Three Things to Know
New Zealand lacks a national database of companion animal rescue organisations (CARO). To address this gap, researchers conducted the first nationwide survey to describe their characteristics, capacity, resources, and challenges, with a focus on cats and dogs.
The survey identified more than 200 CARO, nearly half in operation for over seven years, and three-quarters registered as charities. Among the 51% that responded, organisations collectively cared for over 60,000 animals each year.
Structural factors—such as unaffordable vet care, pet-restrictive housing, and wider social pressures—were key drivers of animal surrender. CARO reported major challenges including limited funding, insufficient veterinary access, shortages of volunteers and foster homes, low public awareness, weak legislative protections, and constrained capacity to meet demand.
For Dog Welfare Practitioners
The challenges faced by companion animal rescue organisations are likely consistent across many developed countries. Many struggle financially, with some relying heavily on self-funding. Reducing the need for rescue services requires a stronger focus on keeping people and pets together—particularly by addressing affordability barriers, pet-restrictive housing, and limited access to veterinary care.
The Full Picture
Managing stray, unwanted, and abandoned companion animals is a major welfare challenge worldwide. In New Zealand, where companion animal ownership is among the highest globally, this work is carried out by local authority animal control services and by companion animal rescue organisations (CARO). CARO are typically independent, privately funded groups that operate shelters or foster networks, providing rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming, as well as temporary care during crises.
Although CARO manage thousands of animals annually and are an important source of new pets, there is little reliable data on their size, distribution, or resources due to the absence of a national database. This mirrors issues reported in other countries and limits effective planning, including emergency response.
To address the knowledge gap, this study, titled “Characteristics and challenges of companion animal rescue organisations in New Zealand”, surveyed New Zealand CARO. Objectives were to describe organisational characteristics, assess capacity and challenges, and explore support for a national database.
Study Methods
This study used a cross-sectional survey (open from 6 May to 30 June 2022), comprising four sections. The first collected demographic information about organisations, animal types and numbers, services, intake and euthanasia policies, resources, and challenges. The second explored attitudes towards creating a national database, including willingness to register, data-sharing preferences, and concerns. Sections three and four, reported elsewhere, focused on cat rescue and fostering.
Study Results
Researchers sent the survey to 208 organisations, with 106 companion animal rescue organisations (CARO) included in the final dataset (51% response rate). About one-third had been operating for three years or less, while nearly half had been active for seven or more years. Three-quarters registered as charities, which tended to have longer histories. CARO were distributed across New Zealand, though coverage varied by region and was not strongly linked to population size.
Most organisations focused on one or two species, primarily cats and dogs (81%). Collectively, respondents cared for nearly 60,000 animals annually, highlighting the scale of companion animal homelessness and the critical role CARO play.
Among the 86 dog- and cat-focused CARO, most operated with limited or managed admissions, with only a small minority accepting all animals. Rehoming (84%) and housing (81%) were the most common services, followed by veterinary care, microchipping, education, and trap-neuter-return programmes. Euthanasia was generally limited to cases involving severe health or behavioural problems. Access to veterinary care was mainly through local clinics, with only 3% having in-house facilities.
Staffing & Support Needed
Staffing was highly volunteer-dependent: of 5,699 workers reported, 85% were volunteers. Nearly half of organisations had ten or fewer people in total, and very few employed full-time staff. A positive correlation was found between workforce size and numbers of animals cared for. The financial situation of CARO varied. Registered charities tended to be more stable, while unregistered organisations were more vulnerable, often relying heavily on self-funding.
CARO respondents identified wider structural issues—such as affordability, pet-restrictive housing and limited access to veterinary care—as drivers of animal surrender. Policy measures supported by respondents included mandatory desexing and microchipping, stronger protections against abuse and neglect, and limits on backyard breeding.
Key challenges CARO faced included lack of funding, limited veterinary access, shortages of volunteers and foster homes, insufficient public awareness, weak legislative support, and inadequate capacity to meet demand. Financial support (85%) was the most frequently requested need, alongside supplies (72%) and policy change (72%).
Most CARO (74%) expressed strong interest in a national database, though they raised concerns about time, data security, and potential misuse. Organisations were most comfortable sharing data on services and species cared for, and particularly with emergency services, veterinarians, and researchers.
Conclusion
This study is the first national survey to examine New Zealand’s companion animal rescue organisations (CARO), including both registered charities and informal groups. The challenges faced by New Zealand’s companion animal rescue organisations (CARO) stem from interconnected individual, community, and social factors that drive animal homelessness and welfare issues. Addressing these challenges requires prevention and mitigation efforts beyond the rescue sector, though CARO remain central to the response.
The study highlights the sector’s need for greater funding, resources, and supportive policy changes, and shows that most CARO would support a national database, provided concerns over time demands and data security are resolved.
Miscellaneous
Data From Study:
Shelter Dogs > New Zealand > Animal Rescues
Year of Publication:
2024
External Link:
Roseveare, C., & Gates, M. (2024). Characteristics and challenges of companion animal rescue organisations in New Zealand. New Zealand Veterinary Journal, 72(4), 225–235. https://doi.org/10.1080/00480169.2024.2344560