Frequently Asked Questions

RSPCA WA is a non-government, non-profit, community-based charity. We are a registered company limited by guarantee, and we’re registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). 

We rely on the generous support of the community to survive. About 80% of the funding we need to carry out our animal protection work comes from generous contributions from businesses and individuals in the community, like you. 

Less than 20% of our funding is provided by grants from the State Government. The government funding we do receive is allocated to cover a portion of the costs of enforcing the Animal Welfare Act 2002 and specific initiatives like our Pets in Crisis program. 

We are thankful to the generous individuals and organisations who enable us to continue helping the animals we accept into our shelter every day. This includes critical veterinarian care, rehabilitation, behaviour support and day-to-day care and supplies, as well as rehoming through our adoption program. They also enable us to coordinate foster care and volunteer programs, as well as deliver free community events and other welfare services to keep animals with their owners when times get tough. 

Every day, RSPCA WA lives out our mission:
To improve the lives of animals through care and evidence-based welfare advancements that change attitudes, behaviours, practices, and laws. 

Our aim to improve the lives of animals is guided by the Five Domains for animals’ model, which considers nutrition, environment, physical health, behaviour and mental state key pillars of animal welfare for all animals.  

Together, we’re working towards our vision: 
A world where animals and people live together with dignity, respect, and compassion.   

Find out more about RSPCA WA’s goals and what we do. 

RSPCA WA works with animals, pet owners, communities, industries and government bodies to improve animal welfare in Western Australia. We do this through responsive action to address animal welfare concerns, ongoing education and support to improve the treatment of animals in the community, and proactive efforts to raise the bar on animal welfare standards. 

Each day, this looks like: 

• Processing and investigating dozens of reports of animal welfare concerns 

• Taking in animals who have been neglected, abused or abandoned 

• Caring for the hundreds of animals under our protection at any one time, including providing all veterinary care, rehabilitation, behaviour support, food, supplies, shelter and enrichment 

• Rehoming animals in our care through foster care and adoption programs 

• Providing short-term crisis care for pets whose owners are escaping family and domestic violence (FDV) 

• Delivering free, practical initiatives to keep pets and their owners together in tough times 

• Taking legal action against animal abusers who we have reasonable grounds to believe have committed a cruelty offence 

• Consulting with government authorities and advising on legislation to advocate for better animal welfare standards 

• Leveraging our networks and collaborating with the media to educate the community on responsible pet ownership and animal treatment 

Find out more about what RSPCA WA does to help animals 

RSPCA WA is largely funded by the community, with over 80% of our operations supported through donations. At the same time, demand for our services continues to grow, meaning our team and shelter often operate at or beyond the capacity that our funding allows for. 

Our priority is to ensure we meet the most immediate and critical needs of animals within our current scope before expanding into new areas. 

With increased funding, we would be able to scale our existing services to meet demand and broaden our animal welfare initiatives – allowing us to support more animals, in more ways, and achieve even greater impact. 

Our main concern is always for the welfare of animals in our care, and their quality of life. In the first instance, this means treating any medical conditions – often involving extensive veterinary care and rehabilitation for animals who have experienced cruelty – and addressing any behavioural issues that may have developed from mistreatment, neglect and lack of appropriate socialisation. 

In some cases, it takes months or even years to resolve or appropriately manage these medical conditions or behavioural concerns. 

Where an animal’s quality of life is compromised to the point that their suffering or distress can no longer be alleviated, or if they have demonstrated that they pose a significant risk to themselves or others if released into the community, the most humane course of action might be euthanasia. 

Euthanasia is always a last resort and is only considered once every reasonable effort has been made to treat an animal’s medical condition or behavioural concern. 

Decisions around euthanasia are never made lightly. A panel of staff members meets regularly to discuss the animals in care, and to address any concerns about a particular animal’s health or behaviour. In some cases, an external specialist will be consulted as part of the decision-making process to ensure that all reasonable courses of action have been considered. 

RSPCA WA staff and volunteers work with these animals every day to help them recover. Euthanasia is never an outcome we want to see. For many of the animals whose lives end with us, our staff and volunteers may be the only people who’ve shown them love and care, and we find consolation in the fact they had the opportunity to experience this in their final days.

While we don’t encourage consumption of animal products, our priority is to maximise our impact on animal welfare by improving standards for all animals, including more than a billion animals in Australia who exist to meet consumer demand. 

We aim to raise awareness and educate the community on issues relating to animal welfare in farming, such as cases of inhumane killing and poor living standards for livestock, to help people make more informed choices around animal products. 

For people who do choose to consume meat, eggs, and other animal products, we encourage them to make the most welfare-aligned choice. RSPCA’s national animal welfare certification program helps people identify higher welfare options on the supermarket shelf and in restaurants through the RSPCA Certified accreditation, which is only placed on products that meet higher welfare standards. You can view those standards here. 

While the farming of animals for food and other products continues, RSPCA seeks to improve the conditions under which those animals live meet their physical and behavioural needs. RSPCA believes we can help improve how farm animals are treated by getting involved in the process and constantly pushing for higher production standards along the supply chain. We do this at government, industry and producer level. 

RSPCA Australia’s Knowledge Base is an informative online resource that contains a wealth of information on a wide range of animal welfare related topics and issues, including RSPCA’s positions on common animal welfare issues. 

For animal welfare issues specific to Western Australia, RSPCA WA shares our positions on key local animal welfare issues here and provides other timely updates here.