‘I’VE rescued 33,000 ANIMALS!’
SELFLESS SUE MAKES SURE PETS AND THEIR OWNERS GET A SECOND CHANCE
Even rising at the crack of dawn, Sue Hedley can’t wait to start the day, doing what she loves best. Early starts and long hours are a small price to pay for the 67-year-old, who is the founder of SAFE – Saving Animals from Euthanasia Inc.
With its headquarters based in Karratha, a remote town in the Pilbara region of WA, Sue and her small but dedicated team of volunteers work tirelessly to find loving families for dogs, cats and other animals that have become homeless and would otherwise face a grim fate.
Now, a six-part documentary series called Take Me Home is highlighting Sue’s incredible work.
“I started SAFE as I couldn’t bear to see unwanted pets locked up in cages or needlessly put down. I thought, ‘Kids go into foster care so why not dogs and cats?’” Sue tells New Idea.
“Now, we have 11 branches statewide and a network of people opening their hearts and homes to care for displaced animals and provide shortterm foster care and permanent adoptive homes.”
Since founding SAFE in 2003, Sue’s devotion to finding our four-legged friends’ new families has seen her help rescue 33,000 animals that have become homeless for one reason or another.
“We rehome pets that are lost, forgotten, unwanted, neglected and unloved, but we also rehome ones that have had to be reluctantly relinquished or surrendered by loving owners,” Sue explains.
While Sue has developed a phenomenal strength and resilience over the years, she concedes it’s always emotional when a loving owner has no choice but to willingly let go
‘I CHERISH EACH AND EVERY PET SUCCESS STORY’
of their pets out of love.
When little Scout, a pug-cross no bigger than a teddy bear was relinquished by her owners, Sue found foster carers until the pooch was united with her adopters – a retired couple based in Perth.
“Vicki and Brian had not had a dog for 17 years since they lost their Chihuahua, Penny,” Sue explains.
“They were looking for a furry companion to fill the void and with Vicki having recently battled cancer, she was at home a lot more. Scout was a superb suitor because she loved running around in backyards and was very clingy
and loved nothing more than giving and receiving cuddles.”
Countless animals find their way to Sue under different circumstances like Rocky, the Staffie – a lost family pet whose owners didn’t come forward after he was found by rangers wandering in the bush.
Then Fudge, the terrier puppy who was found cowering under a chair in a house, hungry, thirsty and frightened; and a litter of five kittens who’d been abandoned.
Every animal that comes to SAFE undergoes a thorough veterinary health check before they’re taken in by one of the organisations vetted foster carers. Meanwhile, their picture and profile are uploaded onto the SAFE website for potential adopters to view and then apply to give that animal a loving new home.
After an extensive interviewing process to establish a great match, arrangements are made to unite them. But not everything always goes according to plan.
In Rocky’s case, the road to finding a new home was certainly a bumpy one.
“Rocky was extremely sick while in foster care,” says Sue, adding his life hung in the balance when he contracted a tick disease. “Luckily, he pulled through, but sadly things didn’t work out with his adoptive family. Their other pet dog decided he didn’t want another doggie companion!”
Thankfully, Rocky was eventually rehomed with a mum, dad and their five children, who had always wanted a dog.
Sue’s role may be challenging and an emotional roller-coaster, but the outcome is always rewarding, especially the tale of fearful Fudge, whose heartbreaking journey turned to the ultimate success story when his foster family
– a mum, dad and two young boys – fell so in love with him they couldn’t bear to say goodbye, so they made him a permanent member of their family.
Of the thousands of dogs and cats that Sue has rehomed, each hold a special place in her heart, so it comes as no surprise that she’s been awarded an Order of Australia in recognition of her selfless work.
“I cherish each and every pet success story because it’s a reminder of how important an organisation like SAFE is.” By Ruth Mccarthy • To find out more about Sue’s work with SAFE, visit safe.org.au