Surrendering Your Pet

We understand that sometimes situations occur or life circumstances change and you may find you can no longer take care of your pet. BARC is able to accept surrenders from residents of the City of Greater Bendigo. At times we may be able to accept surrendered animals from other municipalities.

If your animal has current Council registration surrendering your pet to us is free of charge. Should your animal not be registered with Council, a payment to contribute to the cost of managing your pet may be requested but it not compulsory.

Dogs

City of Greater Bendigo (Optional payment to assist with operational costs)

$40

Other Municipalities (Required payment)

$79.50

Cats

City of Greater Bendigo (Optional payment to assist with operational costs)

$20

Other Municipalities (Required payment)

$57

Pocket Pets

City of Greater Bendigo (Optional payment to assist with operational costs)

$20

Other Municipalities (Required payment)

$50

Vaccinations Requirements

Dogs

Although a current vaccination is not required at the time of surrender, we encourage dogs to be vaccinated prior to surrender to avoid your dog having to spend time isolating in quarantine when arriving in our care. 'At Home Quarantine' can be facilitated free of charge should you be in a position to hold your animal for a period of 6 - 8 days post vaccination and before surrendering. Reception staff can talk you through out At Home Quarantine options.

Cats

IMPORTANT: Due to nationwide cat vaccine shortages affecting Pounds and Shelters across Australia, we strongly recommend all cats visit their regular veterinarian for an F3 or F4 vaccination prior to surrender. Our limited supply of vaccinations will impact our ability to make available a cat for adoption which has not previously been vaccinated. 

Surrendering

In order to be deemed suitable for our rehoming program all animals must meet minimal behaviour and medical criteria before rehomed. Our team members will need to spend some time with you asking questions about our pet so we can best determine any rehoming options. Should for some reason your pet not pass these assessments then BARC may seek alternative options with regards to rehoming through other welfare organisations. If your pet is deemed not suitable for rehoming, euthanasia may be considered.

To assist us, please complete the form for your pet

Pet Surrender Application Form

If you are surrendering the pet on behalf of someone else, please also download and complete the Surrender Consent form.

By surrendering your pet to us you are agreeing to transfer ownership of your pet to BARC, and your pet will be managed in accordance with the Domestic Animals Act (1994). You will be required to sign a Surrender Form which you can read here in advance of your appointment.

Please call or email [email protected] for more information, or to book a time to surrender your pet.

Contact Us

For more information about pets and animals please contact us on (03) 5441 2209 or [email protected]

For more information on how to get in contact with us visit our contact page.

For more information on registering your pet with the City of Greater Bendigo, please click here.