Tawl Tails Sally Pearson

spring 2014 Magazine of the Animal Welfare Qld Inc. Est. 1959

awlqld.com.au

Sally Pearson: AWLQ’s Golden Ambassador

A Word from our CEO

fact have so much to give – bigger slobbery kisses, heaps of playful energy and they make wonderful life-long family members.

We have so much passion at the AWLQ, and want to share this with you. So we have themed this edition around the love we have for animals, and this passion that drives us to do what we do day in and day out.

People often say to me that working in an animal shelter must be very depressing and sad, but the opposite is true. The joy of seeing so many animals leaving to be with their new family is priceless. Even more touching is seeing and sharing the joy of our staff and volunteers who have cared for and given their love to that animal during their stay.

Over the 2013-14 year I had the privilege of being a part of 5,786 ‘happy tails’ such as this. But these ‘happy tails’ would not be possible without the continued support of the community, which the AWLQ has been a vital part of since 1959.

Over the past few months we have seen a high intake of much larger dogs coming into our care. These dogs are traditionally much harder to home because their large size can be quite daunting.

Contrary to some people’s belief, it’s these big guys and gals who in

Sadly though, we were finding these lovely giants were missing out, and our pens were quickly reaching capacity. Our staff sprung into action and we held a special rehoming campaign called ‘ Big10’ to try to find homes for these special pooches.

We set a goal to rehome 10 big dogs each day over 10 days for the price of $10.00. We did a massive callout to the public. Wonderful families opened their hearts and homes to these dogs. By the end of the ten day period, we had achieved our goal with only 16 dogs available across our three shelters.

These are the joyous moments that drive the passion of our staff and volunteers to work towards the day that every dog and cat has a loving and caring home.

Animals in our care are solely dependent on public support, so please consider giving a donation to help us give another 6,000 animals their second chance to live a happy and safe life with a family they can call their very own.

Please enjoy reading some of the inspiring stories of those who have contributed to making a difference to the lives of homeless animals.

Warm regards,

Denise Bradley

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AWLQ is proud to have the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG as their Official Patron

The Latest Around Town Superstar Kittens!

MAKO Island of Secrets Even TV Shows support animal welfare! Our kittens, Purrinthian and brother Mouse, starred recently in a show called Mako Island of Secrets.

Mako is the new version of H2O - a TV show about mermaids and they were loved by everyone on set. Thanks to this screening, both Purr and Mouse were adopted the very next day and are loving life in their forever homes.

Out With The Dogs Promotion Out with the Dogs is in its fourth year and is bigger and better than ever. Get the kids involved and help animals in need by raising money and camping out in the backyard with your pet. To learn more log on to: www.outwiththedogs.com.au

Thorne and Friends!

Thorne (left) has shown wisdom and compassion beyond his years. We are proud to have him as one of our supporters! Not only does he donate his pocket money, but this time, he brought his friends to our shelter to adopt a pet!

He found the perfect dog for them on our website.

The next day he arrived with his friends who fell in love and adopted their very first pet. Thank you Thorne, for your dedication.

Recent Rehoming Figures AWLQ has been working hard to rehome more and more animals each month and we are thrilled to report our efforts are working! 1,634 animals found their forever homes in May, June and July. That’s 239

MAY

animals more than the February, March, April period. AWLQ has one of the highest rehoming figures for a shelter of its size in the country and continues to reach these milestones with your support.

JUNE

JULY

Dogs & puppies 230

Dogs & puppies 235

Dogs & puppies 255

Cats & kittens 289

Cats & kittens 247

Cats & Kittens 246

Other animals 31

Other animals 47

Other animals 54

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AWLQ is proud to have the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG as their Official Patron

Happy Tails From Our Past Guests Left to right: Charlie, Girl Dog, Hayden and Gemma

she was originally named ‘Cricket’. When Uncle Josh adopted her, he started calling her ‘the girl dog’ while he thought about a name that suited her. Pretty soon that was the name she always came running and answered to, so that became her permanent name!

‘Charlie’ was a rescue too and he and ‘Girl Dog’ get along great together! Our family also has a beautiful kitty cat that we adopted from the AWLQ shelter at Coombabah this year. Her name is ‘April’ and we love having her in our house.

“ Hi, my name is Hayden and this is my sister Gemma. Our whole family really likes the Animal Welfare League of Qld because that’s where we adopted our animals! In this picture with us are our Uncle Josh’s two dogs ‘Charlie’ and ‘Girl Dog’, who he loves heaps.

‘Girl Dog’ was adopted from AWLQ, where

We have so much fun with our dogs and cats and want to tell other families to please go visit one of the AWLQ shelters and ‘Choose to adopt’ one of their wonderful dogs or cats so their family can have a great pet too!

