the 2012/2013 Geelong Animal Welfare Society Annual

Table of Contents
President’s Report
2
CEO’s Report
3
Our Values and Mission
4
Our Ambassadors
5
Our Programs
6
Services we provide
11
Marketing and Fundraising
14
Shelter Statistics
19
Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
page 1
President’s Report
Welcome to the 2012/2013 Geelong Animal Welfare Society Annual Report.
The metamorphosis experienced throughout 2011-2012 has provided the Geelong Animal
Welfare Society with a springboard upon which to build and consolidate, and a renewed
vision for setting goals and planning, both of which are essential in order to navigate through
a changing environment and growing community demand for high-quality animal welfare.
During this fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, our commitment to deliver the highest level
of service to the community, finely balanced within a responsible and realistic financial
framework, has posed the greatest of challenges. Humane care and treatment of our animals
in adherence to the Department of Primary Industry Code of Practice for Shelters, comes at
considerable cost, and GAWS are far from immune from increasing costs.
Our Board of Management has been working with the City of Greater Geelong and other local
Councils as well as a range of partners to implement new strategies and introduce new revenue
streams to bring the budget in line while meeting the increased demand for our services. In
2013 two new initiatives included the opening of the new Op-Shop and the establishment of
our on site Vet clinic. Plans for providing competitive vet care to the community are underway
and will be available later this year.
The success of our organisation in achieving its core business is a result of our dedicated
staff, both skilled and devoted to our mission. In every area: leadership, communication,
fundraising, operations, education and veterinary care - the Geelong Animal Welfare Society
is fortunate to have exceptionally strong and caring individuals. The work of our staff has been
brilliantly supported and supplemented by an array of generous volunteers, compassionate
foster carers, rescue groups, community and school groups and individuals who have seen
the plight of our animals and have rallied to raise money and increase donations towards their
care. To all of you, we thank you, and we are grateful for your commitment to our shared vision
of finding a loving home for every re-homeable animal.
To my fellow Directors, I applaud your commitment during a difficult year and thank you
for your support and experience. On behalf of the GAWS’ Board of Management, I extend a
heartfelt thank you to our members and supporters for their dedication to animal welfare.
“Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened”. ~Anatole France
Joyce Doherty
President
page 2
Geelong
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Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
C.E.O’s Report
Upon reflection of the past twelve months, I am truly inspired by the Geelong community
who have rallied to support our commitment to increasing the life-saving rates at GAWS.
The number of animals that came through our gates over the past twelve months has increased
by almost 1000 from the 2011/2012 Financial Year, bringing our total to just short of 6,000
animals. I would like to express my gratitude to our staff, volunteers and our supporters who
have all played an important role in helping us re home or reunite so many of these animals
with their families. Social Media - in particular our Facebook Page - GAWS - We Need You, has
had far-reaching effect with the community sharing our stories and responding to our calls
for help, which has led to an increase in our adoption rates and much needed supplies of
bedding and food.
The last 12 months, on a financial level, has been very tough and despite our efforts to introduce
new income streams, increase our adoptions and sales and other financial efficiencies, the
cost to save lives has required us to draw upon our savings. The Board of Directors and the
Management team are looking at our operating costs very closely and will be conducting
very critical and careful financial planning to keep the organisation sustainable to continue to
serve the Geelong community.
The establishment of our in-house veterinary clinic was a very proud moment for the
organisation. Instead of relying on contract veterinarians, our animals have immediate access
to on site health care checks and a raft of surgeries at relatively low cost. The establishment
of a small clinic to the public will also provide another revenue stream offering competitively
priced surgeries including desexing.
We have re-established our Opportunity Shop in a new location; at 63 Vines Road, Hamlyn
Heights. The community have once again been very generous with their donations of goods,
and we hope that this will be a great source of revenue with proceeds going to the care of our
animals.
