Pet adoption rates hit lowest on record, new PetRescue data reveals

15 April 2026: PetRescue, Australia's first national pet adoption platform, today reveals monthly pet adoption rates have fallen to the lowest point since its records began - dropping more than 40% in six months from a sustained rate over of 90% to under 50%.

As rents rise and pet-friendly accommodation becomes increasingly scarce, cost-of-living pressures and consumer preference towards buying from breeders are reshaping pet ownership in Australia. The rescue sector is simultaneously seeing a decline in adoptions and a rise in surrenders.

Between 2020 and 2026, 4,664 Australians surrendered pets through PetRescue's Home2Home program - 96% of them cats and dogs - with 'moving and relocation' and 'unsuitable accommodation' emerging as the leading drivers of surrender across all species.

Companion animal welfare scientist Dr Di Rayment PhD warns that the consequences of a rescue sector at capacity are extreme.

"An estimated 100,000 healthy, rehomeable pets are killed in Australia each year because the system isn't set up to support the solutions that could keep them safe. As adoption rates fall and shelters hit capacity, that number will only grow," she says.

It is a crisis playing out against the backdrop of a landmark moment for PetRescue - today the organisation marks one million pets adopted through its platform since 2004
 

Patima Tantiprasut, CEO at PetRescue, said the milestone is cause for both celebration and concern.

"This milestone was made possible by 2,181 rescue organisation members and thousands of Australians who have volunteered, fostered and fundraised for two decades to hold a chronically underfunded system together. While I am incredibly proud of our work to date, today's data is a warning sign that the system that made this possible is at breaking point. 

Without urgent action, the next million pets in need will face an increasingly uncertain future, with fewer homes, fewer foster carers, and fewer second chances available."

Behind the decline in adoption, Dr Di says, is a misconception about rescue pets that economic anxiety is amplifying. 

"When the world feels economically uncertain, people become more risk-averse. The thinking goes: a rescue dog might destroy my furniture and I might get evicted, whereas a puppy from a breeder feels like a safer bet. But the idea that rescue pets are the riskier choice isn't supported by the evidence. 

Every animal in a verified, ethical shelter, rescue organisation or pound has been individually assessed - you know their personality and needs before you pick them up. Want a dog that sleeps in on a Saturday like you do? There's a rescue pet for that. What you see is what you get," she says.

Australian musician Tash Sultana and partner Jaimie adopted their first rescue dog, a Cattle x American Bull Dog, through PetRescue in February this year.

"We knew we didn't want to go through the puppy stage again and we wanted to give a dog who needed it a second chance. It was our first time adopting and Mate has been the missing piece we weren't sure we'd ever find again. He's friendly, loving and helped us heal after losing our dogs so suddenly," they said.
 

Tantiprasut says stories like Tash and Jaimie's represent what's possible if Aussies choose rescue.

Tantiprasut comments, "Australia has enough love to save every pet; we've proved this a million times over in the last 20 years. If just 1% of Aussies chose to adopt today, there would be enough homes for every pet listed on PetRescue for the next three and a half years.

But we can't just adopt our way out of this crisis. We need state and federal governments to urgently boost adoption capacity through financial support and education, and to fund prevention strategies such as owner-assisted rehoming, adoption importance campaigns, crisis care and targeted desexing initiatives. The next million pets at risk deserve the same chance as the last."

Aussies can support rescue pets in need this week from 17-19 April at their local Bunnings - the Stores for Paws campaign will support PetRescue with sausage sizzles and more.

Browse Australia's largest searchable database of rescue organisations and rescue pets at www.petrescue.com.au.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Caroline Voaden, PR Manager

0468 762 070, caroline@storycopywriting.co

Case studies available:

Sophie and Furkan Karabag, 30, Melbourne: PetRescue's one millionth adopters! Sophie & MMA fighter Furkan considered buying from a breeder before finding pup Niobe on PetRescue.

Lianna Curzon at DM Rescue, NSW: Lianna runs the volunteer-only rescue that facilitated the millionth adoption, and says falling adoption rates mean she's now having to stop taking as many dogs from kill pounds.

Fast facts

Pet adoption rates have fallen to their lowest point on record, dropping more than 40% in six months (October 2025 to March 2026) from a sustained rate of approximately 90% to under 50%.

Housing instability is the number one driver of pet surrender via PetRescue internal data - more than 4,100 of 4,664 Home2Home applications cited housing as a factor (2020-July 2025).

Victoria leads the nation in rescue pet adoptions with 26,700 in the 12 months to March 2026; South Australia has seen the sharpest decline of any state, down 73% since 2016.

PetRescue was founded in 2004 and has facilitated one million pet adoptions across 2,181 member organisations including shelters, pounds, vets and rescue groups.
 

About PetRescue

PetRescue is Australia's most trusted national pet adoption platform and the most visited charity website in the country. Free to use for both rescue organisations and adopters, the platform connects shelters, pounds, rescue groups and foster carers with prospective pet owners across the country. Since launching in 2004, PetRescue has helped facilitate one million adoptions through a network of 2,000+ member organisations, working towards a future where every pet is safe, respected and loved. Today, almost 500,000 Australians visit its website every month, which can be found at petrescue.com.au.