We have awarded a $5,000 Buddy's Grant to ACT Rescue & Foster (ARF) to help them launch their adopter support packs to provide critical information and confidence to support new pet parents.
ACT Rescue and Foster (ARF) is a not-for-profit association whose objective is to save and improve the lives of dogs in the Canberra as well as in surrounding regions, including metropolitan and regional Sydney.
They have a very straight forward strategy by rescuing and re-homing as many dogs in need as possible, educating the community about responsible dog companionship, working with local pounds to help achieve, develop and implement minimum destruction policies, and establishing and developing networks of communication for people involved in rescuing and re-homing dogs.
Given the very high rates of surrenders experienced by rescue organisations across Australia right now, ARF is committed to their animals for their life, even after adoption. A big part of that is making sure adopters have everything they need in the future to handle any obstacle and build a strong sense of community among adopters of “once an ARF dog, always an ARF dog”.
This project is to help ARF launch a pilot program of providing welcome packs and establishing ongoing support to people who adopt ARF dogs.
- Printed adoption certificates as a formal keepsake of the adoption
- Information about what to expect when a rescue dog settles into its new home
- Resources and contact information for understanding dog body language, further training and troubleshooting
- Training vouchers for new adopters who take on dogs that require considerable further training
- Assist ARF to establish a support group on Facebook to build a community of ARF adopters to seek and share information.
By offering this kind of wraparound support through printed information, training vouchers and access to a community support group. ARF hopes that it will foster a sense of identity, community and belonging, helping people commit fully to rescuing and keeping their adopted dog forever.
These kinds of programs can offer positive results giving new adopters the confidence and skills to help their newest family member settle into the home. If you are in the ACT area and looking to adopt or get involved, you can find out more about ACT Rescue & Foster HERE.
We can't wait to see more photos of happy adoptive families and their new packs!