Throughout the year we have called upon the Geelong community to help us with donations
of food and bedding, and for monetary assistance. It is pleasing that we are able to give back
to the community - and in particular the youth sector - in a small way by providing training
and real work experience to young people considering a career in animal care.
We pledge to our members and supporters that we will continue to save lives and provide a
sustainable service for the animals of the Geelong region.
Belinda Russo
C.E.O
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page 3
Our Values and Mission
Geelong Animal Welfare Society serves Geelong and surrounding areas to uphold and promote
the welfare and rights of companion animals by caring for and rehoming lost and relinquished
animals, providing support services to the community and education in responsible pet
ownership.
Principles
We are open, honest and transparent in our relationships with our employees, volunteers,
partnerships and community. We strive to treat each other and those we serve, including the
animals, with integrity, respect and compassionate caring.
Partnerships
By forming partnerships and strategic alliances with those who share our respect for animals,
we can accomplish more than any of us can do on our own.
Leadership
By demonstrating courage, as well as compassion, knowledge and wisdom, we exercise
leadership in the protection and promotion of animal welfare.
Learning
We honour the need to grow and learn, using the best possible evidence to guide improvements
and constantly evaluate the impact of our work.
Responsibility
We believe that animal welfare is not solely the responsibility of organisations like GAWS. It
is a matter of individual and community responsibility. We are committed to working with
individuals, businesses and communities, through education and other initiatives, to promote
greater responsibility for animal welfare at the community level.
Accountability
We strive to be accountable in order to deserve the trust of those we serve. We measure, track
and report regularly on what we have achieved as well as on what we have not.
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Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
Our Ambassadors
Our two GAWS Ambassadors, Marisa Siketa from K-ROCK and Paul Chapman from Geelong
Football Club, have lent invaluable support to us over the last twelve months. Both Marisa
and Paul attended the Uniting Prints DogWalk, both are Pen Pal sponsors and have harnessed
their media contacts to support GAWS.
Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
page 5
Our Programs
Foster Care
Our foster carers are extremely valued by our organisation. The foster care program is a
life-saving initiative that we cannot do without. Foster carers take animals into their homes on
a temporary basis to look after them for various reasons that include recovery from surgery,
recovery from cat flu or kennel cough, or taking care of pups and kittens that are too young for
adoption. If you want to find out more, please download a form from www.gaws.org.au and
send an email: foster@gaws.org.au
Op shop
Following on from comments made by our members at the last AGM, we re-established the
GAWS Op Shop. Our new premises are located at 63 Vines Road. Making this possible was a
wonderful long time supporter of GAWS - Mr Ken Booth, who was a major donor providing
funding to help us get this initiative up and running. Our Op Shop is run by a team of volunteers
and overseen by management. If you are interested in volunteering in our Op Shop, please
contact us or call into our shop and fill out a volunteer application form.
May all
that have
life be
delivered
from
suffering
~ Buddha
OP SHOP
page 6
Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
Dog walking and learning their manners
We have been fortunate to have a very dedicated volunteer who has been exercising our dogs
6 days a week and giving them the chance to learn a few manners. Thank you to Jeff Naylor
who has given his time and commitment to our canines. Jeff ’s extensive experience has
provided our dogs with the opportunity to exercise and the freedom to express themselves
outside of the shelter environment by having a run around or some behavioural training in
our paddock adjacent to GAWS.
sit
roll
over
walk
Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
page 7
Training for the Animal Care Industry
Strategies For Excellence
Over the past 12 months in partnership with Strategies For Excellence and The Gordon TAFE,
GAWS have been the host organisation for a fantastic school based trainee program.
GAWS currently have 15 trainees that have learnt all aspects of what it is like to work at a large
animal shelter and experience a working environment. From assisting with daily feeding,
cleaning & overall care of animals in the shelter, to walking dogs and helping in cat and dog
boarding and our kitten section, our trainees have worked alongside staff members and have
become a valuable part of the team.
We have enjoyed seeing the trainees grow over the time they have spent at GAWS and are
very thankful for their contribution to the shelter.
