WORKING for the RSPCA during the 2019/20 black summer bushfires and during the pandemic, Revitahl Yosef spent a significant time linking people – who had been displaced, or lost their homes and jobs – with services and charities that would help them continue to care for their pets.

Revitahl, of Gowrie, is now a trainee vet nurse and is working as a receptionist at one of Canberra’s emergency vet clinics.

“When I finally moved into a general-practice clinic, I realised there was a gap in knowledge. All the information I had wasn’t really out there, so I really wanted to create a resource that would put it all in one place,” says Revitahl.

“I was driving my partner to work and said I wished there was one place to find all of this information, and he asked ‘why don’t you do it?’ and from there it’s been a snowball.”

That was in May last year, with the result now a live website called PAWS Network ACT.

“PAWS Network ACT is about bringing all the pet-related charities, services and information together for Canberrans, and it has grown to include details on how to become a pet owner, what the rules are around microchipping and registration and explaining the difference,” says Revitahl.

“It’s a little bit of everything, with the main goal being to connect pet owners with assistance services. It’s my passion project.

“I’m just really excited. I’ve been passionate about this for almost a year now, and now it’s out there.

“I think the main thing is I want people to know that help is available, because there wasn’t one place where people could find it all, so I’m hoping it will help people in tough situations.”

“I utilised services like VetPay that allows you to set up a payment plan for vet treatment. I lived below the poverty line for a few years and linked in with a lot of the services I have included in PAWS Network.

“Thankfully, I got back on my feet and have started my career in the vet industry.

“Now, I can help other people who are in my situation. It’s a very personal passion, it means a lot to me and I’m hoping it can help people.”

ACT Pet Crisis Support, Rainbow Paws and Pets in the Park are services that Revitahl has volunteered with, or found through her not-for-profit work, and has researched to include in PAWS Network.

Revitahl says they’re all just fantastic: “Of course, everything that is medical on the website, I have passed through veterinarians I work with, and I’m looking forward to growing that information.

“I came from a place where I didn’t have any pets when I was growing up and it was a learning curve when I got my cat and my dog. I was a first-time pet owner and I was going through all the routine things and now I can’t believe I didn’t know them.”

Revitahl says PAWS Network goes through all the basics of pet ownership, including your obligations, and explaining health and behavioural information, “everything that I wish I had known when I started out”.

Revitahl has Dingo, a roughly six-year-old mixed-breed rescue dog, and Becky, a cat.

“I want PAWS Network to grow, especially in things people need in order to avoid situations where they might need to surrender their animals,” Revitahl says.

“I want to help people to keep their pets and to give their pets the best life possible.”

And, PAWS Network aims to be easy to understand and be available to everyone, of every walk of life.

“It has been a really core value of creating this, a bit of having been there myself and a bit of seeing people needing help and me wanting to bring something to Canberra,” says Revitahl.

Everything to do with PAWs Network is paid straight from Revitahl’s pocket.

“There is no bias; I have got no sponsorship; I’ve got nothing that would urge me to push a certain narrative. It is just general information that is completely self-funded and self-driven.”

pawsnetworkact.com