Thanks AWLQ, Hayden, Gemma, Uncle Josh, Girl Dog, Charlie and April

Murray & Murphy

The guinea pigs have settled into their new home wonderfully.

We were pleased to hear how well they are going - they enjoy watching cartoons with the kids, and a belly rub!

Their favourite activities include chomping down some capsicum and having a little chat to anyone who will listen.

We are very grateful to M&M’s new family for adopting these two and giving them such a loving home environment!

Kiarra

has been called the ‘purrfect pet’ by her new family! When they met Kiarra at the AWLQ Shelter, there was an instant bond. Nowadays, Kiarra’s family are enjoying her quirks! She likes to go crazy and play in the evenings when we are all at home and play with our feet under the doona in the mornings.

We are overjoyed to hear that she brightens up the household.

Thank you for adopting and giving Kiarra such a wonderful second chance!

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AWLQ is proud to have the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG as their Official Patron

Sally Pearson AWLQ’s Golden Ambassador Sally Pearson’s favourite colour must be gold. The Olympic and Commonwealth Games Champion lives on the Gold Coast and has a slew of Gold medals she has won in her long career on her way to becoming the best female 100m hurdler on the planet.

From winning Gold in the 2010 Commonwealth games in India to her incredible and emotional Gold medal win at the 2012 London Olympics, Sally has shown the value of hard work and discipline. She has become the embodiment of perseverance and focus to her many dedicated fans and supporters.

The eyes of the nation and the world were upon her just last month at the Glasgow Commonwealth games as she boldly overcame both an ongoing seasonal injury and undignified distractions with an electrifying Gold Medal win in her signature event.

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As an Official AWLQ Ambassador, Sally has taken to her new role with similar passion, commitment and enthusiasm. Sally and her husband Kieran are mad about their Retrievers ‘Oscar’ and Toby’ as well as their cat ‘Danny’, who was adopted from AWLQ. With a lifetime of deep caring for animals, Sally comes well prepared to help raise awareness and funding opportunities for AWLQ wherever she goes. Growing up on the Coast and attending Helensvale High, she was always a fan of the AWLQ’s work.

“I have a huge passion for animals, both domestic and wild, and think everyone should always choose to adopt their pet from a great rescue and sheltering organisation like AWLQ”.

Sally is a long way from retirement but when she does hang up her green and gold, she truly wants to work with animals.

AWLQ is proud to have the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG as their Official Patron

Progressive Pet Shops Save Lives The AWLQ has been lucky enough to enlist the help of forward thinking pet shops whose owners believe in making a difference by rehoming shelter pets instead of supporting unlicensed breeders and puppy mills. We currently have six pet shops rehoming our animals and for that we are very grateful.

The owner of Pet Supplies Direct at Harbour Town, Lori White, has been rehoming our animals since 2002 and during that time has rehomed over 3,000 cats!

“Our customers love that we don’t sell puppies and kittens from breeders, but help animals in need from the local shelter. Some are so surprised to see adult cats and ask if they have been here since kittens which always make us smile.

We find those who are unaware of AWLQ are really keen to be informed on the process and are often surprised about the facts we quote on unwanted litters and the need to desex their pets.

It’s educational and we feel we are providing a community service in both talking to people about this subject and also in rehoming unwanted pets”, Lori says.

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“Sometimes it takes a week or more for a cat to be matched up to the right family Lori says but then other times people will walk in and fall head over heels with the AWLQ guests. While the cats are with us they are treated like royalty. I call our staff “the cat police” because they are so particular about making sure the people who wish to adopt are perfect for the cats”, Lori says.

“It’s a passion of mine to rescue and care for cats (and dogs) and always has been. We have an amazing group of people who work here and are filled with that passion too.

We love working with AWLQ and hope to rehome many more cats in the future.”

From the AWLQ’s perspective, it’s humbling to work with such supportive, caring people.

Having these pet shops rehoming on our behalf allows us to accommodate those that are not keen on sharing their personal space, or are less comfortable in a shelter environment. We couldn’t do this without these wonderful supporting businesses.

AWLQ External Rehoming Centres are located on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane.

If you can’t get to a shelter shop to buy your pet supplies please support the work that they do by shopping with them!

AWLQ is proud to have the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG as their Official Patron

Dog Meets Cow ... Unhappy Accident

At just 14 weeks old, little Scamp the Fox Terrier cross was playing in a field and got too close to a cow, resulting in a broken leg.

He was surrendered to the Ipswich Community Vet Clinic and treated before being placed in a foster home to recover.

“Keeping little Scamp quiet and still has been a big task,” says his foster carer and AWLQ Ipswich Photographer Ashlin Milne.

“When he came in to the shelter I just had to take him home. He has such a wonderful personality and loves to keep me company.

