The short of it:

Campbelltown Pound is facing a systemic crisis, leaving dogs in isolation for weeks due to staffing shortages while policy bars experienced community volunteers from helping. Sign the petition to demand the Council update its rules and let the community support our pound.

The long of it:

Imagine being dumped, terrified and completely alone, only to finally be rescued and end up in a segregated brick cell where you reside for weeks on end.

This is the heartbreaking reality for dogs inside Campbelltown Pound right now due to a broken system.

The staff at the pound are facing severe shortages and are under immense pressure, yet the facility is bound by rigid, outdated policies. The pound operates under a strict "adoption appointment only" model, completely shutting out the community. Current rules prohibit experienced volunteers from entering to walk, comfort or socialise the animals.

I urge the community not to be hostile towards or blame staff, as they are operating within the rules imposed on them. They are visibly short-staffed and resource-starved. Yet, under current council restrictions, management is forced to reject a free, eager workforce of local rescue volunteers who are ready to step in and alleviate that exact pressure. This policy failure directly compromises animal welfare and leaves the existing staff completely overwhelmed.

Without the policy framework to allow volunteers to help, vulnerable dogs are left in isolation for weeks on end under the guise of "awaiting assessment" simply because there are not enough staff hours to go around.

A devastating example is a dumped, terrified dog recently rescued from the Blair Athol industrial area. After local community members spent freezing hours winning his trust to secure him, he was brought to the pound on the 8th of May. Instead of being fast-tracked into a loving home, he has spent weeks locked in a segregated brick kennel because the system is bottlenecked. He arrived shut down and fearful, but entirely non-aggressive. This prolonged isolation risks permanently breaking his spirit.

Before the pandemic, we regularly visited on weekends to give the dogs treats, sit with the anxious ones and teach them that humans can be trusted. This basic socialisation is paramount to making traumatised animals adoptable. But those program structures were never reinstated and the doors remained closed to community help.

Keeping animals locked in isolation for weeks due to bureaucratic delays and structural shortages is a systemic failure. The staff cannot do this alone. If the system lacks the personnel to care for and assess these animals, the policy must be changed to let the community help.

By signing this petition, we are demanding that Campbelltown City Council immediately fix this system and:

1. Allow volunteers into the pound: Change the policy to allow registered charities and experienced handlers back into the facility to walk, socialise and take the pressure off the existing staff.
2. End the assessment bottleneck: Review council resources and staffing to ensure dogs are not left languishing in brick cells for weeks due to administrative backlogs.
3. Reopen to the public: Transition the pound back to an open, community-accessible model that actively encourages and welcomes adoption, rather than hiding it behind rigid appointments.

The Campbelltown community is ready, willing and waiting to support our local pound and its staff. These animals deserve a fighting chance and the workers deserve the backup.

Please sign and share this petition today to demand policy reform.