Scallywags DOGrescue

From the original facebook page My name is Tash, around 15 months ago I belonged to White Shepherd Rescue Australia, a wonderful group dedicated to the rehoming of a wonderful breed. Fortunately for us and the breed, at the time, we did not have a lot to do so I came up with the idea of starting an all breeds rescue group. When I was the coordiantor of WSRA, I invited a lady called Lynda Smith to join our team as a foster carer. Lynda was excellent with dogs, patient and kind, assisting these dogs in becoming the best that they could be. I liked her style so I got her on the team. I was speaking to Lynda one night about the wasted resources we had at WSRA and our ability to do more. With full support of the team I invited Lynda to join me on my journey to set up an all breeds dog rescue. I found another lady along the way, Karen, she helped us set up some contacts also, she is no longer with us. There was a huge job in front of us and every spare moment I had, I put in to the group. I built a website, developed policies, systems, finances, contacts networks, documents, online forms and this facebook page. I decided Lynda was a calm and intelligent individual who would make a good president, so I appointed her as that. I was experienced as a group coordiantor due to my background knowledge and leadership skills so that was my role on top of the overwhelming amount of systems that continually needed work. We then madly started to recruit foster carers with a tiny little base. It was so difficult in the early days, we worked 16 hour days to get things going. There was a need for more help and fast. I asked a lady who I knew from dog club if she could foster a dog for me. her name was Trudy. Trudy showed a lot of dedication to her role as a foster carer, so I asked her on to the team to help with some paperwork. She was very efficient so I made her our secretary. I also invited another foster carer i recruited on to the team to help in the Western Region. Her name is Maryanne. So, we started to build slowly. I saw potential in a foster carer called Anna, she helped with setting up as a charity. I took a call from a rescue fan one day called Ruth. She started to help us with donations. We developed a friendship so I put her on the team to help with the bookeeping, she is now treasurer. Then there was the lovely Joy Martin, a passionate, intelligent animal welfare advocate, so I snapped her up straight away to help with marketing. It was a massive amount of work to train all these members for their roles as they had never been in rescue before, and there is a huge amount to learn!! Ruth then developed a friendship with a lady who adopted a dog from us and decided she would be a good foster care coordiantor, so she put her on the team a few months back. Her name is Julie. Scallywags turned 1, 2 weeks ago. I am so proud of what I created but it is time for me to go. My goal was to create an ethical, transparent, and professional team. Most of the team is still here and hopefully continues to save lives in the way I set it up, responsibly and ethically. I hope the members continue to educate themselves, grow and learn from others. I would like to thank the past members for their contributions to date, with special thanks to the wonderful Naomi Jones for all of her support and dedication to rescue as a whole. Sad to announce that the wonderful Joy Martin resigned form the committee yesterday, a huge loss. xx I no longer have any association with Scallywags Dog Rescue, its members or its dogs. I thankyou from the botom of my heart for all of your wonderful support and for allowing me to create my dream of saving the lives of 100's of dogs. Please continue to support dog rescue. Foster, donate, task assist. There are some excellent Victorian Rescue Groups all worthy of support. Thankyou so much for everything. I will be floating around the Victorian rescue system, so please if you want assistance do not hesitate to contact me [email protected] Farewell, and love you all xx

Tash, Co-founder of Scallywags Dog Rescue is no longer involved with the group, its members or the dogs.

we dont need that, but thanks anyway. You selected the best home ever for that beautiful Mildura Whippet we took in AND 2 of us are Whippet owners lol. We acknowledge the work you do and everyone needs a helping hand every now and then!! Could you email please instead of pm so I can communicate straight back on email. Cheers!

send us your bank details ( [email protected] ) and book the transport. We have just organised an "in house" chip in to cover the $250 transport costs to get those poor dogs under your wing.

What needs to be done to get them out to you asap?

What state are you in sorry? Sometimes this can be a problem depending on how you are set up. National can be quite difficult as Inc. Only means you can operate in your state alone unless you register with ASIC. Sometimes the insurance companies will take this in to account of you are not registered as a company limited by guarantee (that gives you the ability an be covered Nationally. If you want to email us I can send you some more info as to what our insurance covers etc.

Very sorry this happened, we don't accept any money until the dog is with us in our care as there have been times where people donated straight away, and the dog was adopted straight from the pound. When this has happened we promptly returned the funds. Don't be too disheartened by one bad egg. Thanks for all you have contributed to rescue dogs.

Because Pound Rounds refuse to answer privately. I guess people got fed up. fair enough. Still, I hope this resolves.

