Construction photos of RSPCA Care Centre, Rouse Hill.

RSPCA NSW staff recently visited the RSPCA Care Centre at Rouse Hill and were amazed by the Centre's interior, despite still being under construction.

Photos below will give you some indication of how the Centre is coming together. The store is set to open in the second week of December, with the official public opening being held on Saturday 12 December 2009.

Why not come out to see the future of RSPCA rehoming?

RSPCA Care Centre is located at the Rouse Hill Town Centre, Windsor Rd, Rouse Hill, NSW.

The town centre is dog friendly - poop bags and water bowls for our furry friends.

Outside the boarded up RSPCA Care Centre.

View of the Centre entrance from where the front counter will be.

View of the cattery area (black boxes in wall) from front counter area.

Cattery windows, yet to be glassed and merchandising area shelves in the corner.

To the left of the merchandise shelves will be the pocket pets area.

View of the opposite side of the Centre from the cattery wall.

The area you see at the far end is where adoption dogs will be kept .

The area where the adoption dogs are kept (row foundations can be seen bottom left of photo).

Vet consultation rooms located at the rear of the shelter.

Consultation table ready for installation.

Ceiling of the Care Centre main area the green is the treetop which will eventally have a tree installed underneath it.

 RSPCA Care Centre Rouse Hill public opening Saturday 12 December 2009.

AusVM sign on to assist with visual merchandising for Care Centre

We'd like to thanks Aus VM - Visual Merchandising Solutions for coming on board and volunteering their ongoing services to assist us to make our first Care Centre at Rouse Hill visually appealing. Aus VM will adding their creative flair and merchandising expertise to the layout of products in store. They have committed to assisting RSPCA NSW throughout the year with seasonal displays and layouts. Thanks Aus VM!

Volunteer and Employment Opportunities at RSPCA Care Centre - Rouse Hill

Excited at the idea of the RSPCA Care Centre at Rouse Hill, many RSPCA supporters have contacted us to enquire about volunteer and employment opportunities at the Cares Centre.

Volunteer opportunities at the CARES Centre are currently still being developed. When volunteer positions do become available please check our Become a Volunteer section on the RSPCA NSW website:

http://www.rspcansw.org.au/get_involved/positions_vacant

Similarly, employment opportunities at the CARES Centre will be posted on the employment section of the RSPCA NSW website:

http://www.rspcansw.org.au/get_involved/positions_vacant

Thank you to all our supporters who have provided us with fantastic feedback and are enthusiastic about getting involved with this exciting new endeavour!

Giant leap forward

Behold, the first of a series of digital 3D walkthroughs of the centre. This concept was designed by Giant. We wanted to create a space that was as far away from a pet shop as possible. We don't see ourselves as a shop but rather an extension of our shelters. Animals cost the same amount, the staff are RSPCA trained, we follow the same adoption process, we offer expert advice and care and we have an in house vet!

The centre is designed to look like a village green with cat and dog meet and greet areas as well as a community tree - the leaves on the trees are actually polaroids of all the animals we've rehomed at the centre.

What do you think?

Rouse Hill a reality

RSPCA NSW has been rehoming animals from shelters for over 130 years. But we know that as soon as we build a shelter, it will be full to capacity with animals that deserve a second chance at finding a good home.
Shelters aren’t always the most customer-friendly environments. Many people avoid going to shelters because they find the experience too emotional. Instead, they go to pet shops or breeders. There is also a perception that if an animal is at a shelter, there is something wrong with the animal.

In early 2009, we started work on an ambitious plan with a simple aim - to bring down euthanasia by rehoming more animals. But we knew that, with one shelter in Sydney - that is in desperate need of a complete renovation at a cost of $30M - we had to find a way of taking the animals to the community.

And the idea of the RSPCA Care Centre was born. Over the coming months, we will be bringing you updates on the planning and building of Rouse Hill, culminating in the opening day in December 2009 - fingers crossed!

Along the way, you will meet a cast of thousands that have helped us bring the RSPCA Care Centre at Rouse Hill a reality. The first of these is our amazing project manager, David Baxter of Paramount Plans who has donated endless hours planning and designing the space. His amazing contribution can't be repaid but we are hoping that the 1000s of animals we plan to rehome through Rouse Hill will go some way to acknowledging our debt of gratitude.

Thanks Dave, we owe you a big slice of cake!