Stonnington decision, 5 to 4 councillor votes, is to extend Save-a-Dog Scheme to mid-2026, with a 'taskforce' to evaluate and report back in late 2025.
The four councillors backing the Lost Dogs Home speak-down to residents. They say that residents 'spread misinformation'. Cr Sally Davis read LDH CEO's letter and repeatedly says that residents 'maligned Lost Dogs Home'. Cr Meaghan Hopper says that LDH's killing pound is 'the best outcome'. Cr Steve Stefanopoulos says: 'We are not here to run a shelter for Stonnington'. Cr Jami Klisaris says she is 'disappointed' in residents. 'This decision should be based on finances, on governance,' and that 'in twelve years on council ...most voluminous level of information to go through, of people to speak to, of emails to read'.
We do not know who Stonnington will put on the taskforce to assess Save-a-Dog Scheme, when the Stonnington Agenda already has untruths, and shows bias towards a killing contractor. Former councillor, Polly Morgan's petition garnered 3374 signatures in a few days, and is not even mentioned in the council Agenda. Polly questioned the almost 400 cats killed in 2023 that LDH reported as 'Unsuitability for Sale' - Stonnington's Agenda states the deaths 'should have been attributed to the categories of Diseased, Injured, Unweaned/Orphaned and Behaviour'. 'The Lost Dogs Home advised they recently changed the way they report euthanasia rates to exclude mandatory, non-negotiable euthanasia' - which makes reported figures appear lower. Why does Stonnington Council want doctored reporting of euthanasia?
City of Melbourne's figures show their contracted Lost Dogs Home euthanasia is 30-36percent of impounded cats yearly, and in 2024 12.3percent of impounded dogs.
Watch the meeting 26th May 2025: https://webcast.stonnington.vic.gov.au/archive.php Choose 8.1 to go to place, and 7 for Questions from Community Stonnington Agenda, Download 26 May 2025. https://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/About/About-Council/Council-meetings/Minutes-and-agendas Choose Sidebar: 8.1 Provision of Animal Management and Related Services - page 21
The Age May, 27, 2025: https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/tears-cheers-and-smears-emotional-council-vote-over-animal-shelter-sparks-zealous-campaign-20250526-p5m2eg.html
Photo is of a young Knox cat which has sheltered in a chicken-coop for five months since a kitten, and got very thin. If you can adopt and care for this scaredy-cat, please contact knoxadvocats@gmail.com Thank you for those helping with health and desexing - now we need a life home with a caring human.
Thank you AdvoCats for Animals