Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick will raise the plight of the Wodonga Dog Rescue with the Victorian government.
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Mr Meddick met with members and saw Wodonga's former pound, which the rescue wants reopened.
He intends to raise the issue during his member's statement at the Legislative Council sitting in Bright on Thursday.
Mr Meddick will seek the agreements Wodonga Council has with the operators of the Albury pound, where animals from five shires are taken.
"The public should have assurance that there is a process in place that's adhered to," he said.
The council says without a significant upgrade, the site does not meet the Victorian standards for use for long stays or as a shelter or rescue facility.
Mr Meddick agreed the disused site was inadequate.
"I'm looking at the size of the building, and it's quite small, in comparison to what I perceive to be the population of the area," he said.
But Mr Meddick told volunteers funding should be secured.
Member Peta McRae said the group needed some sort of facility to keep up with demand and detailed cross-border issues to Mr Meddick.
"If we get a dog out of Albury pound, we have to pay NSW registration and put them on the NSW companion animals register, even though they're coming back to Victoria," she said.
"So we have to pay $44 to get them out of the pound in NSW, then they come back here and get registered, which Wodonga council isn't charging us for, which we appreciate.
"So when we do a change of ownership, if the dog's going anywhere, we have to do two lots of paperwork."
While the pound, only accessible during opening hours as part of the waste management facility, is being kept for emergencies.
But Ms McRae said it wasn't opened at the rescue's request during Black Summer.
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"I was overloaded with dogs from the Beechworth prison, other people's dogs and the pound would not open," she said.
Council will present a report on animal management options to the May meeting, after receiving a petition about services.
Council is due to renew its Domestic Animal Management Plan; in 2017, one in three dogs picked up by a ranger went straight home, 82 per cent of impounded dogs were collected by their owners and 10 per cent were re-homed.
Eight per cent were deemed unsuitable for homing and were euthanised.