Cherished Pets Foundation

27/08/2026

🌈 Remembering Benji
On 28 August, Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day gives us an opportunity to remember the cherished pets who are no longer by our side and the incredible place they continue to hold in our hearts.

This year, we'd like to remember Benji, one of the beautiful pets our Cherished Pets Foundation team had the privilege of supporting through our Home Care Assistance program.

Caroline and Benji came onto CPF's radar after Caroline's daughter contacted us about dog walking support. Caroline had cared for Benji very well, but her own health challenges meant she was no longer able to walk him.

An amazing new CPF volunteer, Bec, lived nearby and was matched with Caroline and Benji. What began as regular dog walks soon became much more. Bec looked out for Benji, helped with veterinary appointments and, when Caroline had a serious fall, welcomed Benji into home respite care.

Sadly, during this time it became apparent that Benji was facing significant health challenges of his own and his quality of life was declining. After lengthy conversations with Caroline, our CPF team and Benji's long-term veterinary team, Caroline made the difficult decision to say goodbye.

Bec brought Benji to Caroline's assisted living home for one final visit. Supported in Caroline's arms, Benji was compassionately and lovingly put to sleep.

Benji, the sweetest little dog, was so very loved for 14 years and was able to cross the rainbow bridge in the arms of the one who loved him most.

If you're remembering a special pet of your own this Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, we're thinking of you too. 🌈🐾

24/08/2026

A car full of pet food and a whole lot of support for pets and people who need it most. 💚🐾

A huge thank you to Animal Rescue Cooperative (ARC) for their generous donation of dog food to Cherished Pets Foundation.

Our wonderful Georgi recently visited ARC and came back with a car packed full of donated food! This supply will help us support dogs in respite care, taking some of the financial pressure and responsibility off the carers who open their homes to pets during times of crisis. It also means we can keep a small supply on hand for people in our community who reach out when they’re struggling to provide food for their pet.

ARC is a volunteer-run distribution network that helps get donated pet food and supplies from manufacturers, suppliers and pet stores into the hands of rescue groups and organisations supporting animals in need.

We’re incredibly grateful to ARC, their volunteers and the businesses that make donations like this possible. Every bag of food helps us continue our work keeping people and their beloved pets together. 💚

22/08/2026

Shout out to Porter Avenue Pies & Cakes for such a fabulous result!

Yummy indulgence for an amazing cause 🍰💕🐾

💛 THANK YOU — $1,308 RAISED FOR CHERISHED PETS! 🐾

What an incredible day! Together, our bakery community has raised $1,308 for the Cherished Pets Foundation. 🐶🐱💛

A huge THANK YOU to our amazing Porter Avenue Pies & Cakes team for getting behind today’s fundraiser, and to every single customer who walked through our doors, purchased a pie or vanilla slice, donated, shared our posts or simply helped spread the word.

Every purchase mattered — and together, you made a difference.

Cherished Pets provides something incredibly important: helping vulnerable people keep the pets they love by their side during times of hardship, illness, ageing or crisis. For many people, a pet is far more than an animal — they are family, companionship, comfort, routine and sometimes their strongest connection during life’s most difficult moments.

Supporting Cherished Pets means supporting both ends of the leash. 🐾❤️

As a small family business, being able to use what we do every day — making pies and cakes — to give back to organisations doing meaningful work in our community is something we are incredibly grateful for.

$1,308 raised in one day. One bakery. One community. A whole lot of kindness.

Thank you to our team, our customers and everyone who supported today.

Together, small actions can create a BIG impact. 💛🐾

With gratitude,
The Porter Avenue Pies & Cakes Family 🫶🥧🤝

17/08/2026

We love being out and about in our local community, sharing conversations about pets, people and the important role of the human-animal bond. 🐾💛

Recently, Dr Lissi has been connecting with local groups, including presenting at the VIEW Club in Queenscliff, joining a Seniors In Portarlington (SIP) forum, and attending a Dying to Know Day event at Kings Funerals earlier this month.

These community conversations give us an opportunity to connect with other amazing folk in our region, and to share more about the work of Cherished Pets Foundation, the challenges pet owners can sometimes face, and the support available to help people and their pets stay together through difficult times.

If you’re part of a community group, club or organisation and would like someone from Cherished Pets Foundation to come along and speak to your group, we’d love to hear from you.

📧 Email [email protected] to get in touch.

12/08/2026

Save the Date: Porter Avenue Pies & Cakes Fundraiser 🧁
Porter Ave Pies & Cakes is supporting CPF again this year, with a bake sale on Saturday 22 August from 7.30am to 3pm.
Our wonderful friends will donate $3 from every traditional vanilla slice and $2 from every single serve hot plain beef mince pie purchased on the day.

📍 Porter Ave Pies and Cakes, 22 Porter Ave, Highton

09/08/2026

Every roll makes a difference. 🧻💚

A huge thank you to About A Dog for their continued support of Cherished Pets Foundation.

Thanks to their amazing fundraising partnership, we've recently received another $500 donation to help keep vulnerable people and their pets together during times of crisis.

It's one of the simplest ways to make a difference. If you're stocking up on toilet paper, choose About a Dog and nominate Cherished Pets Foundation as your charity. Every purchase helps fund vital veterinary care, emergency boarding and practical support for people who would otherwise have nowhere to turn.

Small everyday choices really can have a big impact.

Thank you, About a Dog, and thank you to everyone who chooses to support us this way. 🐾 🙏
www.cherishedpetcare.com.au/foundation/about-foundation

05/08/2026

Sometimes, the hardest part of leaving isn't finding somewhere to go. It's wondering what will happen to the pet you love.

During Homelessness Week, we're reminded that homelessness can happen to anyone, often unexpectedly, and that no one should have to choose between their own safety and the safety of their pet.

When David and his 9-year-old daughter, Kayla, were forced to flee their home due to escalating violence, they had nowhere safe for their beloved kitten, Peaches.
With support from Salvation Army Housing, the family was connected with Cherished Pets Foundation. While David worked towards securing stable housing, we made sure Peaches was safe too.

Over the next four months, Peaches received everything she needed, including:
🐾 Desexing
🐾 Microchipping
🐾 Vaccinations and veterinary care
🐾 Safe boarding
We also facilitated regular visits for David and Kayla, so the human-animal bond between Peaches and her family remained strong.

When David secured a long-term home, there was one very happy reunion waiting. Peaches was finally back where she belonged, in the arms of a very excited Kayla.
Keeping families together sometimes means caring for every member of the family, including the four-legged ones.
The total cost of Peaches' care was $3,618.

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and partners, one family didn't have to lose the pet they loved during one of the most difficult times in their lives.

*Names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of those involved.

03/08/2026

We hear this often from the case managers who refer people to us.

"Pet care is often the missing piece. Once that's in place, we're able to support the person."

For many people experiencing hardship, their pet is deeply connected to their sense of safety, stability and hope.

By removing the barrier of pet care, people are better able to access the support they need, and case managers are better able to support them through their broader challenges.

30/07/2026

There's something about a dog on a walk that just makes everything better.

Our volunteers regularly walk dogs for people in our community who aren't able to do it themselves — keeping pets active and owners worry-free.

It's a small thing that means a lot.

28/07/2026

Jenn shares about the ways our volunteers support people and pets in the community.

For many of our older participants, walking their dog is no longer possible because of health, mobility or the cost of a dog walker. That’s where our volunteers can help.

It’s more than just a walk.

For our participants, it’s the comfort of knowing their cherished pets are happy, healthy and cared for. For our volunteers it is friendly conversation, wagging tails and meaningful connections.