How it works

I'm a good dog

Before offering our dogs for adoption we undertake thorough veterinary and behavioural assessments. All new arrivals are vaccinated, microchipped, de-wormed and sterilised as part of the placement process and every individual animal in our care aged over 16 weeks receives basic obedience training. Any dogs who arrive with behavioural problems also receive remedial training before being re-homed.

We charge a basic fee of $425 for adult dogs we place with new families ($530 for puppies under 6 months old). This cost goes towards covering some of the veterinary, training and food expenses incurred in rescuing and re-homing the individual pet. Invariably our costs exceed this amount considerably, however, we believe every one of our dogs is worth every cent we invest in them. Our long-termers are available for a special fee of $320, which includes four one-on-one training sessions with one of our trainers.

Perhaps most importantly, we are very keen to ensure a prospective new owner’s lifestyle and home environment is compatible with an individual dog. Every effort is therefore made to screen dogs and potential owners for mutual suitability.

As such, visitors to the refuge are asked to complete a questionnaire which will assist with this process. Every dog we re-home is sold on the understanding that it may be returned if it does not prove suitable for its new owners. Our aim is solely to match the right dog with the right individual or family.

As a small additional touch, we also supply a temporary key tag with all the dogs we re-home - just to ensure our much-loved rescue dogs avoid getting lost (our microchipping helps with this too). It’s all part of our commitment to the rescue and re-homing work carried out at the refuge.

Please Note

  • It is essential that prospective owners who already own a dog and/or cat, to bring him or her to the Home for a compatibility test with their intended adoptee.
  • Hormone changes can adversely affect a female dog’s mood and can predispose them to acts of aggression even if she has never been aggressive before. These hormone changes cause irritability, anxiety and nervousness, and in un-spayed females can even cause pain during ovulation. These changes, and their disposition toward aggression, can make female dogs unpredictable with other dogs, particularly when in the company of other female dogs. For this reason, in the interests of the welfare and safety of the dogs, and in the best interests of those wishing to adopt, the Dogs’ Refuge Home has taken the position that we will not rehome a female dog into an environment in which a female dog already exists.