“Working as at Vet Nurse and volunteering at my local animal shelter, I saw firsthand just how many animals and their owners needed help and how little resources were available at the time to help them. It needed to change, and I thought I could help. All I wanted to do was save animals and keep people and the pets they love together. I cannot believe how far we’ve come!”
– Marisa Debattista, CEO & Founder of SCAR
It was 14 years ago today that Marisa launched an animal shelter from inside her lounge room. Rescuing animals from pounds, rehabilitating them in her home and finding loving families for them -doing whatever it took to give them their second chance. Never would she have imagined that SCAR would grow into what it has today, but with all her hard work came a staggering amount of love and support and, in 2015, after many years of planning and endless fundraising efforts, our first animal shelter opened in Campbellfield.
Since then, we’ve moved to our current home in Craigieburn and grown into a not-for-profit, community-based animal welfare charity! Now, we don’t only run an animal shelter that rescues, rehabilitates, and ethically rehomes thousands of dogs and cats each year. We also offer many services and programs which provide ongoing assistance to those in need, ensuring that pets and their families stay together where they belong. From our low-cost community animal shelter, our Safe House for Pets Program, Free Pet Food Program, and all the other vital outreach services we run at our facility.
We are so incredibly proud of these achievements and overjoyed to have overcome so many hurdles to still be standing here today. We cannot thank you enough for the incredible gift that is your ongoing support throughout these 14 years! None of this could have been possible without you, and we look forward to celebrating many more years of saving lives together!