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                    Before you buy a pet

                    A dog running through a park.
                    Owning a pet can provide rewarding companionship to many people. Pets also make great family friends.

                    ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Each year many abandoned cats and dogs have to be euthanized because potential owners did not carefully consider before buying a pet.

                    There are important things to take into consideration:

                    • Cats and dogs can live up to 18 years of age.
                    • Do you have time to care for your pet?
                    • Do you work long hours?
                    • Will you be able to walk a dog?
                    • Is the type of pet you’re considering suitable for the place you live in?
                    • Will you be able to keep the animal for its entire life?
                    • Do you have any future life plans that will leave a pet you choose homeless?

                    Certain animals need room to move and require a lot of stimulation. Keeping some animals in small apartments or on balconies can cause great stress and unhappiness and is simply cruel.

                    Buying from animal shelters

                    To help re-home abandoned and relinquished animals, we provide free first-year registration for cats and dogs purchased from animal shelters.

                    There are many wonderful dogs and cats looking for homes in shelters across Victoria. Buying an animal from one of these shelters might save a life.

                    Animal shelters are generally dedicated to helping you choose a pet that is right for you, by matching you with a pet's personality and temperament.

                    Animal shelter contact details

                    Foster programs

                    Are you a pet lover but unsure about the long term commitment?

                    That’s ok, there are animal foster programs available in Victoria that enable you to take in animals that are not quite suitable for adoption until they can find a permanent home. These animals may be too young, unwell, recovering or may just need to improve on their behaviour before they are ready for adoption. You can choose to be a short term or long term foster carer.

                    The benefits of foster care are:

                    • no long term commitment, fostering cats and dogs is only temporary
                    • some vet treatment may be covered by the foster agency
                    • you may receive training and support from the agency allowing you to be a better pet owner
                    • you are able to provide a home for an animal before they are suitable for adoption.

                    If you are interested in fostering an animal, there are a number of organisations that run foster programs. Below is a list of just a few of many programs in Victoria:

                    If you would like more information about buying an animal from a shelter or foster care, call our Animal Management Team on 9658 9658 or ask us a question​ ​using ‘Animal Management’ as the subject.

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