a new breed of dog rescue organisations

In our local newspaper, The Age, there was an article on Monday about a new event to occur monthly at the Commerical Hotel In Yarraville - The Big Dog Day Out. It looked as if the dogs were enjoying themselves, so I might plan on taking Penny there one day.

The events will raise money for dogs. The money collected on this occasion went to Halfway Home Animal Rescue. On the Commercial Hotel's site I read that this is a regular summer event, and the Halfway Home group is 'an organisation that saves animals in remote rural pounds on death row and places them into foster care in the Melbourne area, where they can then be adopted into loving homes'.

I'd like to support them, because they are an organisation that gives stray dogs a second chance when they are about to be put down. In The Age article, the founder, Jenaya Du Toit said they have become disenchanted with animal "shelters" that put down about 250,000 dogs and cats each year.

What a terrible number!

I've recently heard of another organisation called Rescued With Love, one that aims to keep dogs out of shelters altogether and also processes them through voluntary foster carers.

I donate to the big dog rescue organisations here, as much as I can, and now I'm wondering whether my money would be better going to these "direct rescue" groups. It's quite a dilemma, because, despite criticism of the big shelters, they do rescue lots of dogs. And they are easily contacted if a dog is lost. But it scares me to think how many animals pass through their doors and what a short time a dog is given before its fate is decided.

I can't afford to donate to all of them, unfortunately.