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.
Adopting a pet in need comes with many perks. It’s free to register cats and dogs on the NSW Pet Registry when you adopt them through council pounds, shelters and approved rehoming organisations.
Rescue animals will be microchipped, desexed and vaccinated – so you can be reassured your new best friend is healthy. This is usually all included in your adoption fees.
Find an officially recognised rehoming organisation near you
Office of Local Government list of recognised rehoming organisations (PDF, 218KB)
Register an adopted rescue animal
When you adopt a cat or dog through most rehoming organisations, they will send all relevant paperwork to your local council for processing. Councils can then register the animal in your name and send you a Certificate of Registration.
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 (C3B) (PDF, 150 KB) form given to you by the rehoming organisation
- a desexing certificate or confirmation of desexing
- the adoption contract.
If you've adopted a desexed pet through an approved rehoming organisation or council pound, you won't need to pay a registration fee.
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.
When you adopt pets through council pounds, shelters, Cat Protection Society of NSW or Animal Welfare League NSW, they will organise transfer of ownership and free registration on your behalf. You simply take your pet home along with copies of important documents.
Animal welfare organisations and council pounds can use the following form to transfer ownership of an animal.
Change of Owner processed by Animal Welfare Organisation or Council Pound (C3B) (PDF, 143 KB)