We take in unwanted animals from people who can't or won't look after them. There is no fee for handing over an animal, although we do ask for a donation, so there is no excuse for people abandoning or killing animals they don't want. Before people hand animals over, we do expect them to make a reasonable effort to find a good home, e.g. to place an advertisement in the paper or a notice in the local dairy, and then we are happy to welcome their animals into the Haven.

Our staff and volunteers look after the animals, feed, water and exercise them and spend time with them teaching them to be well-behaved. They are wormed and vaccinated and given flea treatments. Because many of the animals we receive are nervous and many are undisciplined, they may not be immediately appealing to potential owners, so our staff and volunteers spend time every day resocialising them so that they will make better family pets. Basically this means building up their confidence in people again and with the dogs teaching them basic obedience like walking on a lead and sitting on command. Some of the animals that we take in are in poor body condition, thin and malnourished, so we feed them well with a good balanced diet.

Members of the public are welcome to come to the Haven to see the animals available for adoption. But we have to make sure the potential owners are suitable for the animal as well as the other way around! And because it is so important that the animals do not have unwanted litters, they are all either neutered or re-homed with prepaid neutering vouchers. We vet the prospective owners by asking a few questions, and by visiting their home to make sure it is suitable (i.e. that the section is secure and fenced and that the dog cannot jump over, push over or escape through any holes), and we charge a fee sufficient to cover some of our costs (e.g. for treatments and neutering vouchers).

Costs are as follows:

• Adult cat $120 (includes vaccination, desexing, flea and worm treatments)
• Adult cat - 8 Years + $80 (includes vaccination, desexing, flea and worm treatments)
• Kitten $140 (includes vaccination, flea and worm treatments, desexing)
• Adult dog $240 (includes desexing, vaccination, flea and worm treatments)
• Adult dog - 8 Years +$200 (includes desexing, vaccination, flea and worm treatments)
• Puppy $240 (includes vaccination, flea and worm treatments, desexing)
• Rabbit $40
• Guinea Pig $10
• Rat/Mice $10
• Birds $10

Dogs must be registered and microchipped with the DCC at the time of adoption, and this is added to the cost.

The costs might seem high, but they are the minimum expected of a responsible owner, and prospective owners have to accept that there will be ongoing and significant costs. But they are a small price to pay for the joy of having a lovely animal!

We take time to find good people to adopt our animals, and to find good animals for the people who come through our doors. In most cases, we succeed. We have a high success rate in rehoming animals, and because an animal that has had a bad start in life seems to greatly appreciate a good home when it gets it, there is almost always a very happy ending!