Season Greetings and Best Wishes to all our friends from everyone at Animal Aid, including the animals. If there is one thing you can say about Animal Aid, it is that there is never a dull moment and this year has been no exception, having said that it has been an exceptional year. Now that may sound like a contradiction in terms but let me try to explain what I mean.

2011 has been like many that have preceded it in that we have seen far too many animals in need of our assistance, but what we have also seen are some very positive developments for Animal Aid. Our rehoming rates are one of our proudest achievements with just shy of 2000 cats, dogs, poultry, pocket pets, pigs, goats, sheep and the odd parrot finding new homes through our three facilities.

This fantastic result may in part be due to us achieving an unprecedented presence in the media. We have good support from our local media but have always struggled to rate any mention in the metro or regional papers, let alone on TV. Finally this is changing and they are starting to come to us, fantastic!  

Animal Aid Gippsland saw its first full year of operation and collectively we are delighted with how the community has embraced us. The Sale and Bairnsdale teams have done such a wonderful job this year which is such an achievement under difficult conditions. The distance alone plays a significant role in many of the challenges they face, keep up the good work guys we so proud to have you as the face of Animal Aid in the Gippsland region.    

Our Education Department is hitting their straps, the industry based courses are finally starting to book out well in advance. We are told by an increasing number of participants that from now on every new animal management officer must attend our course as a requirement of the job and in some cases do a refresher every two years. This speaks volumes for the quality and content we are able to offer and the obvious benefits that the staff and management of the councils involved believe they provide.

We are relieved to report that as of mid January we will finally have a fully staffed Vet Clinic with three full and one part time vet, ably assisted by a full complement of vet nurses. This is going to allow us to serve both our private patients and precious shelter pets even better. Being under resourced in this area has a domino effect and with the number of animals being rehomed that need to be desexed we can’t afford to let things get backed up.

The Boarding Kennels and Cattery have had a great year and are rapidly filling up for the peak holiday season. Our customers trust that their four legged family members will be safe and well when they return from their summer break. We are expecting around 260 paying guests this year, which will certainly be a handful, but our experienced and well trained staff are well equipped to make sure they all have a super holiday too.

If all that isn’t enough, our planning permit application was unanimously accepted and approved by the Yarra Ranges Council. This was a real confidence booster for us, we have some big plans that we will tell you more about next year. Suffice to say that the increase in the demand for our services, and area we are servicing, is putting a lot of pressure on our aging Coldstream facility.

We have made some wonderful new friends this year who have come on board to champion our cause, the Hon Fran Bailey and Myf Warhurst to name just two individuals. Our relationship with Bendigo Bank continues to grow and we are so pleased that this year all 224 branches have agreed to sell our 2012 Calendars. We thank all the businesses and ambassadors who assist us in a myriad of ways, from in-kind support, professional advice, increased profile and even opening doors that would otherwise be closed.  

There are too many people to thank for all of the incredible outcomes that have come out of 2011 but to all of you, and I hope that you know who you are, we hope that you have a Safe and Happy Festive Season. Thank you for all of your support in all the ways that you choose to give to Animal Aid. Whether you adopt, are a boarding or vet clinic client, you give of your time, contribute financially, shop at our op shops or have remembered us your will, you are a part of this organisation. You are entitled to take just a little of the credit for our achievements.

If 2012 is anything like 2011, we better strap ourselves in because it is going to be a very exciting year.