The Sydney Dogs & Cats Home has officially reopened its doors at a new permanent site at Kurnell, in a major expansion which will result in thousands more pets reunited with their owners or finding loving new homes.
Since 1946, Sydney Dogs & Cats Home has been providing shelter and veterinary care for lost and abandoned animals, rehoming more than 200,000 animals.
The new 20,000 square-metre facility in the Sutherland Shire was made possible as the result of a $14.3 million contribution from the Minns Labor Government, fulfilling an election commitment to save the Sydney Dogs & Cats Home from closure.
The new facility located on Crown land more than doubles the organisation's capacity and will help cater for an increase in the number of pets being given up or abandoned, often due to cost of living pressures.
The Kurnell site is expected to enable Sydney Dogs & Cats Home to:
- provide care for more than 3,000 animals each year
- facilitate more than 2,000 adoptions each year
- reunite more than 1,000 lost pets with their families each year
- support more than 800 animals through foster care each year
This is the first permanent home for Sydney Dogs & Cats Home since the organisation left its former home in Carlton in 2021.
The former Liberal Government provided the home with a peppercorn lease for a new site but failed to provide the funds to build it, putting them at risk of closure.
Sydney Dogs & Cats Home provides contracted pound services for eight councils across Sydney, including Georges River, Inner West, Lane Cove, North Sydney, Parramatta, Randwick, Strathfield and Waverley. The new facility will enable the organisation to expand its outreach to other Sydney-based councils.
The new centre will also provide greater scope to grow Sydney Dogs & Cats Home's volunteer, foster care and community outreach programs, and provide more professional development for veterinary and animal care students.
The construction of the facility was led by NSW Public Works.
The NSW Government has committed $6 million through the Companion Animal Welfare and Rehoming Grants program to support community and volunteer-based organisations including Sydney Dogs & Cats Home care for cats and dogs across the state.
To ensure you are reunited with your pet if it gets lost, register it at the NSW Pet Registry using your MyServiceNSW details.
Premier of New South Wales Chris Minns said:
"Sydney Dogs and Cats Home has been caring for lost and injured animals in Sydney for eighty years.
"Hundreds of thousands of pets have found loving new homes, as a result of the work of this organisation.
"After they had to leave their last home in 2021, they were at risk of shutting their doors altogether. This would have been a huge loss for the community and we couldn't let that happen.
"In Opposition we committed to saving this important organisation and I'm pleased to say Sydney Dogs and Cats has settled into a new, permanent home here in Kurnell."
Minister for Local Government Ron Hoenig said:
"An organisation that has spent 80 years helping dogs and cats find homes finally has a permanent home of its own. It's a fitting milestone for the staff and volunteers who do this work every day.
"Councils rely on organisations like Sydney Dogs & Cats Home to care for lost and abandoned animals, reunite pets with their owners and find new homes when they can't. That work deserves proper support.
"We've also provided $6 million in grants to 58 rehoming organisations across NSW, because this important work goes well beyond Sydney.
"If you're thinking about getting a dog or cat, I'd encourage you to consider adopting one. And if you already have a pet, make sure it's microchipped and registered. It gives you a much better chance of getting it back if it goes missing."
Sydney Dogs & Cats Home Managing Director Melissa Penn said:
"In our 80th year, having a permanent home again is incredibly significant for Sydney Dogs & Cats Home. After years of operating across temporary facilities, our animals, staff and volunteers finally have a place to call home.
"The NSW Government's investment was critical to making Kurnell a reality, and we're deeply grateful to the Premier, Minister Hoenig and the Office of Local Government for their support.
"Opening the doors is a huge milestone, but it's also the beginning of the next chapter. We still have more to build and fund so Kurnell can reach its full potential, and we can care for even more animals who need us."
