Sydney Dogs and Cats Home

About the shelter

Sydney Dogs and Cats Home (SDCH) was founded as a registered no-kill shelter in 1946. It operates in the heart of Sydney, Australia with a mission to “responsibly reunite, rehome, and rehabilitate” each animal that comes into its care.

Called the Home, the main shelter is operated by a team of more than 500 volunteers, and houses more than 3,000 animals a year while they wait to find their forever home. The lives of animals that find their way to SDCH are changed forever from the moment they step through its door. No healthy animal at SDCH is ever euthanised.

In 2017, the average “wait time” for a new home was just 17 days for dogs. That’s less than a month to go from abandonment and homelessness to love and joy with a new family! And it’s not just new families that benefit. SDCH also helped 862 lost animals to reunite with their owners in 2017 alone.

Mission

• SDCH hopes to become Australia’s leading shelter for companion animals by improving the lives of the animals they rescue.
• Its core mission is to responsibly reunite, rehome, and rehabilitate companion animals in their care while providing the highest level of service to the wider community.

How you can help

In addition to finding homes for cats, dogs, rabbits, and birds, SDCH is heavily involved in the Sydney community. They run programs for students, allowing kids to play with and read to the dogs. They visit local nursing homes, giving residents the chance to enjoy time with the animals. They even have a program for injured army trainees, helping them rehabilitate in a fun, alternative way.

Community support drives the mission of this rescue, and there are plenty of ways you can get involved. If you want to help out directly, you can become an animal foster or volunteer at the Home. Supporting this rescue is crucial now more than ever before. In 2015, SDCH learned that the Home was going to be a part of a development project, leaving the shelter without a home. Thanks to the support of adopters, volunteers, and the NSW government, SDCH has found a new location in Kurnell, but they still need help building the new facility from the ground up.