Adopt a cat or dog

Thousands of cats and dogs are looking for loving homes every year in NSW. You can give rescue animals a fresh start by adopting them through:

• a council pound or shelter
• an animal welfare organisation
• an animal rehoming organisation.

Rescue animals will be microchipped, vaccinated, and if mature enough, desexed – so you can be reassured your new best friend is healthy. This is usually all included in your adoption fees.

Register an adopted rescue animal

It’s free to register desexed cats and dogs on the NSW Pet Registry when you adopt them through council pounds, shelters and approved rehoming organisations.

You will need to pay a standard registration fee for pets adopted through any rehoming or rescue groups that aren't officially recognised by the NSW Government. 

Council pounds, shelters, Cat Protection Society of NSW and Animal Welfare League NSW, can organise transfer of ownership and free registration on your behalf. You simply take your pet home along with copies of important documents.  

All other rehoming organisation must send all relevant paperwork to your local council for processing. Councils will then register the animal in your name and send you a Certificate of Registration. 

Speak with the organisation’s representative to discuss how to register your new pet. 

Create a NSW Pet Registry profile and 'link your pet'

It is important to keep your contact and pet’s location details up-to-date. Create a profile on the NSW Digital Pet Registry and 'link your pet' using their microchip number. 

Once you and your pet are linked on the NSW Digital Pet Registry, you will be able to update their location, keep track of important events, and more, right from the comfort of your own home. 

When to contact your council

If you do not hear from your local council within 14 days, contact the rehoming organisation to ensure all documentation has been sent, then contact your council. You may need to go through your council to register your pet and provide documentation including:

• a completed Pet registration (R2) (PDF, 147 KB) form
• the completed Change of owner by animal welfare organisation or council pound (C3B) (PDF, 150 KB) form given to you by the rehoming organisation
• a desexing certificate or confirmation of desexing
• the adoption contract with the organisation's rehoming number.