Get involved
Canberra Pet Rescue is entirely volunteer-run and donation-funded: there's a way to help that fits most schedules and skills.
Open your home
Foster caring
Foster carers are described as the lifeline of the organisation. Care can be standard (a few weeks to months, including a two-week quarantine), respite (2–3 weeks, to give another carer a break), or special needs (often longer, for pets with medical conditions).
What's needed from you:
- A car and licence, to get pets to vet appointments
- For cats: a separate, quarantine-suitable room; for dogs: a secure yard with indoor sleeping access
- At least two hours a day with the pets, for socialisation
- Any existing pets in your home desexed, microchipped and up to date on vaccinations and parasite control
What Canberra Pet Rescue provides:
- All medical and vet expenses, including parasite control
- Specialised diets where needed, and shared donated food/litter
- Cages, crates or runs on loan, and veterinary-grade disinfectant
- Ongoing support and guidance throughout
A team member talks through the realities in detail before you start: the organisation is upfront that fostering, especially young kittens, can involve genuinely messy work.
Apply to fosterGive your time
Volunteering
Fundraising
Help at markets and events (collecting donations, selling stall items, checking tickets) or run your own fundraiser, from a workplace giving tree to a kitten pyjama party.
Transport
Move animals, food and supplies around the ACT and into rural NSW, including pound rescues and vet-appointment runs for foster carers.
Craft & sewing
Repair dog beds, or make crate mats and heat packs for foster animals. Materials are usually supplied.
Photography & video
Photograph foster animals for adoption listings, or document events, open to any skill level.
There's also an informal Facebook group for volunteers to connect and catch up.
Fill in a volunteer formSupport the cause
Donate & support
Canberra Pet Rescue is a registered Deductible Gift Recipient, so donations of $2 or more are tax deductible, and the organisation receives no government funding: donations are what keep the foster network running.
Donate items
Food, bedding and supplies support the PetAssist program when it's running: check current needs before donating goods.
See PetAssist →Kitten Season Appeal
September to April is kitten season, when the foster network is busiest and most stretched: the appeal lists the specific food, litter and supplies most needed right now.
See the appeal →- Registered not-for-profit charity
- Registered Deductible Gift Recipient: donations of $2 or more are tax deductible
- Registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC)
- Rescuing pets in the Canberra region for over ten years
- Run entirely by volunteers and funded solely by donations, with no government funding