Faqs

Second Chance Animal Rescue operates a shelter at 23 Grasslands Ave, Craigieburn, VIC.
See contact details here

We facilitate a number of positive and proactive programs for the animals in our care and also for people in the community. Some of these include:

• Volunteer and work experience programs
• Foster care program
• Workshops, seminars and education programs for adults and children
• Behaviour rehabilitation program for dogs
• Post-adoption training for dogs
• General dog obedience training and socialisation services

Yes we sure are! We work tirelessly to rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome animals in need around Victoria. We will never euthanise animals for economic reasons and will only ever consider putting an animal to sleep if they are terminally ill and suffering or if the animal displays a temperament which is deemed high risk. We take euthanasia very seriously and are guided by our veterinarians and professional behaviourist.

You cannot surrender an animal to SCAR unless you are the legal owner of that animal. We are not a pound therefore cannot hold stray animals here. If you find a stray animal please contact your local council for collection or drop the found animal off to your local veterinary clinic or pound in the hope that it can be reunited with its owner ASAP.

SCAR is a not-for-profit organisation which does not receive any government funding. The small surrender fee payable on surrender of an animal goes towards the care of the animal during their stay in our care.

Every animal in our care is vet checked, desexed, vaccinated, microchipped and wormed/flea treated. We also regularly have animals that require extra veterinary care (such as dental, orthopaedic or specialist surgeries) that must be provided to ensure the best possible quality of life. SCAR receives generous discounts from the many vet hospitals that we work with, however, our monthly vet bills are always very high, adoption fees help us cover the cost of most of these bills and ensures we can continue caring for other animals in need.

Yes! We encourage that people looking at adopting another dog bring their current pooch along to the meet and greet; this to ensure that both dogs are compatible. However, we do require that your dog is fully vaccinated before the meeting to not only protect our rescue dogs, but your dog as well when entering the shelter environment.

No, bringing your current cat into the shelter will only cause unnecessary stress to your cat and will not give a true indication of whether it will get along with the other animal. We do have histories on most of our shelter animals and will be able to let you know which animals have lived with cats in the past which may help you chose the perfect new companion.

By law all dogs and cats must be desexed prior to adoption, this minimises the risk of reproduction related issues and unwanted litters.

All of the animals in our care have either been rescued from a Victorian pound or have been surrendered by the owner for various reasons, such as they can no longer afford the animal, or they have had to move and cannot take the animal with them.

If you have contacted our shelter and have booked in a meeting with a particular animal we will hold onto that animal for the duration of your trip, however we cannot hold an animal longer than this.

If we know that an animal is good with pocket pets (rabbits, guinea pigs etc) or livestock we will always let people know via the animal’s adoption profile. However, we do not have pocket pets or livestock at our shelter to test the animals with.

Yes, it is a legal requirement as per council regulations to register your animals. You will need to contact your local council for further information.

All dogs and cats in our care have a microchip implanted before being adopted, the transfer of ownership is sent to the applicable microchip company for completion by SCAR at the time of adoption. We strongly suggest that you check with the relevant microchip database within a 6 week period after adoption, to ensure the transfer has occurred. We can provide you with the applicable microchip database contact details if needed.

Our animals ALWAYS find homes as there is no time limit to their length of stay in our care. SCAR will never euthanise a cat or dog unless the animal is severely unwell and suffering or is displaying a temperament which is deemed high risk by our trained animal behaviourist and/or veterinarian.

There is no discount for multiple adoptions; all animals have an individual adoption fee to cover the costs of their care.

All adoption fees are required to be paid in full at the time of adoption as we do not have payment plans.

As per council regulations, all animals leaving our care must not pose a threat to the community. Each animal is temperament tested by our experienced staff

Most animals meeting for the first time will not be the best friends you would hope them to be, human relationships need to be built over time and it is no different in the animal world. Most settling in/teething issues can be avoided with slow and careful introduction of new pets and ongoing training can also help avoid further problems down the track. Our knowledgeable staff can advise you on the best way to introduce your new pets and assist with any initial settling in issues. Our adoptions do come with a cooling off period, but in most cases a new member of the family should be given at least 3 weeks to settle in.

There is a 5 day cooling off period. In that time, if you wish to return an animal you will get a 75% refund.

As part of the adoption package, your new pet has a 7 day health guarantee for shelter related illnesses only. If the animal becomes unwell during this time we will cover all vet bills when the animal is seen by a SCAR approved veterinary clinic only. If the animal has hurt itself by other means, such as jumping off a chair, that is not covered. Please contact us ASAP if your newly adopted pet becomes unwell for a list of SCAR approved veterinary clinics. SCAR cannot cover the costs of any emergency vet treatments if you take your newly adopted animal to a vet clinic other than those that haven been advised to you by SCAR management.

Often older animals require more extensive veterinary work than younger animals (such as dental work, blood tests, lump removals etc.) so an adoption fee is essential to ensure we can cover the costs of their needs.

At least 16 years of age.

There are many different jobs that you will undertake when volunteering at the SCAR shelter. Cleaning, dog walking, cat socialising, administration assistance, animal training and enrichment, each day is very different and will see you learning lots of interesting things about animal welfare. We have events which often require volunteers also such as adoption days, council pet expo’s and the Melbourne Dog Lovers Show

As you will be representing SCAR we ask our volunteers to wear neat and presentable clothes that you don’t mind getting fur on or getting dirty, and closed toe shoes for safety reasons.

We regularly have animals that are in need of some extra attention and care before they are suitable for adoption. Being a foster carer is an incredibly rewarding experience for all involved, and most importantly it allows us to continue to find homes for animals that may be in need of a little extra care. The foster family is responsible for the daily care of the animal. See more information about fostering here.

SCAR is lucky enough to be sponsored by Hill’s Pet Nutrition which means that all of our animal’s food is donated by this amazing company and our foster carers are supplied with the food needed to care for their temporary foster animals.

If your foster animal requires veterinary care, you are required to contact a SCAR representative as soon as possible and depending on the problem, take the animal to our nominated veterinary clinic.

Our foster carers are normally given the first option to adopt the animal they are fostering once it is ready for adoption unless that animal has been pre-adopted before going into care.

Each animal requires a different length of stay in foster care depending on why the animal has been placed into care in the first place. Very commonly an animal requires rehabilitation before being adopted, or the animal may be too young or not healthy enough for a required procedure. The length of stay also varies depending on how long that animal takes to find the right family. If at any stage you can no longer look after the animal you are fostering or are going away we will always take that animal back into our care.