Bidding Madness Riles Locals At Blacktown Pound

[asal]

I too know Russ and he is a fabulous person. he needs all the backing he can get.

[BittyMooPeeb]

The tender system is a PITA for rescuers as well. To rescue a dog from Blacktown, the rescue group has to put the minimum bid on the dog, and hope that if a member of the public wants the dog they will put higher than the minimum on. If the dog then goes to rescue, the rescue group has to pay that minimum charge, and from memory you don't get anything for it except the dog. It would be so much simpler if they just let rescue put their name on a dog and it goes to them if due to be euthanased (which is what most pounds do)

For this reason we didn't often get dogs out of Blacktown pound - it was too hard! This might be why they have (apparently) high kill rates as they are not able to go outside their tender system to work with rescue. Plus it would also put off public purchasers.

And of course I agree with everyone that compulsory desexing would solve any problem of BYBs getting the dogs.

[reddog21]

I have spoken brieflyto Russ Dickens and will have another tonight. Please PM me or post your ideas for reform and we will try to get some changes in place.

[WreckitWhippet]

Cordy might be the one to talk to, I believe it was one of the main pounds that she dealt with .

[schnauzer]

I hate dealing with this pound - although the volunteers do the very best they can by the dogs.

When we bid for a dog there, we have to put an outrageous bid on the dog to make sure we get them instead of a puppy farmer. Rescuing from there costs a probhibitive amount, the big tender price plus all vet work. Kennel cough is also rampant.

Blacktown should release all dogs desexed - its a no brainer.

[Mila's Mum]

Rescue groups with a clause 16d are able to obtain dogs from the Pound at no cost, once the dogs have reached their due date, and if they have received no tenders.

Compulsory desexing shouldn't be that hard to implement. Logan Pound (Qld) sells females for $187 and males for $168 - this includes desexing, m'chipping, registration, vaccs etc. After the dog has been purchased it goes to a local vet for desexing - once desexed, the new owner collects the dog from the vet. Any dogs not collected are returned to the pound for resale. Can't see why a similar system wouldn't work for BP so they could get rid of that horrid tender system, and stop the trawling by bybs. Having a tender system doesn't stop bybs - it just makes them wait a bit longer. The only way to stop them is to have comp d/s before release.

If the pound is worried about losing money by doing away with the tender system, they could still recoup funds with the dogs that are sent to the uni for free desexing - the pound is still charging the new owner a fee (which includes desexing) but the pound is not paying for the surgery. If the uni doesn't have enough room for the dogs requiring d/s, then the overflow could go to local vets in the area. And if the dog is already d/s, then that is extra funds for the pound also bec they would still charge the same fees mentioned above.

I don't understand how, in this day and age, some pounds in major cities aren't leading the way and setting the right example by implementing compulsory desexing. Renbury and Canterbury Pounds have comp d/s - why can't the others?

Edited January 21, 2010 by Mila's Mum

[Steve]

Rescue groups with a clause 16d are able to obtain dogs from the Pound at no cost, once the dogs have reached their due date, and if they have received no tenders.

Compulsory desexing shouldn't be that hard to implement. Logan Pound (Qld) sells females for $187 and males for $168 - this includes desexing, m'chipping, registration, vaccs etc. After the dog has been purchased it goes to a local vet for desexing - once desexed, the new owner collects the dog from the vet. Any dogs not collected are returned to the pound for resale. Can't see why a similar system wouldn't work for BP so they could get rid of that horrid tender system, and stop the trawling by bybs. Having a tender system doesn't stop bybs - it just makes them wait a bit longer. The only way to stop them is to have comp d/s before release.

If the pound is worried about losing money by doing away with the tender system, they could still recoup funds with the dogs that are sent to the uni for free desexing - the pound is still charging the new owner a fee (which includes desexing) but the pound is not paying for the surgery. If the uni doesn't have enough room for the dogs requiring d/s, then the overflow could go to local vets in the area. And if the dog is already d/s, then that is extra funds for the pound also bec they would still charge the same fees mentioned above.

