale is recovered.

Since S.M.A.R.T. started (9th July 2003) our fundraising activities have consisted of wood raffles, Massive Garage Sale where we also had "The Wonder Pigs" perform for us free of charge and membership fees.

Our future plans for fundraising are more membership fees, BBQ Raffle, Street Stalls etc.

For more information please phone us on (02) 6949 1491 or email us at info@snowymtnsanimalrescue.org.

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