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With pet adoption rates hitting a 22-year low, there’s a looming problem for vets and anyone in the animal care industry. By Lynne Testoni
It’s an issue soon to face veterinarians all across the country—a huge and dramatic decline in the number of rescue animals being adopted, particularly dogs and cats.
James Lolicato, COO of PetRescue, Australia’s first national pet adoption platform, says that monthly pet adoption rates have fallen to their lowest point since its records began, plunging more than 40 per cent in six months.
PetRescue works alongside a network of more than 850-plus members which includes shelters, rescuers, vets and local government authorities—“any organisation that uses the platform to list or manage pets and has agreed to the PetRescue code of conduct”, he says.
“Throughout the last 20 years we’ve helped with the adoption of over one million pets,” Lolicato explains, but then adds everyone sees a crisis is looming. “In terms of pet listings, it’s stayed pretty stable,” he says. “What we’re seeing is a real drop in the adoption rates over the past few months. Over the past six months alone, we’ve moved from a sustained rate of over 90 per cent to under 50 per cent. So that means there are less pets that are being adopted out on a monthly basis.
“So what we know with that figure is that a lot of our member organisations are struggling right now, but it also has the potential of becoming much worse down the track. About 100,000 healthy, re-homeable pets, are killed every year and with this falling rate of adoption from 90 to under 50 per cent, we know that that number will increase.
“So it is something that we really need to address because while it is having an impact now, the real scale of the impact may not be felt for a few months.”
Housing instability is the number one driver of pet surrender according to PetRescue internal data—more than 4100 of 4664 home-to-home applications cited housing as a factor (2020–July 2025)—and Lolicato says that this affects younger people more.
“What this data suggests is that it really has a lot to do with housing and housing insecurity. It’s up to a landlord or a real estate agent to select who is approved for a rental property, and we know that younger generations are much more likely to be in rental properties than those older generations.
In terms of pet listings, it’s stayed pretty stable. What we’re seeing is a real drop in the adoption rates over the past few months. Over the past six months alone, we’ve moved from a sustained rate of over 90 per cent to under 50 per cent.
James Lolicato, COO, PetRescue
“This is a perfect storm—a cost-of-living crisis, housing insecurity, transport crisis—we’re in a unique place.”
Lolicato says that there’s a perception that rescue pets might not be the best choice for a rental environment, but this is not true. “The research shows us almost the exact opposite, that rescue pets usually come desexed and behaviourally assessed. They’ve had their vaccinations and actually we know more about a rescue pet’s personality and behaviours than puppies from a breeder.”
Lolicato suggests that vets can play their part to educate potential clients about the positives in adopting rescue pets.
“Even during these hard times, we need to ensure that we’re attracting as many people to adopt as we can right now, as the system is at breaking point. Financially, adopting a pet is both a safer and better financial decision than buying a new puppy from a breeder.”
Lianna Curzon, from DM Rescue, is one of the member organisations working with PetRescue and has just placed PetRescue’s one-millionth adoption—Myka (see below).
The organisation, formerly known as Doggy Moggy Rescue, originally began operating in the Lismore region as primarily a cat rescue before evolving its name and shifting its focus toward saving working breed dogs and their mixes. Today, it remains a small, foster-based rescue built on the support of its community.
“We take up to 50 dogs at a time, and we actually bring them into our own homes,” Curzon says. “We try to pick dogs that get along with other pets, only because we put them in family home environments.
“We really put a lot of effort into making sure they’re microchipped, vaccinated, and desexed if old enough. We also spend time training both dogs and carers, helping with anxiety, leash issues, or basic behaviour.”
Nice save
Melbourne couple Sophie and Furkan considered buying from a breeder before finding pup Niobe (now called Myka) on PetRescue, and she soon became the family member they didn’t realise they needed.
Sophie and Furkan both grew up around dogs but never had one of their own. Sophie works from home while Furkan is a professional Muay Thai and mixed martial artist fighter. With stable routines and a home environment that allowed time and care, they began thinking seriously about welcoming a dog into their family.
At first, they considered buying from a breeder but were shocked by the price and realised they didn’t need a specific breed. “We just wanted a dog to give love to and that would suit our lifestyle,” Sophie says.
“We realised there are so many dogs that need homes.”
Like many first-time adopters, they had heard concerns from others and felt there were a lot of myths around rescue pets.
Despite some worries themselves, their attitude changed when they met Myka, a tiny, shy pup in care with DM Rescue. “Literally, we met her, and everything felt really good, but she was a bit shy,” Sophie remembers. “Then she just ran under Furkan’s legs and we said, ‘OK we’re taking her’, popped her in the car and just took her home.”
From the moment she arrived, Myka settled in nicely. “She bonded to us very quickly,” Sophie. says “She has endless love for her humans and just wants to be next to us all the time. She’s very sensitive and sweet.”
