Dogs need care and a home

AT TIMES during the floods, Wendy Hilcher's Rockhampton home resembled something from the movie Hotel for Dogs. Wendy, an RSPCA volunteer, provided refuge for up to eight canines at a time. But now the floods are over, many of the 50 dogs that were sent out to foster carers like Wendy, are being returned.

Just this week, six were brought back. And the RSPCA needs help. “I have no more foster carers on board,” Wendy said. “Regional inspector Laurie Stageman and I take in a lot ourselves to keep them out of the shelter.”But Ms Hilcher said, on a positive note, some foster carers had chosen to adopt the dogs they were caring for.

“People have fallen in love with the animals. A lot of foster carers are adopting the dogs,” she said. Ms Hilcher said there were a dozen dogs she wanted to send to foster carers. These ranged from a four-week-old mastiff puppy right through to a three-year-old dog. She said it was “no life” for dogs being stuck at the shelter at the CSIRO building.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: The RSPCA needs foster carers; To become a foster carer, contact Wendy Hilcher on 0428 819 050; The RSPCA also desperately needs ambulance drivers. You must be aged over 25 and have a manual driver’s licence.