Over the weekend seven year old Staffordshire Bull Terrier Marina was adopted from the Animal Welfare League QLD Rehoming Centre (AWLQ) after spending one month in shelter care.
Her adoption was the 6,000th adoption in 2015 for the non-profit organisation that specialises in caring for and rehoming the lost, stray and abandoned animals of South East QLD.
Communications manager Brooke Whitney has been delighted to see so many animals find happy and loving homes this year.
“In 2014 we rehomed 7,164 animals and in 2015 our goal is to hit 10,000 adoptions – the continued support from the community will help us achieve this goal”, Ms Whitney says.
AWLQ has been working on innovative ways to make the adoption of animals more widespread.
Two new rehoming shelters in Brisbane are about to have their first year anniversary and the new ‘pop up’ pet shop in The Pines Shopping Centre in Elanora have increased accessibility of shelter pets to those who may not be able to make the trip to a rehoming centre.
If you are unable to adopt but would like to help an animal in need AWLQ is always looking for foster families to care for cats and dogs who need to spend time away from the centres while they recover from injury or illness.
“Our foster network is crucial for our rehoming program and gives animals some extra TLC when they need it”, Ms Whitney says.
Social media plays a huge role in finding homes for pets. The AWLQ now boasts more than 128,000 followers on Facebook who are avid animal lovers and share the photos of pets looking for a new home.
“We encourage every follower to share our story and our animals available for adoption. With a very tiny marketing budget it is a cost effective way of getting our animals faces in to the community,” Ms Whitney says.
