Adoption Centre FAQs
Lort Smith Campbellfield, 25-35 Berwick Road, Campbellfield VIC 3061.
No, we don’t have facilities for private boarding. However, our Emergency Welfare Assistance program offers short-term accommodation for pets of people who are in crisis, including those experiencing domestic violence, extended medical treatment or a period of homelessness.
Under legislative guidelines, Lort Smith is not authorised to take stray animals into our care unless transferred from an approved facility. However, due to the current cat vaccination shortage, we cannot accept the transfer of cats into our shelter until further notice. If you find a stray animal, contact the local council where you found the animal for advice. If a lost animal is brought into Lort Smith, we will send it to either the Lost Dogs’ Home or the RSPCA. Refer to our section on lost and found pets for guidance if your pet is lost.
We often have other animals available for adoption too – these include rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets.
Lort Smith Campbellfield is not a pound. All animals available for adoption have been surrendered to us. We are unable to take in lost or stray animals.
Sometimes it takes longer for some than others to find the right home, but we will never euthanise an animal if they are capable of being rehomed. We do not place a time limit on the length of their stay. All shelter animals have a temperament test before being made available for adoption. The outcome of that test will determine whether the animal is made available for adoption or not. Once they are made available all of our animals find a home.
This will depend on the reason. If an animal isn’t acceptable to the new adopter due to health, physical or other reasons (excluding accidents), and a statement from a veterinary practitioner is provided, Lort Smith will accept the animal back within seven days of adoption and refund the full adoption price. If the animal is returned within three days for any other reason, Lort Smith will refund 75 per cent of the adoption fee or offer another animal with the same guarantee.
No. We offer discounts on veterinary services only, not on animal adoptions.
Lort Smith is a not-for-profit organisation that does not receive any ongoing government funding. The $30 surrender fee goes towards the care of your animal during their stay in the shelter with us.
Unfortunately not. Due to the large volume of calls we receive daily, we don’t have the resources to maintain a list. Our website is updated daily with animals available for adoption and we encourage you to check this regularly.
This is to ensure that your new pet is welcome in your home and will not be returned to the shelter if your landlord doesn’t approve.
Yes. We ask that you bring your existing dog in to ensure that the dogs are going get along together.
No, bringing a cat into the Adoption Centre will cause stress to your cat and will not give a true indication of whether it will get along with the other animal. We do have histories on most of our shelter animals and will be able to let you know which animals have lived with cats in the past.
As part of the adoption package, your new pet has a 14-day health cover for shelter-related illnesses only. If your new pet comes down with an illness that is traced back to the shelter, we will cover all vet charges when it is brought back to us to be seen by a Lort Smith vet. If the animal has hurt itself by other means, such as jumping off a chair, this is not covered.
Please call either our cattery on 03 9287 6428 or our kennels on 03 9287 6429. The staff will be able to give you advice on whatever problem you may be having.
Of course, but it is recommended that you ring the Adoption Centre first to see if we can help find a solution.