There are 264 healthy dogs and cats killed every day on average across Australia, but animal welfare experts say this is preventable.

Normally animals that can be rehomed, meaning they are healthy and friendly, should not be euthanised.

But pets are being surrendered in record numbers as issues like the rising cost of living and the rental crisis impact the ability of Aussies to care for them.

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Craig Montgomery from Animal Welfare League Queensland (AWLQ) said pet owners are struggling to find affordable, animal-friendly accommodation, which is driving up the surrender rate.

Adoption rates have also plummeted after a lockdown peak when people were seeking companions to get them through the loneliness of isolation.

"Rental vacancies have reached critical levels across Australia and significantly impacted pet owners," Montgomery told 9news.com.au.

"These are mainly a result of people's weekly rent being drastically increased to the point where they can no longer afford to keep their much-loved pets."

Last year, 94,828 animals were handed over to the RSPCA.

That comprised of 19,221 dogs and 35,571 cats, along with rabbits, guinea pigs and various livestock.

The total number of animals surrendered to Australian shelters is estimated to be over 200,000 annually, according to PetKeen.com

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Just this week, a shelter in NSW that can no longer take in any more animals had 11 great danes brought in, the fourth litter from the same property in 10 months.

'Save a life': Aussie pets 'suffering mentally and physically'

With such low adoption rates, animals are facing euthanasia or prolonged stays in overloaded animal shelters, which causes them "a lot of distress", Mongomery said.

Shelters should be a "temporary stop in their journey" and while they do their best to provide a happy environment, Montgomery said the main goal is to find them a forever home and a loving family.

"Cats suffer from physical illness if they stay in shelters for too long, dogs suffer much worse mentally," he said.

"When you adopt, you save an animal's life but you also create another space for an animal to come into care, so really you are saving two lives."

Adoption is on average four times cheaper than buying from a breeder. It's also safer as illegal puppy farms are known to abandon litters and neglect animals. 

Montgomery has a message for the people spending thousands of dollars on designer dogs: "Check local shelters first, save a life instead".

Gemma the Blue Healer was on death row after giving birth to a litter and being dumped at a Dubbo vet.

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The dog spent the first three years of her life locked inside a concrete enclosure after being used for breeding.

Gemma was rescued by Australian Working Dog Rescue and that's how she met the woman who would give her a second chance.

Deirdre Bowie, from Bankstown, in Sydney's southwest, was looking for a companion after her husband died.

She saw Gemma on the shelter's website and fell in love.

The pair have overcome the trauma from Gemma's previous life, with the Blue Healer even struggling with simple things like walking on grass. 

"I took her for a walk in the bush and she couldn't cope… she would just freeze up," Bowie told 9news.com.au.

"Now, she runs through the bush, runs up and down on walks – she's so much more confident."

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They've been a family for two years now and Bowie said the "cuddly" dog brings love and laughter into her life.

"It's just me and Gemma, she makes a great companion," she said.

How can I adopt a pet? 

There are local animal shelters like the AWLQ in every state and territory across Australia, which have managed to rehome 92 per cent of the 11,740 animals given to them in last year.

The RSPCA also has a search-by-state option, where families can find animals in their state available for adoption. 

Those looking to add a furry member to the family are warned to ensure they are up for the challenge, as failed adoptions are also a factor in pets being returned to shelters.

"Dogs are a lot of work, you need to train them, you need to set boundaries and you have to know how to do that," Bowie said.

"They aren't just fluffy companions, they are sentient beings."

The Pentagon is tracking a suspected Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon over the continental United States, a senior defence official said on Thursday.

The Pentagon has been tracking the balloon for several days as it made its way over the northern United States, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder said.

He added that the US military decided against shooting the balloon down.

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The balloon's width is estimated to be equal to three buses, and it supports a base filled with surveillance technology.

"The balloon is currently travelling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground," Ryder said.

