Celebrate national Pet Day on April 11

In Australia, we love pets.

Our country has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world with around 63 percent of households keeping pets.

That equates to more than 25 million pets in Australia.

While you might have your heart set on a designer dog breed or purebred feline, consider adopting a rescue pet as a rewarding alternative.

Building awareness about pet adoption is one of the key initiatives behind National Pet Day on April 11.

Founded in 2006 by animal welfare advocate Colleen Paige, National Pet Day not only celebrates the joy pets bring to people's lives but also creates public awareness about the plight of animals in shelters and rescue centres around the world.

Pet ownership in Australia has increased in the last two years, with many people turning to animals for companionship during the lockdown periods of 2020 and 2021.

With the demand for pets on the rise, organisations such as the RSPCA and Animal Welfare League NSW both advocate the process of adoption.

During the initial wave of COVID restrictions in 2020, RSPCA NSW saw a significant increase in adoptions across the state's shelters and Petbarn adoption centres.

Just over 500 animals were adopted across NSW during that period, representing an increase of 28 percent in adoptions across the state compared to the same period a year earlier.

"This was heart-warming to see as many of our long-term residents were able to find loving forever homes during this time," RSPCA spokesperson Kieran Watson said.

"The current fall in surrenders combined with the healthy appetite and demand for pet adoptions is encouraging to see."

During COVID, the RSPCA moved to an Adopt from Home process where prospective adopters could apply to adopt a pet online.

"We would then call them back and learn more about their wants in a pet and their lifestyle," Mr Watson said.

"If we felt it was a good match, we would drive the animal to their property for a meet and greet. If all that went well then we would process the adoption.

"This is fantastic because more animals have been able to find homes faster, including many of our long-term resident animals who had been waiting for months for a forever home."

Animal Welfare League NSW's shelter operation in Western Sydney accepts surrendered animals into its care and works to reduce the euthanasia rates of healthy and treatable animals.

In the past year the shelter has found homes for 2,611 animals.

Visit awlnsw.com.au and rspcansw.org.au.