Sophie's

Legacy

Saving the people who

save

our animals

What is Sophie's Legacy

Dr. Sophie Putland was a daughter, a sister, a friend, and a beloved vet, who tragically took her own life in September 2021. The pressure of the veterinary profession, including client abuse, became overwhelming for her.

On average, a vet dies by suicide approximately

every 12 weeks.

Family and friends established Sophie’s Legacy to honour her memory and advocate for change within the industry. We are determined to see all veterinary staff thrive. Happy vets equals happy pets too, right?

Our cause has resonated worldwide, and we believe we are already making a difference.

Learn more

Let's Gala!

Tickets to Raise a Glass for Hope - our inaugural Cocktail Gala Party - are available now.

Come, let your hair down, and revel in a night that celebrates the wonderful work of those who work in the veterinary industry.

You can expect a dazzling night of laughter, drinks and delectable food.

When: Saturday, October 18
Where: Adelaide Convention Centre
How much: $150 per person

Tickets are limited. Get yours before they’re gone!

A big shout out to our wonderful sponsors for helping to make this possible!

Book Now

Raise a glass for hope!

Did you know?

Pet ownership in Australia has reached a record 69% which has skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic

That's one vet for every 2,026 pets, and that doesn't include horses, wildlife and livestock.

There are 15,000 vets in Australia to look after pets.

And many hundreds more vets will be needed over the next few years.

Making a bright future for everyone

Keen to help out?

Like us, you love animals and are grateful for the wonderful people who care for them.

Support them by understanding the issues they face, dispelling the myths, and spreading our message far and wide.

Help vets

Needing Support?

We know your calling is to care but carrying the load isn’t always easy.

Having access to helpful tools and training is important and we’ve gathered some for you.

Let us share some love.

Get Help

Offering Support?

There are plenty of ways to help us. People have run marathons, staged events, donated sales – even sold nude calendars!

We’d love you in our community.

We’re stronger together.

Help out

Will you make The Promise?

We created The Promise when we launched "We're Only Human", our National Education Campaign to honour Sophie and help stem the shocking suicide rate among veterinarians.

The campaign asks pet and animal owners to make the promise to be kind and respectful and to understand the massive pressures impacting staff.

Knowledge is powerful. And kindness is contagious.

Make The Promise

The latest…

Calling on Veterinarians for Important Research

We are very supportive of any work that aims to help prevent suicide among veterinarians.

Sophie’s Dad, Garry, has been part of the lived experience advisory group for Queensland veterinarian, Dr Alena Gadoury, regarding her vital PhD research on suicide prevention.

Alena is inviting all registered veterinarians across Australia to take part in her anonymous survey, which seeks to understand the extent of suicidality in the veterinary profession and what factors may contribute to it. It takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.

This research has been approved by Griffith University’s Human Research Ethics Committee (GU ref no: 2025/045) and aims to inform future suicide prevention strategies via some actionable insights.

Your contribution to this research is a meaningful step towards helping to prevent suicide and save lives.

Start the Survey

Short Courses that Give Back!

We're excited to have the Australian College of Veterinary Nursing (ACVN) support our charity and empower veterinary nurses at the same time.

For every short course sold between August 4, 2025, and January 25, 2026, ACVN will donate $50 to Sophie's Legacy.

The goal is to raise $25k in 25 weeks.

There's never been a better time to upskill…

Learn More

Sign up now for City-Bay!

We'd love to expand our team of runners, walkers and fundraisers for this year's City-Bay. And joining is easy.

Simply access the website: my.city-bay.org.au

➡️ register/login

➡️ register for 2025 as a solo registration

➡️ input your details

➡️ do you want to join a team – scroll to Sophie’s Legacy

➡️ do you want to fundraise for Sophie's Legacy – click yes then find us on the page

➡️ click on 'collection from Expo' for the bib (we’ll collect and arrange a pickup day)

➡️ Stay across your emails for updates from us about a fun-filled race day!

Race Day is Sunday, September 21.

City-Bay Website

Support from Greencross and the Petbarn Foundation

We are incredibly excited to announce that Greencross Vets have partnered with the Petbarn Foundation to support us via the sale of some seriously cute hedgehogs and terrifically handy tote bags.

The merchandise will be sold through Greencross Vet clinics in 2025, with all profits going directly to Sophie’s Legacy.

Established in 2012, the Petbarn Foundation has donated over $27m to help animal welfare groups and rescue organisations throughout Australia, and continues to support thousands of pets, animals and the people who love and care for them every day.

We are so grateful for this joint gesture and the core messaging that’s accompanying it; to treat veterinary staff with kindness and respect every time you visit.

About the Foundation

Spreading compassion. Inspiring change.

Powerful Posters and Submissions to Parliament

In June 2024, we launched our Lost Campaign, inviting you to sign our petition so we could lobby for government policy and industry change to provide more mental health support for vet professionals.

Our ambition was to get 10,000 signatures across six months. We had over 11,000 within three.

We are grateful for your support and indebted to the wonderful volunteers across the country who handed out Lost flyers to individuals, libraries, shopping centres and community venues to help spread the word.

Thanks also to Showpony, who designed the flyer and Lost video, for their creative vision and helping to ensure the campaign was seen across multiple platforms nationwide, including the back of buses, in shelters, and across billboards.

Sophie’s Legacy has already contributed to the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Veterinary Workforce Shortages and made a submission to the South Australian Inquiry into Veterinarian Mental Health and Wellbeing. You can read more about this work and get access to footage and the submissions via our Strategic Plan.

Lost posters are still available for download. And the petition remains open. Because the more support we have, the louder our message will be.

Lost Campaign Video

Petition Count

We continue to receive wonderful feedback on the impact of our We’re Only Human posters. Stories of improved respect towards vet staff and tales of treats and thanks too. You can still grab one of these as well.

You can help make all the difference

Thank You

To our incredible community—thank you. Your generosity, passion, and commitment continue to create

meaningful change.

To those who have started a campaign, your dedication inspires us all. You’ve turned ideas into action and given people a way to support causes that matter.

And to every donor, your contributions, big and small, have made a real impact. Your kindness fuels these campaigns and helps bring hope, support, and change to those in need.

Together, we are stronger. Together, we make a difference.

Our Campaigns

Our impact so far...

Now I know better, I do better, and explain to others.

Thank you for setting Sophie’s Legacy up and speaking up for veterinarians who deserve better.

Sophie’s Legacy is a true beacon of hope and help.