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He always has to be a part of everything that’s going on and is going to be a very loving pet for a lucky family.”

AWLQ staff members are always taking their work home with them as they are so passionate about what they do and just can’t say no to an animal in need.

If you would like to become a foster carer log on to: www.awlqld.com.au/foster-a-pet-brisbanegold-coast

AWLQ is proud to have the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG as their Official Patron

“I failed”... in the very best of ways “It all began 16 months ago when Lisa in the foster team asked if I would foster a nine month old cat, Ebony, who found herself at the AWLQ with a collar wound ...”

new surgical procedure, leaving Ebony half shaved, with a drain, a pain patch and 65 stitches! There was going to be a long recovery ahead.

Here is the story of Sally Gartside, a regular foster carer with us at AWL Qld. We have a term of affection, ‘foster failure’. This means a family or individual can’t part with their foster animal when the time comes for them to go up for adoption! It’s the type of ‘fail’ that truly is a win. Over to Sally with her ‘tail’ of foster failure ...

I visited each day and she would get up to greet me every time. Even the dogs visited her and had a sniff through the window! She was a model patient and was able to come home after 11 days in the clinic.

“Sure” I said to Lisa, which you can imagine is my usual response when there is a cat in need. I didn’t actually ‘meet’ Ebony until I got her home and settled in. And what a shock it was! I had never seen such a large wound on a young cat. I’ll spare you the gruesome details but it started in the middle of her chest, under her arm and back up towards her shoulder. Ouch!

This was going to be a long process. Ebony was a star and we soon got into a routine of cleaning and applying her medicated cream two or three times a day. She would see me get ready and she would come over and lie down at my feet, waiting.

She responded well to our household, and settled into our lifestyle with ease. She would happily rest with my dogs and enjoy creature comforts every day. Regular visits to the vet meant that she was a bit of a favourite with all the vet and foster staff at AWL Qld. While her wound was healing well, a small section right under her arm wouldn’t heal completely due to the amount of scar tissue and movement in the area. The vets tried different approaches but nothing worked.

After a lot of research, the AWLQ head vet, Dr Theresia Andersen, performed a miracle. Well, we thought it was pretty miraculous! She successfully performed a

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During her recovery, both before and after her surgery, Ebony was a ‘big sister’ to all the other foster kittens that spent time with us on the road to their forever homes. But the time finally came – she was ready to go and find her forever family. But was I ready?

No! So I’d like to introduce my first ‘foster failure’. How could I send her back to the shelter pens when she had been with me for almost six months? She had been through so much and was happy with life at our place.

She had become part of our family.

We love Ebony, and I’m very proud to have failed to give her back when the time came.

Now, she is a permanent member of our family, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

AWLQ is proud to have the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG as their Official Patron

Animal Welfare League Australia Conference AWLQ recently hosted a two-day national conference for the state members of The Animal Welfare League Australia (AWLA).

Representing Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, AWLA was founded in 2007 as a national not for profit organisation dedicated to caring for companion animals.

A Latté for a Life My name is Sally and I’m a two-year old Jack Russell. My story is not unusual; I was just a regular stray. One of so many who were once loved, then suddenly found lost, terrified and alone. That was until I was given the gift of a second chance.

The Animal Welfare League Qld took me in, fed me, washed me, made me healthy and told the world I was worth saving. They took cute photos of me, wrote nice things about me and found a family who wanted me.

The 2014 conference provided many opportunities to discuss and share ‘best practices’ and effective strategies to improve outcomes for shelter animals across Australia. Particular emphasis was on discussions regarding education, public awareness and desexing programs, as well as a review that focused on AWLQ’s many very effective rehoming campaigns.

filled with love. A latté for a life - it is that simple. Through Workplace Giving you can turn a life around without leaving your desk!

Workplace Giving makes it easy for you to make second chances like mine possible - all you need to do is pick up the phone and call 5509 9058, or email: dhoskot@awlqld.com.au to find out more.

Thanks to AWLQ, up to 500 animals every month get this same gift of a second chance.

This is something YOU need to be a part of and all it takes is one small sacrifice. For the cost of one latté a week, you can make an unloved animal wanted again. You can turn a dog or cat’s life on the streets into a life

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AWLQ is proud to have the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG as their Official Patron

Victoria Blossoms From Love When we met six year old ‘Victoria’ at the AWLQ Ipswich Rehoming Centre she was curled into a ball shaking. Her fur was severely matted and her toenails were so long they curled around her paws.

and shared her story with our Facebook page and the attention her story received was incredible! Our supporters were so passionate in helping to find little ‘Victoria’ a home.

Within 48 hours her video had received over 1,400 hits, her photo had 193 shares and reached over 60,000 people.

She had flea nests near her mouth that were impossible to scratch because her fur had grown and twisted, which pulled her skin as she scratched. She had been abandoned and neglected for an unknown length of time.

