Welcome To The Gift of Sunshine, Inc.

The Gift of Sunshine firmly believes the goal of working with a service dog is to enable its recipient to stay as active as possible. Some of our recipients were born with a disease, such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy or spina bifida. Others were diagnosed later in life with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or spinal cord injuries. All of the people that choose to share their lives with a service dog have one thing in common, despite their very different backgrounds. They have all made the decision to be independent and to remain an active member of society.

 

Please visit them and make a donation or even raise a puppy.

http://www.thegiftofsunshine.org/

 

Welcome to Paws.Com.au

PAWS  comprises a small group of self-funded rescuers and volunteer foster carers and walkers whose primary aim is to help lost or abandoned animals in NSW, Australia. We are only a small group of people doing their best to help animals who find themselves in the Pound through no fault of their own. We are a small, private non-profit rescue group that has no paid staff, no offices to pay rent on, no large advertising campaigns and no government funding. We rely mainly on word of mouth to promote our website, which features animals who are either currently in the Pound, or who have been rescued from Death Row and placed with a foster carer. Many people want to adopt an animal from a Pound or Shelter but find it confronting to be faced with many animals in cages who may be killed if homes are not found in time. By featuring their photos and stories on our website it is possible to save a life without the "emotional trauma" of visiting the Pound in person.

OUR RESCUE PROGRAM

PAWS has two private rescuers (Denise and Ronda) who save dogs, and occasionally cats, from Death Row in Kill Pounds. My name is Sheila and I am the founder and webmistress. The pets we rescue are placed with Volunteer Foster Carers who provide food, shelter and love while we advertise for new homes. Foster carers are usually animal lovers who, for various reasons, are unable to have a pet permanently. By adopting a rescued animal you are able to obtain information on their personality from both the rescuer and the foster carer before adoption ie. if the dog is suitable for a home with children or cats, whether they are shy or lively, affectionate or independent and whether they need a lot of exercise or are happy to curl up and snooze on your lap while you watch TV!

Whilst routine veterinary costs (desexing, microchipping. vaccination etc.) are recouped when the pet is adopted, any unexpected vet costs must be paid for by their rescuer. These can include medication for a sick pet or emergency surgery for an injured one. Additional vet fees often run to hundreds of dollars if an animal becomes sick after it has been rescued, or has a pre-existing illness or injury which must be treated before it can be rehomed. It would be easy just to ignore the sick or injured dogs in Pounds but we think they too should  have a chance at a healthy, happy future.

Rescuers are not reimbursed for any personal expenses incurred by their rescue work. And more importantly, your money does not go to an organisation that kills healthy dogs just because it is taking too long to find them a home!

NO PROFIT IS MADE BY  PAWS  RESCUERS FROM REHOMING RESCUED ANIMALS.

PAWS also recruit volunteers to walk dogs in the small number of Pounds that permit volunteers. Please see "How Can I Help?" for more information

As an additional service I have also compiled a list of Pounds and Shelters in NSW that you can contact in the unfortunate event that your pet goes missing (see Lost Paws). If they have their own website featuring photos of impounded dogs and cats then a link is included.

If you would like to contact us please email mail@paws.com.au however if your request is for us to help your rehome your dog then please look at our Private Adoption page first.

Please visit them and make a donation or even become a foster carer.

http://www.paws.com.au

 

About Dogs Across Australia

Dogs Across Australia links to and assists some twenty five ‘No Kill’ dog rescue shelters operating in Australia.

These shelters, their volunteers and foster carers, rescue dogs across Australia, mainly from death row in council pounds. Many council pounds are eager to see the dogs rehomed. Nevertheless, in Australia, about 100,000 healthy, viable dogs are killed each year.

In most council-run pounds, dogs may be legally killed after between seven to fourteen days if they haven’t been claimed by their owners.

There are many reasons why dogs end up in pounds. The ready availability of dogs as consumer items and the giving of dogs as unwanted Christmas presents, result in pet dogs being regarded as consumable and disposable items.

Dogs are family members, not disposable items and how we treat them reflects our values as a society.


Help the Rescue Groups

Rescue shelters provide housing, food and veterinary care, until such time as the dogs are re-homed. The rescue shelters receive no government hand-outs and are reliant on the generosity of the Australian community.

Dogs Across Australia is helping some of the rescue shelters by raising public awareness to their problems, and by assisting with fundraising.

Dogs can also be purchased directly from the Dog Rescue Shelters listed with us. Please consider this option, for every time a dog is re-homed, room is made for another dog from death row. Note: Shelter opening hours vary, details are on their websites.

Pound information can found in the Dog Talk. section. These impounded dogs are on Death Row. Contact the pounds directly during their advertised business hours if you wish to purchase them.

If you are not in a position to save a dog yourself, perhaps you might consider helping the rescue shelters in other ways.

Overpopulation is not the dogs fault. It is up to us to solve the problem by means other than the outdated practice of destroying so many sentient animals.

Something for everyone

Help raise money for the Rescue Shelters! Visit our Art Gallery and Craft Gallery where you can buy directly from the artists, who are supporters of the shelters.

www.dogsacrossaustralia.com