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An Introduction to Lort Smith Animal Hospital
The Lort Smith Animal Hospital is a well respected organisation and the largest charitable animal hospital in the Southern Hemisphere. We treat over 100,000 animals each year and re-home or reunite, thousands of cats and dogs each year.
The Hospital has a 75 year legacy of care that firmly encompasses both animals and people. We firmly believe that the strength of the human/animal bond dictates that care for the animal must include concern for the person and are committed to working with a range of other community organisations to advance this belief. Our portfolio of existing and potential partnerships with other community organisations includes addressing relevant issues in aged care, homelessness and domestic violence. We also have professional relationships with Melbourne, Deakin and Monash Universities.
Lort Smith Animal Hospital is the Victoria state branch of the Animal Welfare League Australia.
Our corporate partnerships are business relevant and address corporate objectives while delivering measurable community benefit.
Lort Smith corporate partners can take advantage of:
- Innovative and creative programs that include planned high profile awareness raising campaigns and PR drives.
- Program evaluation and reporting in line with LBG requirements - an internationally recognised CCI measurement and benchmarking tool.
- A relevant community partnership to add to your overall CSR portfolio.
- LSAH Corporate Employee Involvement opportunities with particular focus on employee development and employer of choice status.
- Potential for a Victoria focused program or national program.
If interested in partnering with Lort Smith, contact the Development Office on 03 9321 7214 or email sponsorships@lortsmith.com
Hospital Partners and Suuporters
ANNOUNCEMENT
LORT SMITH ANIMAL HOSPITAL PARTNERS WITH MAJOR PET STORE RETAILER, PETS AT HOME
Click here to Download Media Release
The establishment of Lort Smith Animal Hospital Adoption Centres within Pets at Home is an Australian first initiative. As this innovative concept and partnership may be considered by some people to be controversial, the following FAQs has been designed to address key issues or concerns:
FAQ: Lort Smith Animal Hospital, Pets at Home Partnership
Why has Lort Smith Animal Hospital decided to partner with a pet shop?
As a leading animal welfare organisation, the Lort Smith Animal Hospital had been concerned by how little things seem to have changed with regard to the selling of animals in pet shops and associated animal welfare problems, despite years of campaigning. After much debate, we decided that to be able to advocate change, we needed to be in discussion with the industry rather than working against it, and approached Pets at Home to explore the possibilities of working together to address the issues.
Why Pets at Home?
Pets at Home,is one of the leading pet care retailers in the world, operating from over 200 locations in the United Kingdom. The company is known globally for its excellent operating standards and its ethical approach to responsible pet ownership. Pets at Home commenced operations in Australia in 2004 and immediately set about to address many of the issues that have unfortunately defined pet care retailing in this country. Having duplicated the UK business standards in Australia, Pets at Home were keen to take responsible trading even further. Their commitment to responsible operations already included:
- A comprehensive employee training program with qualifications in animal husbandry
- Ethical housing and care of in-store animals
- Committed daily, weekly and monthly cleaning rosters
- Dedicated in-store quarantine facilities
- Free care sheets for all customers providing information on responsible pet ownership
- Implementing a formal policy against impulse purchasing.
- In the UK, partnership with animal welfare charitable organisations: Blue Cross and PDSA
What is the point of the partnership?
We jointly hope to affect change in the responsible care of animals. Both organisations believe this is a necessary step in order to advance a positive approach to animal welfare.
So, what’s in it for Pets at Home?
Pets at Home is a commercial venture. Like any other business it needs to make a profit to survive. We believe that people who care about animals will ultimately vote with their feet and prefer to buy pet supplies from a company that genuinely considers animal welfare integral to its business. In the long term, trading responsibly can only be a good thing for Pets at Home and for the animals.
What’s in this for Lort Smith Animal Hospital?
We get a chance to change the way pet shops trade with regard to the selling of animals. This isn’t something that will happen overnight. There is still more work to be done and the partnership will continue to work to address issues and find solutions. Success also relies on you as a pet owner to help influence the agenda by choosing carefully where to shop.
