We, the undersigned are calling on Stonnington Councillors to vote against awarding the tender for its Animal Management Services to the Lost Dogs Home at its next council meeting, and for Council to undertake a new tender process where it specifies that its animal shelter and pound is strictly "no-kill".

City of Stonnington has operated a no-kill shelter and animal pound for more than 20 years run by Save-a-Dog Scheme (SADS), where all lost or abandoned healthy animals in the Council's care are kept safe and looked after until they are able to be reunited with their owners or re-homed. Animals are not euthanised at Stonnington's animal shelter unless there is a genuine medical need to do so and only as a last resort.

Our community has a high level of pet ownership, our pets are considered to be part of our families, and we strongly support our Council continuing to operate a no-kill shelter. 

However, the tender for Council's Animal Management Services, including its animal shelter and pound is up for renewal at the next meeting of Council on April 28th, and Council Officers are recommending awarding the tender to the Lost Dogs Home.

If Stonnington Council awards this tender to the Lost Dogs Home, it is inevitable that some local residents' pets will be killed.

The Lost Dogs Home do not run no-kill shelters, and are notorious for their high rates of euthanasia of animals in their care. 
Their own roadmap states that they killed 30% of cats and 10% of dogs in their care in 2022/2023 (see: https://roadmap.dogshome.com/commitment-1/reuniting-and-rehoming-animals ). 

Shelters currently only have to wait 8 days before they can euthanise an animal in their care if they deem them "un-adoptable", however the State Government's  Victorian Cat Management Plan is recommending this time frame be reduced, and it could drop to a minimum of 4 days (see: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-20/victorian-cat-management-strategy-fears-likely-to-kill-more-cats/104921730 ).

  We live in a complex and busy inner-urban environment where a pet can become easily spooked if it escapes its home. If a lost pet is taken to a shelter that isn't strictly no-kill, and if their microchip fails or isn't able to be read correctly, they could be put down before the owners have had a genuine chance to claim them.

The consequences of Stonnington no longer operating a no-kill shelter could be devastating to local residents if a beloved pet goes missing and is euthanised before they can find them.