When we bathed and began to clip her fur she simply laid in our laps letting out big sighs of relief. Little by little ‘Victoria’ came back to life. When the last knot had been removed she took her first pain free steps. It was overwhelming for our caring staff who stood back and watched as she carefully began stretching out her hind legs.

Before long she was strutting around catching up on lost time. We created a video

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Her story was also featured in the South West Newspaper and the very next day ‘Victoria’ found her forever home. Her new mum, Tina said that when she saw the story her heart broke. She had friends sharing ‘Victoria’s’ video on her newsfeed and emailing her saying she could be the perfect dog for her to adopt.

Tina’s current dog ‘Noah’ had been missing his companion (who had recently passed on) and was sitting on her lap as she watched ‘Victoria’s’ video. She asked ‘Noah’ if he would like to go and meet ‘Victoria’ and in response, he jumped up and laid his head on her shoulder! Tina and ‘Noah’ came to AWLQ and met and fell in love with ‘Victoria’ and adopted her that same day.

Tina has renamed this little lady - she is now known as ‘Luna’. Tina has vowed to give ‘Luna’ the loving life she has always truly deserved. Thank you for your compassion!

AWLQ is proud to have the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG as their Official Patron

Deaf Dog, Zeus Masters Life

Thanks to Zeus’ new family for getting in touch recently. It is wonderful to hear how this little Aussie battler is going.

Zeus is deaf, and it is always a worry for our team to find the right home for a ‘special needs’ case like Zeus.

He was adopted from AWLQ eight years ago. He was five months old and had been waiting for more than half his life for his own family. His name was ‘Dustin’ at the time and nobody had adopted him because he was deaf.

Then one day, a family came along and it was love at first sight. They happily adopted him and he came home to join their ‘pack’.

We are overjoyed to hear that the passion

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and perseverence of Zeus’ family has led him to excel at life. In this photo Zeus is competing at the Australian National Agility Championships that were held last June in Brisbane. Zeus has successfully competed in a range of dog sports and has made it to Masters level in agility, jumping and games and he also competes in Rally O and in Obedience.

We are touched to hear how well Zeus has settled into his family. He is very loving in nature and has taught his family members so much.Thank you to Zeus’ family for giving him a second chance in life. He has had a terrific life travelling all over Australia.

Zeus shows that being deaf is in no way a disability and that nothing stops him from being the very best he can be.

AWLQ is proud to have the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG as their Official Patron

Thanking our Valued The Aristocats!

AWLQ is the nominated charity in 2014 of Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific’s ‘Wishes by Wyndham’ Program.Wyndham recently held an epic trivia night to benefit AWLQ, attended by over 140 people, where the AWLQ team (‘The Aristocats’) came

second in a closely decided contest.

AWLQ is approaching the second Anniversary of our outstanding Community Partnership with von Bibra Auto Village. We want to to express our appreciation to Wade von Bibra and the great team and staff that have made this relationship such a big success.

that every time someone purchases a car from any von Bibra Auto Village location across the Gold Coast, they have the option to ask von Bibra to make a $20 donation directly to AWLQ. This very significant level of funding plays an important part in our operations in caring for the Coast’s abandoned and homeless animals.

Since the inception of our partnership in December, 2012 von Bibra has donated nearly $150,000 to AWLQ, which is an incredible level of support! Please remember

Over $1,500 was raised and AWLQ sends a big thank you to Wyndham and their wonderful staff for their support!

Support a Gold Coast business that supports YOUR AWLQ! Please see www.vonbibra.com.au

AWLQ Re-launches Online Store

With great deals on your favourite pet products. Shipping is fixed at $6.95, making it an economical and time-saving option.

Log on to www.awlqldshop.com.au and our shelter pets in need.

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AWLQ is proud to have the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG as their Official Patron

Community Supporters AWLQ would like to sincerely thank Southport Rotary Club for the almost $5,000 in funding they generously raised and donated to AWLQ for the ’20-20 Future Vision’ initiative.

Cheers to all the members!

Pictured left is Mervyn Powell representing Southport Rotary Club (centre), left is AWLQ’s David Hoskot and right is AWLQ CEO, Denise Bradley.

David Hoskot with CFL staff, inc CEO Kevin Perkins, 2nd right back row June, 2014 was National Workplace Giving month and Collins Foods Limited in Brisbane hosted a morning tea and meeting with their nominated charities.

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AWLQ has been the fortunate recipient of CFL’s vibrant Workplace Giving Program since 2008.

AWLQ is proud to have the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG as their Official Patron

Thanks to our Corporate Supporters

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AWLQ is proud to have the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG as their Official Patron

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AWLQ is proud to have the Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG as their Official Patron

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