A significant part of the partnership that we hope will lead by example is the decision by Pets at Home to STOP selling all dogs, puppies, cats and kittens. Instead Pets at Home will be creating unique Lort Smith Animal Hospital Adoption Centres in every store enabling us to reach far more potential adopters for our animals than we could ever hope to from our North Melbourne shelter.
Will the animals for adoption be in the shop window?
Absolutely not. Pets at Home had never displayed animals in its windows as part of its commitment to discourage impulse buying. The animal adoption centres are being built by Pets at Home with advice on animal housing and welfare issues from Lort Smith. They will generally be situated towards the back of the store.
Will Pets at Home staff resource the animal adoption centres?
The animal adoption centres will be staffed and run in exactly the same way as the Lort Smith on-site shelters, with the same adoption interview processes and paperwork confirming suitability being completed before adoption can go ahead. Only Pets at Home staff satisfactorily completing a specialised training module, including a period of secondment working within the Lort Smith shelters, will resource the animal adoption centres. A member of the Lort Smith team will also be available, if required, at the Pets at Home store to deal with any specialised adoption requirements.
Will Pets at Home be selling other cats and dogs?
No. Pets at Home has made the decision to remove all puppies, dogs, kittens and cats from sale. It will no longer purchase or consign puppies, dogs, kittens or cats from any member of the public or breeder (registered or otherwise). The only puppies, dogs, kittens and cats available in a Pets at Home department store will be adoption animals for re-homing through the Lort Smith Animal Hospital Adoption Centres.
Will Pets at Home be selling other animals apart from cats and dogs?
Yes. Pets at Home do presently have small animals, birds, fish and hermit crabs for sale. However, Pets at Home is very aware that animals cannot be seen as a “product” and with this in mind: the standard of housing and care is extremely high; breeders supplying the animals are known and assessed; animals are strictly sold as pets and not for breeding - staff are trained to consider potential buyers and if they feel a particular person isn’t suitable they are turned away, and every new owner is given advice and fact sheets on how to best care for their new pet - including the responsibility not to breed.
Will Pets at Home receive any profits from the Lort Smith animal adoptions?
No. Pets at Home will not and has no intention of making a single dollar from the adoption centres.
Will dogs and cats be de-sexed before adoption?
Yes. All animals will be vet-checked, wormed, de-sexed, micro-chipped, vaccinated before adoption and will be subject to the Lort Smith standard 28 day health guarantee.
What happens if an animal gets sick while at a Lort Smith Animal Hospital Adoption Centre?
All animals remain under the care of Lort Smith until adopted. Our shelter vet is on call to Pets at Home to attend to any sick animals and, if necessary, the animal will be collected by our ambulance and cared for at the Lort Smith Animal Hospital.
How will Lort Smith Animal Hospital know its animals are being looked after to its standard?
Pets at Home already has excellent standards of care and staff must complete a compulsory training program that includes a qualification in animal husbandry. Under the partnership, this training program has been extended to include a period of secondment to the Lort Smith Animal Hospital. There is also an opportunity for our staff to spend time on secondment with Pets at Home. This provides us with the opportunity to share knowledge and expertise, and to ensure standards are consistent.
How will LSAH know the animals are going to good homes?
The Lort Smith Animal Hospital Adoption Centres will be staffed and run in exactly the same way as the Lort Smith on-site shelters, with the same adoption interview processes and paperwork confirming suitability completed before adoption can go ahead. Every adoption process is recorded and details passed on to Lort Smith for our files and for follow up.
What do other animal welfare organisations think of this partnership?
During the process of formulating this partnership, we spoke with peer animal welfare organisations including Animal Aid and RSPCA Victoria to get their feedback and opinions. The responses we received were positive and supportive of our aims.
Is Pets at Home driving things, are they in charge?
No. This is an equal 50/50 partnership with a formal written legal agreement that has been produced and signed by both organisations. The partnership is able to be dissolved if either party does not act in accordance with the agreement.
Contact Lort Smith Development Office on partnership@lortsmith.com
Contact Pets at Home on www.petsathome.com.au
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