We wish them all the very best beyond this program and sincerely hope they have enjoyed
their time with us, as we thoroughly enjoyed having them work with us.
In 2014 we are extremely pleased to continue this wonderful partnership and are looking
forward to our future intake.
A special thanks to Sharna Gollogly for her dedication to the program and for assisting with
the management of the trainees.
Gordon TAFE - Certificate II & III in Companion Animal Studies
One program we look forward to developing is our affiliation with The Gordon TAFE and their
Companion Animal Studies course.
We offer work placement opportunities to students studying this course, providing them with
a practical real-world experience to coincide with their studies.
We also host tours of the facility to students who spend time observing cat & dog behaviour,
performing health checks and experiencing a few hours in the shelter.
We are looking to expand this program to cover spending some time in our vet clinic and
observing the way in which a welfare vet clinic operates.
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Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
Impetus Award
In April GAWS were awarded the Impetus Youth Corporate Award in Geelong. We are so proud
to be a part of the awards and thank the community for acknowledging our traineeship
program. Here is a photo of us with the Mayor of Geelong.
Centrepay for Low Income Earners
When stray animals enter our shelter, many low income earners in the Geelong region may
struggle to pay the reclaim fees. To help ease the financial burden and to enable a quicker
reunion of pet to owner, we introduced the Centrepay solution, which enables pensioners
and health care card holders to pay in instalments.
Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
page 9
Rescue Groups
Our Rescue Coordinator developed some fantastic relationships with local and interstate
rescue organisations, along with our partnership with PETSco.
A total of 494 cats and 195 dogs have found their new homes via this program.
We would like to acknowledge the following organisations that were vital in this life saving
program.
•
Alaskan Malamute Rehoming Aid Aust Inc
•
Australian Rat Fanciers Society
•
Beagle Rescue
•
Belmont Vet Clinic
•
Best Friends Superstore
•
Forever Friends Animal Rescue
•
Geelong Animal Rescue
•
Halfway Home Animal Rescue
•
Jirrahlinga Wildlife
•
Kays Grays
•
Little Whiskers Cat and Dog Rescue
•
Luvalab
•
Maneki Neko Cat Rescue
•
Maremma Rescue
•
Melbourne Animal Rescue
•
Newfound Friends Rescue
•
Rescued With Love
•
Starting Over Rescue
•
Second Chance Animal Rescue
•
South Australia Dog Rescue
•
Staffy Rescue
page 10
You can’t
change the world
by helping one dog
but you will change
the world for that
one dog
Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
Services We Provide
New Vet Services
We are pleased to announce that we have established our long awaited in-house mini vet
clinic. Our head Veterinarian Dr Latjor and his experienced team of veterinarians and nurses
have been hard at work to get this facility up and running.
We are also close to providing a Vet Clinic service to the community at competitive prices.
Although there have been initial set up costs, the benefits will far outweigh the costs.
Benefits include:
•
Discount desexing of cats and dogs
•
Discounts on medical treatment to people on pensions, health care and disability benefits
to reduce the number of owners surrendering their animals due to financial hardship
•
Immediate care for our shelter and boarding animals
•
Discount offers to all our stakeholders
•
Capacity to generate funds to enable our shelter to become sustainable as all profits from
the vet clinic go back to funding our life saving programs
•
Ability to perform elective surgery to more of our shelter animals due to reductions in
surgery costs.
Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
page 11
Adoptions
We have undertaken a number of initiatives to provide our animals with a second chance.
We joined with PETSco last October as part of their ‘Save a Pet’ Program which focussed on
rehoming adult animals. This initiative provided new homes to over 700 cats, dogs, rabbits
and guinea pigs from GAWS.
Halloween Staffy “Cute as a Pumpkin” Special
Merv, the face of our Halloween Staffy Special in October, was pleased to find a new home
as part of our reduced price on Staffys. Similarly our staff enjoyed dressing up in costume to
promote our special and hosted a special cupcake stall and sausage sizzle to raise funds for
GAWS.
