PAWS Darwin accused of 'unprofessional' conduct over failure to desex animals

When Steve Hoyne first saw Rosie, a 10-week-old bull Arab puppy, he instantly knew he had to take her home.

"I've seen quite a few strays and dogs looking for adoption ... and she just had that special look," he said.

Mr Hoyne adopted Rosie in February through a local re-homing organisation, PAWS Darwin.

He paid a $550 adoption fee which, according to a written agreement, would also cover the cost of desexing Rosie when she was six months or older.

But about three months later Mr Hoyne tried to book in Rosie's surgery and discovered PAWS would not hold up their end of the deal to desex his new pet.

And it isn't a one-off case.

The ABC has spoken to four other families who say they too have been left to cover the cost of desexing out-of-pocket.

An 'unprofessional' charity, says consumer

Mr Hoyne said after multiple calls to PAWS Darwin and no date for a desexing appointment, he decided to visit their shopfront.

He said PAWS staff told him they had made an arrangement with a local vet to desex their adopted animals and Rosie had been put in the queue.

"So, I went around to the local vet … and their words were basically there was no arrangement with PAWS, and that if PAWS wanted a dog to be desexed, it would [need to] be cash in advance," he said.

Steve Hoyne was given an adoption agreement from PAWS which should have covered desexing and vaccinations. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)

Mr Hoyne said when he went back to PAWS to tell them what he had heard, "the story shifted".

"The in-house vet [at PAWS] had left and hence the need to go to external vets, but there wasn't sufficient cashflow to fund those desexing operations at the moment," Mr Hoyne recounted.

"On the kindest level, [PAWS's conduct] would be unprofessional."

The other four families the ABC spoke to said they were also told conflicting stories by the charity, and although some asked for a refund of the desexing portion of the adoption fee, they never received it.

While PAWS Darwin did not respond directly to the ABC's questions, in a statement the not-for-profit said they were "currently working towards ensuring all outstanding commitments are met" and apologised to their clients for their "recent lack of communication".

Steve Hoyne described his experiences with PAWS Darwin staff as "unprofessional". (ABC News: Pete Garnish)

Almost $213,000 of 'unmet liability'

Rakesh Gupta, an associate professor of accounting and finance at Charles Darwin University, reviewed PAWS Darwin's publicly accessible financial documents and said the charity had about "$212,000 of unmet liability".

"Which is a huge concern for a charity in terms of if all of these people start asking for money," Dr Gupta said.

Unmet liabilities is a broader term than debt and refers to all financial obligations a company has, not just money borrowed.

Rakesh Gupta reviewed PAWS's publicly accessible financial statements. (ABC News: Grace Atta)

Dr Gupta said it was possible PAWS had "unofficial agreements" with some of their creditors not reflected in the financial statements.

But he emphasised that regardless: "If we compare the previous year and the most recent year, which is 2024-ending, it doesn't look like things [their financial position] have improved over time."

"So they seem to be in big trouble."

Continued uptake of animals 'irresponsible'

In a statement, the Animal Welfare Branch of the NT's Department of Agriculture and Fisheries told the ABC officers from their team visited PAWS in May 2025, following the relocation of the charity's main site.

"PAWS advised the Animal Welfare Branch that they are no longer operating a commercial kennel or accepting further animals, however they will continue undertaking efforts to rehome the remaining animals in foster care," the statement read.

Despite this, in an email thread from late July seen by the ABC, PAWS Darwin volunteered to take on another undesexed dog from a local pound.

Charles Giliam believes PAWS Darwin has been "irresponsible" in taking more animals on. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)

Charles Giliam, the operations manager for RSPCA NT, said PAWS's conduct was "very disappointing" and painted "the industry in a bad light".

Mr Giliam said PAWS should have ceased all operations when they first realised they were facing significant financial difficulties.

"I would have expected them to do what I believe would be the honourable thing and stop taking animals in," he said.

Mr Giliam said pet owners impacted by PAWS's failure to provide the desexing service they paid for were facing being anywhere from $300 to $900 out-of-pocket, depending on the sex and size of the animal and the vet clinic chosen.

Luckily for Mr Hoyne, the Desexing Assistance Community Support group in Darwin heard of his situation and offered to pay for Rosie's surgery using money from their own fundraising efforts.

Mr Hoyne said there had been no further communication from PAWS Darwin.

Steve Hoyne was able to get Rosie desexed thanks to help from the Desexing Assistance Community Support group. (ABC News: Pete Garnish)

PAWS Darwin said in statement they received "no government support" and often operated at their "own expense".

"We believe deeply in the work we do. Even when operating on the skin of our teeth, we remain committed to honouring our promises and doing what’s right," the statement read.

Written by Grace Atta, ABC News.