7 Nov 2025
As the rising cost of living pushes more Australians into financial hardship and homelessness, one charity is working harder than ever to prevent beloved pets from being surrendered into already overcrowded shelters. Now, they need your help.
Pets Of The Homeless recently reached two incredible milestones – 10 years of helping to keep vulnerable people and their pets together during times of hardship, and over 40,000 nights of safe shelter for pets whose families are seeking emergency accommodation, escaping domestic violence, or experiencing homelessness.
The charity started from humble beginnings in 2015 when Founder & CEO Yvonne Hong hit the streets of Melbourne with a suitcase full of pet food and a desire to give back.
Today, the charity provides pet food, veterinary care, and safe shelter – which includes emergency boarding and foster care – to give people the breathing space they need to find secure housing, focus on medical needs, or rebuild after a crisis — all without losing their best friend. But they can’t do it without help from the community.
“Forty-thousand nights of safe shelter is not a statistic — it’s 40,000 moments of hope,” said Yvonne. “It’s 40,000 times a person could rest knowing their pet was loved, safe and waiting to come home.”
Single mum of two, Noeline Sopp, says she wouldn’t know what her family would do if Pets Of The Homeless had not helped their beloved dog Ghost.
Facing homelessness with nowhere to turn, Ghost has been placed in a loving foster home until the family can secure pet-friendly housing.
“I am so happy that I know he is being taken care of,” Neoline shared. “I am not giving up on him because of our circumstances. He is loyal to me, and I will be loyal to him.”
To continue their life-changing work, Pets Of The Homeless is now asking the community to dig deep for their annual ‘Never Tear Them Apart’ Giving Day.
Donations made from now until Wednesday 12 November will be tripled by some generous gift matchers. This means every dollar raised will have three times the impact. And for their 10th anniversary they are aiming for their biggest target yet - a mammoth $450,000.
While their Giving Day target is ambitious, the Pets Of The Homeless team are full of hope.
“If our community rallies together, we will be able to focus all of our efforts on helping people and pets for an entire year,” Yvonne said. “But we can’t do this without your support.”
To have your donation tripled, head to petsofthehomeless.au/givingdaydoglover
ABOUT PETS OF THE HOMELESS
Pets Of The Homeless is a not-for-profit working to keep vulnerable people and their pets together by alleviating the burden of providing essential pet care during times of hardship. Through the provision of pet food and supplies, veterinary care and safe shelter, Pets Of The Homeless works to ensure that the important bond between a person and their companion animal is never broken.
Location: 84A Keys Road, Cheltenham
Website: www.petsofthehomeless.org.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pothaustralia
Instagram: www.instagram.com/pothaustralia