Animal Holding Facility

There are mandatory holding periods for animals impounded at the Animal Holding Facility.

• When an animal is microchipped or identified by another means (e.g. collar and tag), Council must hold the animal for up to 21 days for the owner to collect. During this time Council will attempt to contact the owner by whatever contact details are available.

• Animals unable to be identified to an owner must be held for 8 days to allow the owner to collect them.

Thank you very much for trying to help us rehome as many animals as we can.

Please contact the Animal Holding Facility if there is an animal you would like to consider for Rescue.

Companion animal owners are able to voluntarily surrender their cat or dog to Council's Holding Facility upon the completion of a surrender form. Fees are applicable for the use of this service.

Blacktown residents may opt to voluntarily surrender their cat or dog at their place of residence. Cats must be securely contained in a box or basket that provides adequate ventilation. A surrender form must be completed at the time of removal. Fees are applicable for the use of this service.

Private rehoming

Council understands pet owner may sometimes experience a sad or drastic change in their life circumstances that forces them to consider having to surrender their animal. Whilst we will accept an animal for a prescribed fee and do our best to rehome the animal, we urge pet owners to exhaust all avenues of rehoming their pet privately, if time allows, before contacting us to surrender their animal.

Rehoming advice

• Your pet MUST be microchipped before being given away or sold and a change of owner form must be filled out, signed and returned to Council. Alternatively visit the NSW Pet Registry to update the change of owner information.

• Ensure all vet work is up to date including vaccinations, desexing and worming. Have the records ready to give to the new owner.

• Take some clear, bright recent photographs of the animal displaying its personality and cute quirks.

• Write up some information about the pet including temperament, whether socialised and friendly with children, cats and other animals, any health issues or medical history, toilet training, favourite foods.

• Promote heavily via social media and websites such as Gumtree and Trading Post.

• Ask your friends and family and ask them to share the information within their networks.

• Share a photo message to all of your phone contacts and ask them to share it along.

• Try advertising in local businesses, community boards, doggy day care groups, vet clinics and other local bulletin boards.

All companion animals sold from the Animal Holding Facility must be desexed prior to the sale being completed. For animals too young to desex, new owners will be provided with vouchers to enable desexing and registration at a later date.

Impounded livestock that are not claimed by their owner will be sold by public auction at the animal holding facility. All auctions are advertised on Council's Animal Holding Facility Facebook page the week prior to the auction.

Companion Animals held at the Animal Holding Facility fall into 2 categories:

1. Animals that are being held for their mandatory holding period of up to 21 days
2. Animals that are being held after their mandatory holding period has expired and have been assessed as suitable for adoption

Council encourages customers who are considering to buy an animal to come in and interact with the animal that you are interested in before adopting.

The sale fees are set out in Councils goods and services pricing schedule Sale of companion animals. All cats and dogs are microchipped, lifetime registered, desexed, vaccinated and vet checked prior to adoption.

Please note that Council, in all circumstances, reserves final say as to the rehoming of the animal or the withdrawal from adoption.

Council also advises customers that animals adopted from the AHF may not have been inoculated against disease and Council is unable to guarantee that animals will be free from hidden disease or internal/external parasites. Animals are adopted at the customers own risk. Council recommends having the animal's health checked by a veterinarian within twenty four (24) hours of purchase. Should the animal die or be diagnosed with a life threatening illness/disease customers must contact the AHF within seventy two (72) hours of adoption. Adoption costs may be refunded upon provision of a veterinary certificate detailing the animal's condition. Council will not be held responsible for any veterinary fees incurred.

Occasionally pets are required to go into foster care for reasons such as convalescing after an injury, infants requiring additional care and socialising or the Animal Holding Facility is at capacity.

If you are interested in becoming a foster carer please complete and submit the below form. Once we receive your application a member of the Animal Holding Facility will contact you to discuss foster caring.

We will cover desexing and health care cost of foster care dogs and cats at a council approved veterinarian (if approved by council first). Food, litter material and other additional costs are at foster-carers own cost. Occasionally we receive donated pet food, if available this donated pet food is also available for foster-carers use.

In many cases foster carers adopt the animal they have been caring for.