"We are confident that this high-altitude surveillance balloon belongs to the [People's Republic of China]," the senior defence official said.

"Instances of this activity have been observed over the past several years, including prior to this administration."

The official said the US government has engaged with the Chinese government both through the Chinese embassy in Washington and the US diplomatic mission in China.

The balloon "does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground," Ryder said.

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The balloon is assessed to have "limited additive value" from an intelligence collection perspective, the official said.

It was the "strong recommendation" of senior military leaders, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, "not to take kinetic action due to the risk to safety and security of people on the ground from the possible debris field," the official said.

The US believes Chinese spy satellites in low Earth orbit are capable of offering similar or better intelligence, limiting the value of whatever Beijing can glean from the high-altitude balloon.

"It does not create significant value added over and above what the PRC is likely able to collect through things like satellites in low Earth orbit," the official said.

The US government has engaged with the Chinese government both through the Chinese embassy in Washington and the US diplomatic mission in China, according to the official.

US national security officials have constantly warned about Chinese espionage efforts and the balloon's presence in the US comes at a sensitive moment with Secretary of State Antony Blinken expected to travel to Beijing in the coming days, a significant trip meant to follow up on President Joe Biden's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping last year.

Biden has declared China "America's most consequential geopolitical challenge" and competition between the two major global military powers is intense.

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Biden was briefed and took advice not to shoot balloon down

The president has been briefed on the balloon's movements and requested options on how to deal with it, according to a senior administration official.

Biden took Milley's advice not to order the balloon shot down and the official stressed that it does not pose a military threat emphasizing that the administration acted "immediately" to protect against the collection of sensitive information.

The senior defence official mentioned reports from Wednesday about a "ground stop" at Billings Airport in Montana, and the "mobilization of assets, including F-22s."

"The context for that was, it would put some things on station in the event that a decision was made to bring this down while it was over Montana," the official said. "So we wanted to make sure we were coordinating with civil authorities to empty out the airspace around that potential area."

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However, it was ultimately the "strong recommendation" of senior military leaders, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley, not to shoot it down due to the risk to safety of people on the ground.

"Why not shoot it down? We have to do the risk-reward here," the official said. "So the first question is, does it pose a threat, a physical kinetic threat, to individuals in the United States in the US homeland?"

Our assessment is it does not. Does it pose a threat to civilian aviation? Our assessment is it does not.

"Does it pose a significantly enhanced threat on the intelligence side? Our best assessment right now is that it does not.

"So given that profile, we assess the risk of downing it, even if the probability is low in a sparsely populated area of the debris falling and hurting someone or damaging property, that it wasn't worth it."

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Montana is home to fields of underground Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile silos, one potential target for Chinese espionage.

The senior defence official said on Thursday that if the risk level changes, the US "will have options to deal with this balloon."

"We have communicated to [Chinese officials] the seriousness with which we take this issue. … But we have made clear we will do whatever is necessary to protect our people and our homeland."

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An expected spring Russian offensive in Ukraine may come as early as the one-year anniversary of the war later this month – but will it be enough to save Vladimir Putin's hold on power in the Kremlin?

Putin has served continuously as Russian president or prime minister since 1999.

The Kremlin leader gambled on his "special military operation" launched on February 24, 2022, to reinforce his self-proclaimed role as an indispensable national figure.

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But instead the war has turned into a bloody quagmire for the Russian army and Putin that one expert believes has sent his iron rule into a death spiral.

Associate Professor Matthew Sussex from Australian National University said the war proved a massive misjudgment by Putin.

"There is no doubt the war is the beginning of the end for Putin after the failures of this war," he told 9news.com.au.

Despite holding major numerical advantages in manpower and weaponry early last year, the Russian military failed in its immediate objectives to seize Ukraine's capital Kyiv and topple the government of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Then after months of stalemate, Ukraine – supplied with advanced western weaponry – seized the initiative by launching a series of successful counteroffensives.

