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The
Importance of Desexing Your Pet Desexing
is one of the reasons that S.M.A.R.T. as an organisation exist. If
we all had our animals desexed then there would be less unwanted, neglected or
abused animals. Australia has a huge problem with unwanted kittens and puppies,
which then progresses onto problems for our wildlife and farm animals. S.M.A.R.T
is about to commence on a Desexing education program to help the children of today
understand the importance of tomorrow. There
are hundreds of animals being "put down" in this area each year due to people
getting a pet and not desexing it. In
addition to preventing animals coming into season (oestrus) regularly and having
unwanted litters, desexing may result to varying degrees in a positive behavioural
change in your pet. A desexed pet is less likely to:
| • | Wander,
run away, roam or get into fights. This reduces injuries such as abscesses, car
injuries and infected wounds | | • | Suffer
from anti-social, aggressive and other behavioural problems Spray and mark its
territory and other sexual behavioural problems |
| • | Suffer
from some serious and potentially life-threatening health problems, such as pyometra
(infection of the uterus) | | • | Undesexed
male cats are at severe risk for acquiring Feline AIDS through fighting with other
undesexed male cats. | It
has been mathematically calculated that in just seven years, one female cat and
her young can produce as many as 420,000 cats. Join
us and "Help the Helpless". Back
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Lost
a Pet - Step-by-Step Checklist
| • | Look
around your neighbourhood right away and check with neighbours and children playing
in the area. Ask for home owners to check garages, under decks, around sheds and
greenhouses, etc. | | • |
If you are in the
Snowy Mountain region, call S.M.A.R.T. on (02) 6949 1491 to see if your
pet has been brought in. Also contact local vets and pounds in your area |
| • |
Put up posters
in your neighbourhood | | • | Put
an ad in your local newspaper with a description of your pet |
Found
a Pet? So,
a stray animal has decided you can rescue him and you don't know quite what to
do. We can help! A sick or injured stray should be brought to S.M.A.R.T. or to
a vet clinic right away. There is no charge to you for bringing a stray to the
shelter or a clinic. If
you have found a mother and a litter or an orphaned litter, contact us on (02)
6949 1491 for advice before taking action. Do not move the litter unless they
are in immediate danger. If
you have found a native animal, we refer you to Wires.
Wires Rescue: Sydney (02) 8977 3333, Country 1800 641 188. Please
follow the steps below when you have found a lost pet. Locating
the Owner
| • | Check
to see if the animal has any form of identification - registration tag, name tag.
They may also have a microchip that will be scanned when you bring the animal
in. | | • |
Check with your
local vet if anyone has reported the animal missing. |
| • | Place
a found ad in the newspaper (often a free service) and check the lost advertisements.
| | • | Post
notices in the area where the animal was found with a description or photo and
information about how you can be contacted. |
| • | Ask
neighbours if they recognise the cat or dog you have found, or if they know of
a household that recently lost a pet. | | • | If
you are unable to locate their owners, please take them to your local pound. |
Bringing
the Animal In
You can bring a stray animal in our shelter located at Nightingales Orchard, 706A
Greenhills Road, Batlow NSW 2730. We are open 24 hours, 7 days a week. If you
are bringing in a stray dog, we recommend you bring them in on a leash or in a
cage or box (with air holes) for cats. Keeping
the Animal Many
people who find lost pets would like to keep them. In fact, if you were to simply
keep a stray you've found, you are vulnerable to legal action if the owner should
come forward. In
order to avoid this situation, we would recommend that you bring the animal to
us or have us pick the animal up (if it's a dog) and state that you would like
to adopt the animal. Then, after the holding period, you would do the adoption.
This is the only way we can assure you that you have legal ownership. The
same procedure applies if the animal has been abandoned. Please
don't make the assumption that the pet you have found isn't being missed by a
frantic family. Take the steps under "Locating the Owner"
before deciding you want the animal and consider if your family
is suitable for the pet. For
more information please phone us on (02) 6949 1491 or email us at info@snowymtnsanimalrescue.org. Back
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