Adopt Me

“We get lots of wonderful donations,” Penny Brischke, Patron of the Sunshine Coast Animal Refuge (SCARS), explains as we head into the reception. She nods her head to the pile of blankets that have been donated to the centre. “Anything we can’t use, we gift on to other animal charities that we work closely with.”

Tucked a short way from the Bruce Highway, SCARS is a leafy refuge for the Coast’s homeless cats and dogs. It is currently housing nearly 30 dogs with another 10 in temporary foster care and over 150 others that have been adopted but remain under the vet care of SCARS. . Dishearteningly, there are a further 60 animals (cats and dogs) on the surrender waitlist – those that their owners can no longer care for and are hoping to leave at SCARS for rehoming.

And rehoming doesn’t always come easily for the Coast’s homeless pups. “A small dog stays with us on average one week before rehoming,” Penny explains. “Large dogs stay on average two months before rehoming – often much longer.

Penny says that the longer a dog is in the refuge, the harder it can be for them to get adopted: “They become institutionalised when they are in for a long time, which makes it harder for them to show their true personalities.”

With 40 dogs onsite, it can get noisy at times, which can put an otherwise easy-going pup a little on edge.

The '100+' Club

Around thirty per cent of SCARS’ residents are in the ‘100+ club’ - those dogs that have been at SCARS for 100 days or more. Many of the 100+ club members are larger dogs – often Bull Arab or Staffy breeds.

“People get a Staffy puppy because they’re cute and don’t realise just how big they’re going to get,” says Fiona, who has been working as a volunteer at SCARS for nearly 10 years. She mainly works in the office, taking good news calls from people looking to adopt an animal or making a donation, or bad news calls from people looking to surrender one.

Before SCARS take on a dog for rehoming, they undergo temperament tests with a dog trainer, who is employed by SCARS four days a week. Penny explains that SCARS has a duty of care to check that the dog is safe to rehome, is safe for the SCARS team, and will cope in the shelter environment.

“A blind 16-year-old Staffy wouldn’t cope in this environment for example,” she says. “It’s loud, they’d be surrounded by other dogs…we’d push for a foster carer in a case like that.”

The rental and financial crisis

The organisation – which is largely funded by local businesses – has 20 foster carers, but is always looking for more. With adoption rates at a low (down from 10 to 15 a week five years ago, to just three to five a week now), foster carers are in high demand, as are the rest of the refuge’s volunteers.

Asked if COVID contributed to this low adoption rate, Penny explained that it actually had the reverse effect. “COVID funnily enough was good for us in that we had heaps of adoptions! However, the subsequent rental and financial crisis is destroying us mentally and physically…we have too many cats and dogs needing to be surrendered and without an increased numbers of adoptions, we just can’t cope with the demand to help.”

Helping to care for SCARS’ current residents are around 200 volunteers. They might be office based, offsite at events, collecting and sorting donations or helping directly with animal care. Every volunteer undergoes an orientation and is buddied up with a more experienced volunteer until they know the ropes.

Penny, herself a volunteer that has been with SCARS for 18 years, is grateful for her good team but says that volunteer turnover is challenging.

SCARS, which is around 40 years old, recently ran a successful fundraising campaign, the ‘Shelter the Coast Built’. Nineteen new pens have been sponsored by local businesses and individuals, who paid $5,000 for each.

Unfortunately, the project has met with a few hurdles along the way. “We were ready to start building three years ago, then COVID hit, which put a stop to that,” says Penny. “And now the cost of building has gone through the roof. It’s pretty much doubled in cost, but we are still determined to deliver it as our dogs desperately need new housing.”

The cost to get a dog ready for adoption

SCARS receives no government funding but does get support, in the form of grants, from the local Sunshine Coast Council. It receives an operational grant, but that only covers around 5-7% of total operational costs – which is around $800,000 a year.

The biggest cost is consumables, such as microchips, medication and food. It also employs a vet and vet nurse three days a week to provide health care for the animals.

All in all, it costs around $800 to get a dog ready for adoption, and the average adoption fee is only $350. Plus, if a dog gets adopted that has ongoing health issues, SCARS will pay for its medical care for the rest of its life. It has around 150 animals on such health agreements, and another 20-30 with ongoing health issues in temporary foster care.

Strong advocates of ‘adopt, don’t shop’, SCARS also receives a grant from the council to help desex 70-80 dogs each year at a reduced rate. Participants in this scheme need to prove financial hardship to qualify for such assistance.

SCARS also runs various fundraising activities throughout the year to raise money for general care, as well as specific needs for its animals – such as food, toys, beds and crates.

But, asked what was number one on her wish list for the dogs, Penny said simply: “Homes. Homes for all of them.”

The longest residents include Eddie and Lilly, both Staffies, who have been in SCARS for over 150 days, and Randy, a Mastiff, now in foster care, who has clocked up over 450 days.

Penny explains, however, that the success stories make it all worthwhile: “We have a private Facebook group for people who share how their adopted rescue pets are getting on. We have one pup travelling all round WA with his new owner!”

And Penny’s advice when it comes to adopting a dog? “Do your research and make sure you are ready for the long-term commitment of owning a dog. Make sure you can give a dog what it needs – not just shelter, food and water but also exercise, training, and being a part of your family – not just out in the backyard all day.”

This article originally appeared on Dogs By The Beach