I don't understand how, in this day and age, some pounds in major cities aren't leading the way and setting the right example by implementing compulsory desexing. Renbury and Canterbury Pounds have comp d/s - why can't the others?

Is this run by council or is it privately run?

Please inform Russ Dickens that the MDBA are happy to offer him support.

Julie

[reddog21]

So the two main issues are:

1) Desexing of all animals leaving the pound.

2) looking at the biding system to see if there are better systems

If compulsory desexing is introduced then that will take to BYB out of the bidding equation. Then, if the dogs are desexed they can then be microchipped and vet checked ready for the customer to pick up.

I think this will mean higher costs for the customer but I don't consider $200-$400 ( nominal figure) to be too much to pay for a pet.

Rescue groups could get a discount, but the main work would still be done.

The bidding system is a seperate issue. If people can't list a pet on ebay why can the bid through an auction at a pound?

The ownership of the companion rather that an object is more important, in my opinion.

Can somebody tell me how a successful pound is run and how rescue groups differ from the public?

[Mila's Mum]

Is this run by council or is it privately run?

Please inform Russ Dickens that the MDBA are happy to offer him support.

Julie

It's a Council run pound

Here's the link

http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/LCC/residents/animals/animal+net

And here's info on the For Sale program

http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/LCC/residents/...saleprogram.htm

(just as well I looked - I notice the price of the dogs has gone up - females now $199 and males $180, and cats only $50)

The also have a Seniors for Seniors program

http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/LCC/residents/...sforseniors.htm

Edited February 3, 2010 by Mila's Mum

[Steve]

Is this run by council or is it privately run?

Please inform Russ Dickens that the MDBA are happy to offer him support.

Julie

It's a Council run pound

Here's the link

http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/LCC/residents/animals/animal+net

And here's info on the For Sale program

http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/LCC/residents/...saleprogram.htm

(just as well I looked - I notice the price of the dogs has gone up - females now $199 and males $180, and cats only $50 - I list them on petrescue so I will need to update the prices asap)

The also have a Seniors for Seniors program

http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/LCC/residents/...sforseniors.htm

Sorry my question was about how Blacktown was run - I know now its run by council but the links look like thats a good way for a pound to run.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Steve

[Loving my Oldies]

Agree totally. I had no idea these dogs went out entire. I thought all rescue facilities desexed before rehoming. Weird.

A pound is not a rescue facility.

Delving into the depths of my memory, I believe Logan Pound was one of the first pounds to actually have a website. I remember reading about it in Dogs Life! many years ago and being absolutely gobsmacked at the innovation.

What an absolutely pathetic argument to say the bidding system was introduced to stop BYB and Puppy Millers. Typical of politicians.

As plenty have said: if you want to stop the Puppy Millers and BYBers, desex the animals.

Edited January 22, 2010 by Mother Moocher

[FEDIIE]

i think if they changed the tender system to a set fee including desexing they would be quite surprised.....

where i work we have complusary desexing and a set fee....the set fee has been in place for many years, but the compulasry desexing has been in place for only a few and i feel the change to compulsary has been for the better.....the adoptions of our dogs have increased and have been consistant since.....when people are told that they are paying for the vet work and not the dog and are told what is included in the sale of the dog 99.8% are pleasantly surprised....

its all about changing the way you do things and some people dont like change .... and as some have put it losing money

[Christina]

Disgusting in every aspect.

If they don't want to spend the money desexing they could let new owners choose a dog, get them to pay & come back for the dog in a few days. Genuine people would wait a few days.

That way they don't have to spend on those who don't find a home & have the money to desex etc on those that do.

Quite simple really.

[Bartok]

Helen from AWL has been working with BCC for a long time now and it is due to ppl

like her that even the beds have improved at Blacktown Pound

I agree that all dogs should be desexed before being rehomed, but remember Blacktown isn't the

only pound in Sydney that doesn't desex dogs.

I don't like or agree with the tender system.

