RSPCA Awareness Week takes place each year from 1-8 October.

These dates were chosen to incorporate World Animal Day on 4 October and World Farm Animals Day on 2 October.

RSPCA Awareness Week is a chance to celebrate the joy, compassion and understanding that animals bring to our world.

The Week also has a serious purpose, in raising awareness of the many valuable services the RSPCA provides to the community.

Most Australians are familiar with the RSPCA shelters - which accept more than 133,000 animals from the community each year – as well as the RSPCA Inspectors, who investigated around 46,000 cruelty complaints per annum.

Nationally, the RSPCA also advocates vigorously against cruel farming practices such as battery hen farming and the export of live animals for slaughter; as well as coordinating major fundraising events such as the annual Million Paws Walk.

However, the RSPCA does so much more - from the Education Mobile Unit (EMU) in Queensland to the Marine Rescue Centre in South Australia, wildlife rehabilitation facility in the Australian Capital Territory to the Animal Emergency Group in Western Australia, the Safe Beds for Pets programme in New South Wales to Kitten Kindy and Puppy Preschool in Victoria.

These are just a few examples of the many ways in which thousands of RSPCA staff and volunteers across the country are working to improve the welfare of domestic, native, exotic and farm animals throughout Australia.

RSPCA Awareness Week is your chance to say thank you and to learn more about the RSPCA and the enormous job it does. You can visit a shelter, talk with an inspector, participate in a fun event or organise your own activity!

RSPCA Awareness Week 2007 will focus on the many ways RSPCA Australia helps people as well as animals.

Many people don’t realise how much of the RSPCA’s work helps people in the wider community as well as animals of all kinds.

For example, many RSPCAs provide shelter and care for the pets of people escaping domestic violence, pets of older Australians or those hospitalised due to chronic illness.

Others provide counselling for those coping with pet loss while some also assist in caring for the animals of people affected by the drought.

The RSPCA also educates children about care and treatment of animals which helps them to both develop compassion as well as learn to behave safely around animals.

We want to highlight this work through RSPCA Awareness Week, which will be held this year from 1-8 October and that’s why we’re putting out a call now for real-life stories to illustrate these issues.

The RSPCA believes animals make an enormous contribution to our lives, through their inherent charm, unconditional love and calming influence.

In fact, scientific evidence confirms pet owners enjoy better health and fitness, lower stress levels and greater levels of self-esteem.

Basically, if your life has been influenced by animals and especially if you’ve adopted a pet from the RSPCA or been helped by the RSPCA in some way, we want to hear from you!

Maybe your love of animals has inspired a career change, or helped you find the love of your life!

Perhaps your beloved pet has seen you through some difficult times, or even showed great bravery or intelligence to save your life.

We regularly receive messages from people who have adopted a pet form the RSPCA, to tell us how happy they are with their new family member!

For example, a lady who recently went through a difficult divorce wrote to us to say how much trouble her 8 year old son was having in coping with the separation. He was very lonely, wouldn’t sleep alone at night and was very negative about the new house they’d moved to. However, after adopting a kitten about a month ago, their home has been transformed. The son has developed a very strong bond with his new little feline friend and she has lifted his spirits enormously: he happily sleeps with her by his side at night and is much more positive about the whole situation generally.

And talk about a poochy personal trainer! Another lady wrote to tell us she has lots 35kg and improved her health greatly since adopting a dog and starting a routine of regular walks!

You don’t need to be a writer or author – we just want to hear about your experiences in your own words. And we love to see your photographs!

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Contact your local RSPCA to find out what’s happening for RSPCA Awareness Week in your area

Find out about RSPCA Happy Tails Day

Send a special RSPCA Awareness Week e-card

Subscribe to our e-newsletter to stay in touch all year round

Learn all about important animals welfare issues with our infosheets

Tell us how you help animals in your community