But despite his military's mauling and the Russian economy buckling under western sanctions, Sussex said Putin remains committed to continuing the unpopular war.

"Putin has made up his mind that the war goes on … there are strong signs the Russian army could be mustering a force of 300,000 men for a spring offensive."

Ukrainian military officials have said the offensive could begin as early as February 24, the one year anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Sussex said a long attritional war is one of the few options offering Putin any hope of staving off defeat.

"Putin is banking on a long war wearing down the Ukraine economy to a point of collapse … and western support waning in the next months," Sussex said.

Meaningful peace talks appear unlikely as Putin's reputation would be severely diminished at home if he returned from a costly war without meaningful territorial gains.

And the Ukraine government, energised by military successes and forthcoming supplies of western tanks and other weapons, is in no mood to concede.

But even any modest success in a new offensive is probably too late to save Putin's leadership in the long term, Sussex said.

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The chaotic performance of the Russian armed forces, blame-shifting between generals, and Putin's highly unpopular move to order a military mobilisation over the past year have been seismic blows to his standing.

They mean Putin will struggle to insulate himself from the failures of the war and his move to shift the blame to subordinates in the military, intelligence agencies and the Russian population could backfire.

"The result has been chaotic spaces where dissent can spread," Sussex said.

"And that could mean the targets of his blame game will say: 'We're sick of this guy, let's get rid of him.'" 

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Customers say they have been left in the lurch fighting to get thousands of dollars back for furniture that has yet to be delivered after an online retailer collapsed.

James Seddon ordered three bed frames for a total of $5000 from online furniture retailer Brosa in November last year to put into his first home in Victoria.

He told 9news.com.au the frames arrived damaged and the bed heads looked used so he scheduled a return and pick up under Brosa's return policy.

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"I'm building my first house, I'm due to move in and I'm unable to move in because I purchased the beds off Brosa and they arrived damaged," he said.

The bed frames were picked up on November 12 and Brosa told him over the phone a refund would be processed by December 14.

On December 14, Brosa collapsed into voluntary administration and a few days later was bought out by Kogan for $1.5 million after the furniture retailer had $24.2 million in liabilities and just $4.3 million in assets.

On Tuesday, administrators and creditors voted to liquidate Brosa entirely.

"I checked my bank on the 14th of December and there was still no refund. I called on this date and reached a voicemail to advise that they were in administration effective the 14th of December," he said.

Seddon claims he has contacted the administrator KordaMentha about the refund and the last email he received in early January pointed him to their website for more details.

He has now contacted his bank to raise a chargeback but has been told it could take 120 days and he has no written evidence of the incident.

"I'm $5000 out of pocket. I'm left with nothing, I have no furniture, no funds, I have nothing," he said.

"I'm left in the lurch."

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Joanna Starr experienced a similar situation with Brosa after ordering a sofa that was scheduled for delivery on December 19 but the company collapsed a few days earlier.

Starr holds no hope of her order being delivered or the thousands of dollars she spent being refunded.

"I have lost over $2000 and I have no sofa," she said.

She also claims to have repeatedly contacted Brosa, Kogan, KordaMentha and the courier ANC for an update on her furniture or a refund but has been met with silence.

"We have received zero answers and zero help since this whole thing began," she said.

"We have lost so much money and none of the involved parties cares."

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Brosa has $10 million worth of unfulfilled orders spanning about 5000 customers, including Starr and Seddon.

A KordaMentha spokesperson rejected claims that customers have not been contacted regarding the liquidation and their orders and says it has done its "utmost" to respond to all emails.

"If we have missed an email we do apologise," the spokesperson said.

"Unfortunately, it is not possible nor practical from a cost perspective for the Administrators to speak to each customer and they have received thousands of emails and many calls.

"To give them all personal face-to-face attention would have been an enormous cost that would have reduced the return to creditors."

The spokesperson said administrators continue to respond to customers and publish "frequently asked questions" documents online for unsecured creditors.