Half Price Cat and Kitten Specials
We ran a 50 for 50% special in June with the aim to rehome 50 felines by giving a 50% discount
off their adoption fee. Driven from our Facebook page, our special was shared throughout the
community culminating in a record breaking 148 cats and kittens adopted into homes for the
month of June.
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Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
Improving the stay for our animals
In our Cattery
Our cats and kittens now have some further comforts while they await their new homes,
thanks to GAWS’ long time supporter, Catherine Grey. Catherine’s financial contribution
enabled us to spend funds on installing wet weather/sun protection blinds for the cattery.
Catherine’s donation also extended to repairing the roof and providing a fresh coat of paint
inside and outside the cattery. Catherine also volunteers her time to visit and spend time with
our animals as part of our enrichment program. Catherine, we thank you for caring.
Our Pocket Pets
Rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs and other pocket pets, that find their way to GAWS before going
to their new homes, are also enjoying their new living quarters. We thank Deryck and Amanda
Gall for their support and kind donation towards our Pocket Pets Patch. Our pocket pets
are able to nibble on our lawns and have the freedom to express themselves whilst being
sheltered from the wind and rain. This fantastic set up is conducive to more adoptions and
looks fantastic.
Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
page 13
Marketing and Fundraising
Community Support
GAWS has been very privileged to have had a large number of community groups and schools
fundraising locally. Some of the projects include:
•
Casual dress and crazy hat days at schools
•
School awareness-raising projects
•
Networking events
•
Small fundraising events, such as BBQs and sales
•
Donations of items for auctions
•
Play4Pets
We have been overwhelmed and humbled by the pouring in of
donations from the community. The public have responded to
our calls for bedding, newspapers, enrichment toys and food.
We appreciate and are truly grateful for the volume of community
giving we have witnessed.
Friends of GAWS
Through the regular giving program of Friends of GAWS, donations received contribute to
the feeding, cleaning, housing and caring of the animals. With almost 6000 animals coming
through our gates in the past twelve months we are thankful to the supporters of this
life-saving program.
Each supporter may choose their own donation amount and have the ease of setting up a
regular payment through their PayPal account.
If you are interested in the Friends of GAWS initiative please visit www.gaws.org.au
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Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
Donation Boxes
Donation boxes were distributed to local shops and businesses.
We now have over 60 boxes in the community with the aim of
increasing our profile as well as raising funds for our animals. We
believe this is a perfect way for the community to help support
us while going about their daily business.
Thank you to all of the businesses that offered to take a donation
box and to all of the people who have dropped in their coins.
PETstock
Our animals have been greatly supported by the team at PETstock with generous donations of
food, cat litter and enrichment toys throughout the year. PETstock Geelong has been assisting
us with re-homing our animals by hosting adoption days in their stores.
Last October was particularly memorable with us rehoming 15 kittens and cats in one day in
their Fyans Street store. Thank you to Store Manager Gary Welsh who has been fantastic in
facilitating so much support for our animals.
Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
page 15
Corporate Supporters
We would like to acknowledge and thank the following community members and businesses
for continuing to help us do the work that we do.
•
Mitre 10
•
Jim’s Mowing
•
St Laurence
•
GForce and Strategies for Excellence
•
Geelong Signs
•
Jewellery for a Cause
•
The Bendigo Bank
•
Gordon TAFE
•
K-ROCK
•
The Geelong Advertiser
•
PETstock - Geelong
•
Best Friends Pets - Geelong
•
The Geelong Community Foundation Geelong Folk Music Club Inc
Uniting Prints Dog Walk
On the 24th of November 2012, Geelong saw the inaugural Uniting Prints Dog Walk for GAWS
with over 500 people attending along with stall holders and community groups. The walk
aimed to bring the community together in an animal related event, while raising financial
support for GAWS as well as the profile of responsible pet ownership.
