STILL NO UPDATE ON ROOFUS.

We just want to know where this dog is, and ideally, bring him back to his family for cuddles and care. This should've been fairly straightforward and transparent. Never would we have imagined that this would be where we land.

If intent excuses outcome, why measure outcome at all?

Why would an organisation dedicated to welfare harm the very beings it’s meant to protect?

When Roofus first arrived at his carer’s, he would react upon sight of any mirrors... sending multiple warning barks to his reflection. Once he grew accustomed to them, his carer would sometimes find him gazing quietly into the glass, almost as if in disbelief that this was now his life. Whenever his carer leaned into the frame and pulled funny faces beside him, Roofus would quickly glance away as if looking too long might jinx it – as though good things weren’t meant to stay.

What survives when documentation disappears?

Can silence rewrite reality?

Is silence ever truly neutral?

3 ROLES UP AFTER ROOFUS’S SEIZURE: MANAGING VET, VET, ANIMAL CARER

This followed the carer forwarding the full conversation chain with the Shelter Manager to Sydney Dogs & Cats Home’s reception, allowing the treating vet to see those discussions for the first time (the vet was surprised to learn of many medical concerns raised with the shelter manager during the seizure). They also reminded all vets on Roofus’s case file of their professional obligations if he were to deteriorate or die back in the shelter’s care for their undefined, indefinite in-hospital behavioural work, etc.

This is noted only as part of the timeline, not to draw conclusions.

UNUSUAL CLAUSES IN SDCH’S EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK

A Roofus supporter with HR expertise has suggested that the shelter’s employee handbook may have some unlawful clauses that seem to suggest:

• Staff can be searched without cause (Clause 8.1)
• Management reserves the right to enter their homes (Clause 17.14).
• Staff activity is already being monitored (prior to signing), with management reserving the right to conduct continuous audio and video surveillance (Clauses 8.2 & 8.5)
• Staff are forbidden from speaking publicly about animals (?) or the shelter, even in personal time (Clauses 8.3 & 9.2)
• Staff are expected to work beyond paid hours (Clause 7.3)
• Staff are offered no guarantee that wages will keep pace with national standards (Clause 6)
• Staff who don’t serve their full notice can be charged the cost of replacing themselves (Clause 29.2).

The Roofus supporter has indicated that they’ve never seen policies like these written out so brazenly in their career, and suggested that workers can speak to Fairwork about their specific situation to understand their rights in Australia. Your rights cannot be signed away.

Can a system call itself humane while requiring cruelty to function?

LACK OF TRANSPARENCY

When the carer asked basic welfare questions, they refused to answer or redirected blame – a classic DARVO pattern (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender).

At the same time, SDCH's handbook seems to set out extensive rules for monitoring and controlling staff communication – even after hours and in personal contexts. That level of vigilance stands in stark contrast to the complete lack of transparency or accountability around Roofus’s welfare.

If an institution truly prioritised welfare, wouldn’t it acknowledge harm, address it, and demonstrate change?

Can a system still claim legitimacy when it cannot protect the vulnerable?

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IS EMPATHY BEING EXPLOITED?

People clearly care if:

• Animal attendants earn barely enough to live, yet carry the daily trauma of the animals’ distress
• There’s an army of 160 active volunteers, contributing over 6,300 hours, plus 120 newly inducted volunteers and 35 students completing placements
• 478 foster carers supported over 1,100 animals this year
• The community donated countless supplies, $1.2 million in cash donations, and $808,000 in bequests
• SDCH received $4.56 million in total revenue, plus $12 million in government funding for a new facility

Is our goodwill being abused? Are we propping up this system with our empathy?

IS ROOFUS THE EXCEPTION?

How many “exceptions” does it take before neglect becomes policy?

At what point does procedural neglect become systemic abuse?

IS THIS SPIRITUAL FRAUD?

Somehow we went from searching for a beloved dog... to uncovering a bloody nightmare. Where is Roofus?? We just want him safe at home...

Do we all need to sage our houses? Burn some incense? Throw around some holy water? Send thoughts & prayers?

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WHAT CAN WE DO? WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Obviously, we are in a situation we were not prepared for... we were just hoping to get some transparency and to know if Roofus is ok. Instead, we seem to have landed in some grey zone of institutional apathy... where Roofus’s safety was ignored by every institution his carer sought help from (the regulator 'RSPCA', the council, the police).

We still have a glimmer of hope for Roofus. But we certainly need to make sure this doesn’t happen to another animal or carer again. Top execs have been with the shelter for decades so its abhorrent this has happened under their watch.

It is a bit like... “how do we put the cat back in the bag??” We were just trying to find out where a cute dog was...  Aren’t there enough problems? What difference can we make when these institutions have been here for decades?...

Look, sticking our heads in the sand won’t change this for the better.

CHANGE HAPPENS IN THE MICRO-MOMENTS, WHEN WE DON’T ALL JUST NOD ALONG.

That exhaustion you feel is by design... institutions expect outrage to burn out. Change doesn’t have to be an overwhelming effort if we come together.

1) Don’t nod along

Bullies need our groupthink to behave unchecked.

2) Spread awareness

The public needs to know. This happened through opacity and secrecy; this can be reversed with transparency and awareness. Share, share, share with anyone you think would care.

Every supporter is now a witness to Roofus’s story and that means the truth survives beyond any single individual. Change.org petition updates cannot be edited (only the main landing page can be) so this petition will serve as an permanent record.

3) Don’t stay silent on bad behaviour

Emotions are our body's ancient alarm system. Disgust is one of the clearest signals we have that something is deeply wrong. Don’t gaslight yourself into thinking it doesn’t matter – it does. Your voice matters.

If you had a bad experience and think others would like to be warned, write a review. Give it as much detail as you feel would be helpful or have the energy for. Businesses expect people to escalate internally to exhaustion, grumble, and walk away. Put your experience on record so you can save others from going through what you went through.

4) Got other ideas? Act on them

With the combined brain power, resources, and connections of all us, we certainly should be able to chip away at this problem. Institutions count on individual critics to burn out with outrage, but they are no match for distributed power.

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REMINDER TO ROOFUS SUPPORTERS: PLEASE PRIORITISE YOUR SAFETY, HEALTH AND WELL-BEING.

We are aware that Roofus supporters have received defamatory attacks and that posters are being removed or defaced. The defamatory attacks are hostile and illegal, especially inappropriate considering our only demand is transparency.

Is there a kids' game going on to see who finds the most posters? It has been school holidays after all... As it took time for supporters to put up the posters, we kindly request that children simply mark their finds with a sharpie (as some considerate souls have already been doing) rather than collecting them.

The unintended consequence of removing the posters is reducing public awareness around a serious concern... perhaps this is a teaching moment? They would likely be horrified to learn that they are unintentionally silencing whistleblowers and what impact this would have on an innocent animal. Please print a new set of posters here if your kids would like to keep their own copies >

 

If you are feeling distressed, please don’t suffer in silence – you are not alone.

Here are some free services available 24/7 Australia-wide.

• Lifeline (13 11 14)
• Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636)

If you are in immediate danger, call 000.

If you don’t yet have a Mental Health Care Plan with subsidised therapy sessions, your GP can help set one up.

If you need legal support, you can access free community legal services.

If you are worried about someone else or supporting someone affected (who is not in immediate danger), the Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467) is available 24/7. It might not be a bad idea to check in on those you care about – after all, who doesn’t like to be reminded that they matter?