KordaMentha said there are two groups of customers: the first being customers whose orders have been located and Kogan will be delivering them.

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A Kogan spokesperson said the company is in the process of accounting for Brosa stock in Australian warehouses and is set to deliver the orders to customers.

"Kogan is undertaking the complex process of receipting stock from Brosa's warehouse and will update all relevant customers of allocated stock as soon as receipting is completed," the spokesperson said.

"This is expected to be before the end of February."

The second is customers whose orders cannot be found in warehouses, are manufactured overseas or are in transit. They have become unsecured creditors.

"The Administrators have no means of accessing these items because Brosa has no money to pay them and the manufacturers and transport companies will not supply unless they are paid," the KordaMentha spokesperson said.

Administrator Richard Tucker earlier stated the second group is unlikely to receive their orders or refunds.

"With limited cash to trade the business and material amounts owed to suppliers and couriers, there will be some customers who will not receive their orders," he said.

Both Seddon and Starr fall into the second category.

Both customers have been left frustrated by the situation but continue to seek answers.

"We will never see our furniture and have been left to bear the responsibility of trying to get our money back from our banks," Starr said.

"It makes me so angry," Seddon said.

READ MORE: Is Australia headed for a recession in 2023?

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Antidepressants are not an effective treatment for chronic pain, a University of Sydney study has found.

The research paper analysed more than 150 clinical trials and found Tricyclic antidepressants such as Amitriptyline helped with headaches, IBS and nerve pain but they offered no real relief for other pain conditions.

Leah Dwyer has been in pain for 15 years after suffering a fall while running, which triggered a neuromuscular condition.

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"It was all about pain daily nightly pain pain pain, constant," the 59-year-old said.

"Remember that time you woke up with a crick in your neck? That is how I feel every single morning, unable to rotate properly."

She was prescribed two anti-depressants to treat her chronic neck pain but neither worked.

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"It didn't change my pain experience it just made me really tired really nauseous and often dizzy."

It's long been thought antidepressants act on chemicals in the brain like serotonin to help relieve pain.

A University of Sydney-led review has found while some offer relief, most are ineffective.

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"Given that they are much more commonly prescribed for chronic pain, we did find evidence was they were ineffective or inconclusive," lead researcher Giovanni Ferreira said.

The study did, however, find Seratonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors such as Duloxetine were effective in treating back pain, knee osteoarthritis, postoperative pain, pain related to cancer treatment and nerve pain.

Ferreira said exercise is shown to be effective when treating chronic pain, while one key takeaway from the study is there is no quick fix.

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One woman was trapped under 3m of rubble below the high tide line.

Some say their homes should not be repaired or rebuilt, and the land returned to nature.

It was meant to be the country's first-ever concrete dome silo, but workers in Adelaide and locals were left stunned today as the 42-metre structure popped right in front of their eyes.

The dome, erected by the Hallett Group, was meant to hold the first large concrete Domesilo in Australia, with steel reinforcements due to be installed next week.

Unfortunately for its owners, Adelaide's gusty winds got to it first.

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"I was actually looking at it when it went boom… I'm working facing this way and bits went everywhere," witness Ben said.

An internal coating of foam, built to give the structure strength, was left strewn across the area.

"It looked like someone smashed a polystyrene box and it went off in the wind, that's basically it," Ben said.

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Erected just last week at Port Adelaide, the once-nearly-20-storey-tall structure now sits at ground level.

"I'd have a guess and say maybe the wind got it, because I would say there was no product in there at the time," Geoff Lobb, another witness, said.

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No one was injured during the collapse but firefighters were deployed to help secure the deflated dome.

The Hallett Group says an investigation into the dome's failure will soon begin – and hopes to have it back up soon.

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Ferry issued mayday on Saturday, all passengers waited in lifejackets after loss of power.

Police were called to the incident about 6.10pm this evening.