FUNDS4PAWS Inc.

Plans that where on the drawing board were fast tracked to enable us to respond to the acute and on going emergency we currently have here in the state of Victoria. Funds4Paws Inc is committed to continuing to work for the well being of dogs as the need arise past the current emergency and others as they arise.

Our current focus is on purchasing weather proof housing for the dogs. Many manufactures of dog kennels and beds are out of stock, so we have had to think outside the square and go to other sources. Individuals Dog Listeners included are working away in sheds and garages building kennels that they will deliver, some driving thousands of kilometres towing trailers. The weather is very cold and we continue to get squalls and strong winds, these conditions are making a difficult situation even worse. We are happy however to see that now our efforts are enabling dogs to stay with their owners in many cases, offering an ideal situation for both the owner and the dogs, the supply of trampoline dog beds, kennels and weather proof dog coats is providing the dogs with warm safe dens.

Many displaced people will be moving back the to decimated empty house blocks once the government has cleared the burnt remains of their homes. There is a delay on this work as the coroners department is still looking for the deceased and there is asbestos in many of the house ruins. This event is being acknowledged by all the authorities as the largest natural disaster this country has faced since the arrival of Europeans. Whilst our continent lives with Bush Fires and our native fauna relies on seasonal bush fires to be re-newed, mans interference with nature has contributed to the extreme force and size of the recent fire's resulting in vast areas of our state being utterly devastated.

Funds4Paws volunteers willingly offer their time and skills to assist those in need. The current situation demands a lot of organisation and on the ground work, an estimated 50 + hours per week is spent ensuring we can continue to do the work we are doing. This estimation has come down from the 100 + man hours per week that we were dedicating as we set up the infrastructure so important to the success of such work. The board as well as the volunteers associate with Funds4Paws are all people working full time.