Tin Rattles
On a sunny day in April, on the streets of Geelong, a group of
our volunteers dressed up as animals asking passing motorists
to dig deep and give their spare change for GAWS.
The community responded well and we raised nearly $5000.
More tin rattles are planned for the future.
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Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
Gigs 4 Good
Gigs4Good are a group of dedicated artists who perform gigs to raise money for charities
across Australia. Gigs4Good have been an amazing support for GAWS, hosting two gigs that
enabled our food pantry to be stocked up as well as provide the majority of funds for “Junior’s”
operation and his rehabilitation.
Photography Exhibition
Kirsten Freeburn has been volunteering her photographic skills
at the shelter for a long time capturing beautiful images of our
animals for advertising on Petrescue. Earlier this year Kirsten held
a fundraising photographic exhibition for GAWS showcasing
many of the animal residents that came through our gates. We
thank Kirsten for dedicating her time and for raising funds for
our animals.
Media
Support from local media has enabled us to engage directly with the community. Some of our
stories have resulted in pets being reunited with their family, whilst some have evoked great
responses from the community with the provision of warm bedding and food. We have had
support from the following media outlets –
•
The Geelong Advertiser
•
The Geelong News
•
The Independent
•
K-Rock Radio Station
•
The Surfcoast Times
•
The Pulse Radio
•
The Age
•
RRR Radio
•
Insight SBS TV
•
The Herald Sun
Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
page 17
Pen Pal Sponsorship
Thank you to the people and businesses that have sponsored a pen through the Pen Pal
program last year. Spearheaded by Paul Chapman, we have had a total of 23 pens sponsored
in our Adoption Dogs, Lost Dogs, Cattery and Pocket Pet sections of the shelter.
The sponsorship has provided funds for elective surgeries that we would have otherwise not
been able to offer to our animals. Some of these surgeries include tail and leg amputations,
patella surgeries, lump removals, and life-saving surgeries and rehabilitation for injured
animals that come into our care.
Facebook Page: ‘GAWS - We Need You’
Our official Facebook Page now has over 5,000 likes. GAWS - We Need You provides us with the
opportunity to directly market our shelter animals. With the sharing of posts, we are achieving
great adoption results. Our June cat special is testament to this.
Our Facebook page has facilitated interaction with the community and we are pleased to say
that our calls for assistance, food, warm blankets or enrichment items are always met with a
huge response.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of the community.
page 18
Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
Shelter Statistics 2012/2013
Incoming Dogs
Deceased on Arrival
5
0.2%
Owner Surrendered
670
26.9%
Protective Custody
20
0.8%
Strays
1795
72.1%
Total
2490
100.0%
822
33.3%
7
0.3%
1264
51.3%
Transferred to Rescue Groups
196
8.0%
Euthanasia
176
7.1%
2465
100.0%
2
1.1%
Medical
78
44.3%
Owner Request
10
5.7%
Behavioural
86
48.9%
176
100.0%
Outgoing Dogs
Adopted
Other (Stolen, Unassisted Death)
Reclaimed
Total *
* Total excludes Council Ordered = 32
Euthanasia Explanation
Unassisted Death
Total
Live Release Rate of Dogs 2012/2013: 92.6%
Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013
page 19
Shelter Statistics 2012/2013
Incoming Cats
Feral
490
18.1%
6
0.2%
803
29.7%
Strays
1403
52.0%
Total
2702
100.0%
959
42.9%
16
0.7%
Reclaimed
126
5.6%
Transferred to Rescue Groups
494
22.2%
Euthanasia
638
28.6%
2233
100.0%
614
96.5%
21
3.3%
1
0.1%
638
100.0%
Deceased on arrival
Owner Surrender
Outgoing Cats
Adopted
Other (Stolen, Unassisted Death)
Total *
* Total excludes Feral Cats
Euthanasia Explanation
Medical
Unavailable Pens
Behavioural
Total
Live Release Rate of Cats 2012/2013: 70.8%
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Geelong Animal Welfare Society | ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013