Yup, but the issue here is that some checking prior and after placing animals from this rescue group would have possibly prevented many of these issues. The attempted cover up of many of these issues just makes it worse Groups need to remove certain posts or they would no longer exist, that is why a phone number and email is always a good idea. Why do people feel they need personal questions publicly answered? Its obviously the new trend. Once the facts have been substantiated then take a course of action, if it is indeed detrimental to the public or rescue as a whole. Why would someone sell themselves out on a facebook wall? I do understand what you are saying though. If the incident did occur and the group in question was entirely at fault, then I suppose a lot more respect is gained with a public statement inclusive of measures that will be implemented to ensure things don't happen again. Its hard to know unless all the facts are at hand.

Thankyou, no need to see the cases, just wondering how many were due to handler error (due to a variety of reasons). I have seen groups torn to shreds over situations that were caused by incidents beyond their control. Obviously the amount of incidents of late with the group in question do scream out for risk minimisation plans to be implemented urgently. The group would be great if it concentrated on exposure, fundraising and foster carer pooling for established rescue groups. With people and dogs you just cant afford to take any risks, rescue just doesnt work unless its done properly. Sad. I hope the situation can resolve and the group can start to operate a safe, controlled and transparent system. we havent had dealings with this group, but I know some VIC groups who have, and havent had problems. Perhaps its because they are just dealing with the rescue groups directly, and leaving the public out of it. I wonder if there are some NSW groups who would be willing to sit down and have a meeting with this group to see how they could improve their processes and reduce risk?

What facts are you referring to Scallywags Dog Rescue? All the incidents that have been aired publicly.

What are the current proven facts right now about the group in question, how have they been validated?

If this pup came from a pet shop the legal age must be 8 weeks. From the DPI: 2.4 Sale of Animals All dogs and cats sold must have a vaccination certificate signed by a veterinarian stating that the animal has been vaccinated in accordance with the label instructions of the manufacturer of the vaccine. The certificate must indicate the next date for further vaccination and any obvious defects. No animal with a potentially life threatening defect apparent at the time should be sold. All animals offered for sale must be weaned and fully self sufficient. Minimum age of animals for sale must be: Dogs 8 weeks Cats 8 weeks Rabbits 5 weeks Guinea Pigs 4 weeks Mice 3 weeks Juvenile birds must be self sufficient and should be fully feathered (moult permitting). Unweaned animals must not be on the premises. No animal suspected of being sick, injured or diseased may be sold. All animals must be free of external parasites and dogs and cats must have been treated for internal worms. Reptiles with active lesions should not be sold. From the DPI for breeders: 10. Breeding and reproduction Minimum Standards A breeding dog must be fit, healthy and free of disease. Dogs with a known history of physical or genetic defects (that will affect the dog or its progeny’s quality of life) must not be used for breeding. Females must not be bred before they are 12 months old, to ensure they are physically fully grown. Veterinary advice must be sought immediately if there are any concerns about a pregnancy or labour. Puppies must not be separated from the mother before 7 weeks of age and not be sold or given away until 8 weeks of age or older. Recommended Best Practice If it is not intended to use a male or female dog for responsible breeding purposes, they should be desexed by a veterinarian. Desexing can be done safely from 8 weeks of age and preferably before puberty (4-6 months). Before breeding, dogs should be health-checked by a veterinarian. This will include checking for any known breed genetic defects (that will affect the dog or its progeny’s quality of life). Inherited defects may detract from the dog’s overall health and cause pain or discomfort that cannot be cured and animals with such defects should not be bred from. Regardless of breed, bitches should be at least 12 months old and in their second season before being mated for the first time. For the larger dog breeds, the recommended age for first breeding is generally 18 months old, i.e. when the bitch is fully grown and mature. Bitches should not be mated to have more than two litters in an 18-month period. For the larger breeds, this should be not more than 2 litters per 24 month period. Guidelines Desexing has positive welfare and health benefits for dogs as well as reducing any tendency to stray, particularly in male dogs. Dogs do not ‘need’ to have a litter of puppies for their psychological or physical welfare. If you intend to breed from a dog, contact a veterinarian to obtain information on health, nutrition and birth procedures. Dog associations such as the Victorian Canine Association can also assist with information on responsible breeding. Gestation (pregnancy) is generally about nine weeks. A pregnant bitch has increased health requirements and requires regular veterinary checks during the pregnancy. A suitable warm and protected environment should be provided for the bitch to give birth. Most bitches will complete labour in around 6 hours with no more than one hour between pups. If thebitch or pups appear distressed or there seems to be delays in the labour contact a veterinarian promptly. Owners inexperienced in the birthing of bitches should seek advice from their veterinarian or an experienced breeder and preferably have an experienced person present. Contact a veterinarian if there are any concerns over the labour.