Dogs4Jobs Rehome Struggling Farm Dogs

Article by: Hari Yellina

Working dogs are recognised for their enthusiasm for their jobs, but sometimes circumstances necessitate a change of direction or a second opportunity. This is where Dogs4Jobs, a community programme dedicated to rehoming working breed dogs, comes in. Their tagline is “A dog for every job and a job for every dog.” Peri Chappell, the charity’s founder, hails from the Riverina region of New South Wales. “The dogs are taken into our care and placed in the homes of our fantastic volunteer foster carers until they are ready to be adopted,” she explained. With 116 volunteers across Australia, Dogs4Jobs now has a presence in nearly every state.

Ms. Chappell said they frequently worked with farmers who had faced difficulties as a result of “drought, fires, or floods.” She described a recent situation in which a farming couple was unsure what to do with their working dogs. She explained, “They have been struggling since the drought.” “They’d lost the majority of their cattle and sheep.” The couple came found an old newspaper article about Dogs4Jobs while shearing the rest of their sheep and decided to contact them. Ms Chappell explained, “I drove up to their property with the dog trailer and we received 13 dogs, ranging in age from 12 months to 13 years.”

Some of the canines are almost ready to be adopted into new homes after only a few months. “But people can do it rough even if there isn’t a natural calamity,” Ms Chappell said. Nearly half of the dogs they worked with came from suburban regions, where their owners were struggling with housing, job, or just didn’t have the space or time for a working dog. Dogs4Jobs also provided dog owners with support, training, and educational programmes, as well as temporary care when necessary. Not all working canines rehomed through the programme ended up in town, according to Ms. Chappell. “And there are plenty of people who will take in a puppy from working parents and give it a chance.” Ms. Chappell stated that they wanted to encourage more farmers to participate in the adoption process in order to provide dogs with a new job as well as a new home.