January 11th, 2024More than 1000 animals adopted in 2023: Ballarat

Ballarat is looking like a pet-loving city, with more than 19,000 dogs and almost 8,500 cats registered in the city.  

With more than 60 dogs in the shelter in December 2023, the shelter commenced a dog adoption drive, which saw 23 dogs finding their new homes just in time for Christmas.  

Despite December being focused on getting dogs adopted, the month also saw 41 cats and kittens finding their new families in time for the holiday season.  

The year concluded with 1,154 animals being adopted from the Ballarat Animal Shelter, including 856 cats and kittens, 293 dogs and puppies and 5 rabbits and guinea pigs.  

City of Ballarat Mayor Cr Des Hudson said it’s incredible to see people choosing to adopt their new family members from the Ballarat Animal Shelter.  

“The wonderful staff at the shelter are available to ensure you pick the right pet for your lifestyle, and personality,” he said.

“Pets can add so much value to our lives, so it is very much worth considering adding one to your family.”

“We also saw the outpouring of generosity from the Ballarat community during the recent donation drive at the shelter,” Cr Hudson said.

“The drive has been running for seven years and each year it seems to get bigger and bigger! This year staff had to relocate the donations from under the Christmas tree, sometimes daily.  

“The shelter ran out of space to store some of the bigger supplies in mid-December and the entire storeroom was full as of early January.

“The animals at the shelter were able to choose their own toys from the piles donated, which was a joy to watch!”