I think the price of adoptions should rise to cover vacc, chip & desex

They do have dog walkers now at Blacktown so that is a positive for the dogs.

The conditions there are better then what they used to be.

[Mila's Mum]

Here is a LINK to a thread in the General Rescue Section relating to a news item on Channel 7 the other night.

See also Post 30 which provides contact details of who to complain to, if you would like to see changes at Blacktown Pound.

[darlingdog]

A Blacktown Council spokeswoman said the bidding system was introduced to discourage semi-professional and backyard breeders who would go to the pound every morning and buy the desirable animals.

What a load of dog crap. It's money - pure and simple. Why the hell arent they desexing before offloading dogs anyway?

I live in Queensland . I'm not a breeder just a pet owner. I had decided I had room for another dog here and wanted to help one out that was in need as there is no formal breed rescue for my favourite breed.

A bitch was on Blacktown pound web so a DOLer close by to Blacktown went to see her and put in a bid on my behalf. We had no idea of what to tender though would have been happy to tender whatever was necessary to get her out of there. I was also horrified to know that she would not be desexed before leaving. We were not successful and I was so worried that she would go to a byb or puppy farm but fortunately my DOLer friend stayed around and met the people who had got her and it was a lovely family which was a big relief to us.

The whole experience was just ridiculous, like raffling dogs off in my opinion and really needs looking in to especially the entire dogs and bitches being let go back out into the community to breed even more for the pounds and shelters.

I have since adopted from the RSPCA in Sydney who went to a lot of trouble to try to find a rescue for this pup (he was not deemed suitable for general adoption) . One of the other breed rescues they contacted had my details and so he came to live with me. I notice there is a lot of condemnation of the RSPCA on some of the threads. The ladies in the Sydney shelter went above and beyond to find a home for my new pup and my experience of adopting him from interstate was very positive unlike the experience with Blacktown pound.

I hope those of you who are local can put pressure on your council to make some big changes. Cheers.

[Mila's Mum]

Hello darlingdog

I sincerely hope you will send emails to the three contacts listed in the Post 30 link mentioned above. Cr Alan Pendleton, one of two councillors on the Blacktown City Council Companion Animals Management Advisory Sub-Committee, has publicly opposed mandatory desexing of dogs and cats from Blacktown Pound on a number of occasions at public meetings .

Please, for the sake of all the poor souls at Blacktown Pound (past, present and future), please, please everyone, write to this Councillor (and cc in the other two mentioned as well) and voice your strong opposition to the current system of releasing to the public without desexing. I hear too many horror stories of the types of people who trawl through Blacktown Pound specifically tarageting undesexed dogs, and dread to think what sort of fate has befallen the poor dogs that have been released to them.

[darlingdog]

Hello darlingdog

I sincerely hope you will send emails to the three contacts listed in the Post 30 link mentioned above. Cr Alan Pendleton, one of two councillors on the Blacktown City Council Companion Animals Management Advisory Sub-Committee, has publicly opposed mandatory desexing of dogs and cats from Blacktown Pound on a number of occasions at public meetings .

Please, for the sake of all the poor souls at Blacktown Pound (past, present and future), please, please everyone, write to this Councillor (and cc in the other two mentioned as well) and voice your strong opposition to the current system of releasing to the public without desexing. I hear too many horror stories of the types of people who trawl through Blacktown Pound specifically tarageting undesexed dogs, and dread to think what sort of fate has befallen the poor dogs that have been released to them.

Hi Mila's mum, no problem I will do that now. Cheers.

[carrie]

``It’s discrimination against people (on a limited income) who can’t afford to buy a dog, but who want to rescue a dog.’’

If you can't afford to buy the dog, then you can't afford to own a dog and $400 is a very reasonable price.

EXACTLY what I was about to say. Agreed 100%. $400 is very reasonable.

[Mila's Mum]

http://blacktown-advocate.whereilive.com.a...ven-a-pounding/

And have a read of the comments at the bottom of the article, including those by Cr Nick Tyrrell