The difference between “too late” and “just in time”.

Every week, Remote Animal Assistance is called to save dogs in desperate need across Far North Queensland. Some are starving. Some are battling preventable illnesses like heartworm. Others need urgent, life-saving surgery.

Just in the past few weeks we’ve faced:

Twiggy’s heartworm treatment – $2,000+

Terri Furwin’s life-saving surgery – $2,000+

Leggy’s broken leg treatment – $4,000+

Dundee’s fight against parvo and coccidia – thousands more

This isn’t once in a while. It’s every single week. Every call, every rescue, every dog we commit to saving comes with bills like these.

That's the thing about helping dogs from remote communities - there's no backstory. No previous owner to tell us what's going on. No opportunity for testing before taking action. So we end up with COUNTLESS cases like these, with an estimated 70% of our intakes requiring more than just the standard vaccinations, microchipping and desexing.

Why We Need a Lifeline Fund

Without a safety net, we risk saying no when the next desperate call comes. Currently, we're operating on a 'fundraise-per-intake' basis, where we appeal to our community for donations prior to bringing each animal into care.

And we're TIRED. While we're INCREDIBLY grateful to those who answer our desperate call each time, operating on this basis is exhausting. Not only do our team have to pull together appeals at the drop of a hat, but this often means sharing them, monitoring them, and keeping our community updated outside of our normal operating hours.

It also means that we can't say 'yes' to a rescue straight away. Often, this 24hr+ delay in bringing an animal into care can be the difference between life and death. In fact, this week we learned of two mange-ridden dogs that perished in a remote pound because the officers were torn - they'd been asking a lot of us lately and had decided to filter their requests for help. We feel ashamed that we've unintentionally passed the burden of our financial situation onto these poor officers who deal with the heartbreak on such a real and personal level.

We CAN'T let this happen again. We NEED to be known as the group who says 'YES' and makes things happen straight away.

That’s why we’re creating an Emergency Lifeline Fund – a $50,000 reserve dedicated to:

Why It Matters

Some dogs arrive with nothing but the will to survive. They may need:

One dog’s emergency care can easily exceed $2,000 – and that’s not including their standard vet work or ongoing needs. Without a dedicated fund, we risk having to turn away those who need us most.

How You Can Help

Donate whatever you can – $2, $10, $50, $100 – it all adds up to hope.

Share this campaign to reach more animal lovers.

Support through our merch, preventative subscriptions, or weekly charity draw.

Together, we can avoid a repeat of last week's situation.

Every donation helps us to take immediate action, and secure arrangements to bring animals into our care straight away.

Will you help us turn desperate situations into second chances?

Your kindness saves lives. Thank you for helping us build a lifeline for dogs across FNQ who deserve a chance at love, safety, and care.