BENDIGO Animal Welfare & Community Services (BAWCS) – Year in Review
In 2025, BAWCS continued to step in supporting animals and the people who care for them, often in crisis, often with nowhere else to turn.
Community Pets Support Program
BAWCS Community Pets Support Program remained the backbone of our frontline work.
We supported:
- Emergency and ongoing veterinary care for dogs, cats/kittens, guinea pigs and rabbits
- Pound reclaims to reunite family members
- Desexing to stop unwanted litters at the source, stabilizing colonies and for overall health of pets
- Behaviour support and training where it could realistically prevent surrender or euthanasia
- Boarding and outreach for people hospitalised, experiencing homelessness, family violence, or mental health crisis
- Funded euthanasia and cremation for animals where there was untreatable suffering.
Not every case was straightforward. Some involved misinformation, missed appointments or unrealistic expectations and we made hard calls to protect the integrity of the Program while still prioritising animal welfare.
Desexing & Overpopulation Prevention
BAWCS supported the desexing of dozens of cats, including:
- Discounted and free desexing (and microchipping)
- Multi-cat households and colony situations
- High-risk cases where repeated “free kittens” were finally halted through intervention
- Cats linked to hoarding, surrender, and rescue intake cases
Animals Supported – some passed through our care, others remained.
This year BAWCS pivoted away from our traditional ‘rehoming rescue’ model that we’ve embraced for the past 20 years but this didn’t mean we didn’t support animals either passing through our care or into our permanent residents Program.
This included:
- puppies advertised ‘free to good homes’
- kittens transferred into rescue pathways
- animals temporarily housed, boarded, or stabilised before moving to partner rescues
- animals ‘pulled’ from a Pound environment and entering into our permanent care Program.
Every one of these cases required coordination, funding, and team work.
Wildlife & Farmed Animal Support
BAWCS continued to support animals often overlooked:
- Wildlife rescue groups responding to kangaroos trapped or injured, including mine shaft rescues
- Financial support to WRIN, Central Goldfields Wildlife Rescue, and others that are entirely self funded.
- Support for sanctuaries struggling under drought conditions
- Financial support for emergency veterinary care for farmed animals saved from neglect or injury
Sanctuaries & Rescue Groups Supported
We backed those doing the hard, long-term work. Support ranged from vet bills and hay appeals to infrastructure that improves animal welfare long-term. BAWCS is also proud to be supporting pigeon rescuers!
Hoarding, Abandonment & Crisis Response
BAWCS worked alongside multiple rescue groups following an eviction that left animals behind including rabbits, rats, birds, a duck and a guinea pig.
These cases are resource-heavy, emotionally taxing and they highlight the importance of our rescue partners.
Advocacy, Campaigns and Education
Alongside hands-on work, BAWCS continued advocacy efforts, including:
- Livestock welfare and conditions at the Bendigo Livestock Exchange (BLE)
- Greyhound racing accountability and public awareness
- Horse racing accountability and public awareness
- Support for legal action opposing the helicopter shooting of koalas
- Ongoing campaigning around shelter standards, pound practices and the failings of animal agriculture industries.
- Promotion (education) and support for responsible pet ownership
Without advocacy and education, nothing changes.
AND that’s a wrap for BAWCS in 2025
Not easy work. Not always visible. ALWAYS a team effort.
Thank you to everyone who stood with us in 2025. Our small but effective team of volunteers, our business and rescue partners, our sponsors and our donors
A special thank you also to Regional Community Vet Clinic, much of the veterinary care we provide is only possible thanks to their flexibility, expertise, and affordable services.
Wishing all BAWCS supporters a wonderful and impactful 2026 for the animals.
BAWCS ‘caring with compassion’
