Rspca Shelters In Uk To Turn Away Unwanted Pets And Strays

[gillbear]

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/rspca...0-1225856071929

THE RSPCA will turn away stray or unwanted pets from animal shelters in the UK from next month to cut costs and focus on policing animal cruelty, according to a memo obtained by Channel 4 news.

The decision could affect as many as 75,000 unwanted animals a year which are currently taken to RSPCA centres across England and Wales, The Times reported.

It comes after the animal welfare charity admitted that the number of abandoned pets is soaring.

The documents show that from May 4, some 17 RSPCA animal centers will only take in animals which are “RSPCA generated”, which means seized by inspectors in cruelty cases or those which are at immediate risk or cruelty.

Pets belonging to people who are taken into hospital, evicted from their homes or are simply unwanted or found as strays will from that date normally be turned away.

The move has been criticised by vets and animal lovers who called it a “dereliction of duty.”

The RSPCA is Britain’s eighth largest charity, with an income of £119 million ($196m) in 2008.

The move comes as the organisation is making savings of £54 million ($89m) over three years, with donations falling due to the recession.

Read more about the RSPCA at The Times.

[spottychick]

Disgusting! How can they justify this and happily sit there counting all that money. But it's what I've come to expect from the RSPCA

A lady was chatting with me at a cafe yesterday about my adopted dally Tango. We had a long discussion about the ins and outs of taking on an adult dog with a "history". She said she'd been thinking of buying a puppy but I had made her think that rescuing a dog is a better idea. She said she was going to visit the RSPCA tomorrow and see if they had anything like a Golden Retriever or labrador she could adopt because she likes that kind of breed.

My immediate response was NO don't go there. Check out the Tassie Dogs home or find out if there's a GR or Labrador specific rescue group and go with them. I gave her a run down on the RSPCA and she was shocked and appalled. I think it's a tragedy that the RSPCA has fallen so far that I find myself warning people away from them.

[WreckitWhippet]

THE RSPCA will turn away stray or unwanted pets from animal shelters in the UK from next month to cut costs and focus on policing animal cruelty, according to a memo obtained by Channel 4 news.

So much for all creatures great and small

[Dogawne]

Wouldn't turning animals away encourage the owners to just dump them in the streets etc, or worse, kill them etc??

[darlingdog]

Disgusting! How can they justify this and happily sit there counting all that money. But it's what I've come to expect from the RSPCA

A lady was chatting with me at a cafe yesterday about my adopted dally Tango. We had a long discussion about the ins and outs of taking on an adult dog with a "history". She said she'd been thinking of buying a puppy but I had made her think that rescuing a dog is a better idea. She said she was going to visit the RSPCA tomorrow and see if they had anything like a Golden Retriever or labrador she could adopt because she likes that kind of breed.

My immediate response was NO don't go there. Check out the Tassie Dogs home or find out if there's a GR or Labrador specific rescue group and go with them. I gave her a run down on the RSPCA and she was shocked and appalled. I think it's a tragedy that the RSPCA has fallen so far that I find myself warning people away from them.

I find it appalling that you would actually warn someone off going to check out the dogs at the RSPCA !! The ones up for adoption have been health checked and temp tested, for goodness sake !! Whatever your feelings about the organisation are, it's irresponsible to bad mouth them to someone who may have given one of the dogs a home. Better to have given her the OPTION of the other rescue groups to consider as well. There are a lot of very dedicated workers in the RSPCA who are working on the coal face as it were and it is a sad and sorry state of affairs when other dog lovers cannot support them in the work they do. Yes there are problems as in any large organisation but badmouthing and running down does nothing to address the issues. I have recently adopted a purebred dog of my favourite breed from the Sydney shelter. He had failed his temp test so could not be adopted out to Jo public. The staff there went to a great deal of trouble to find a home for him as there was no breed rescue in place and with a lot of phoning about they were told I might help out. I have nothing but admiration for what the staff are doing and my experience of dealing with them was totally positive from start to finish. I personally do not agree with some of the policies but publicly bashing them will not change anything .As with most big organisations I am thinking that the way things are done probably differ from shelter to shelter on many points depending on how well managed they are from the ground up. I can actually understand how the UK organisation is thinking, I imagine they are so overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of animals in need that it is necessary at some point to drawer a line in the sand. Cruelty cases must have an advocate and be a priority surely. Before you jump in and flame me about all the other animals being abandoned and needing help etc, I am well aware that it is a huge problem, I have no idea what the answer to it all is but bad mouthing the RSPCA will not help in any way. If you hate the policies so much here in Australia then get involved and start trying to do something from the inside or as an organised group to lobby for change.

[WreckitWhippet]

I refer people who want to adopt a rescue dog to reputable rescues. I warn them away from the RSPCA too.

[sandgrubber]

So, what's new. The RSPCA here puts you on a long, long wait list if you want to turn your dog over for rehoming. That's just a polite way of saying, 'go elsewhere, we're full to capacity'. If they are full to capacity, that may be the right thing to do.

[fifi]

Lets hope they are turning their attention to REAL cruelty cases, not pursuing ethical breeders to ride the media wave after Crufts.

And the money would be better spent on subsidised desexing programmes and closing down puppy farms.

fifi

[WreckitWhippet]

Lets hope they are turning their attention to REAL cruelty cases, not pursuing ethical breeders to ride the media wave after Crufts.

And the money would be better spent on subsidised desexing programmes and closing down puppy farms.

fifi

I see you too are a fellow cynic

[fifi]

Lets hope they are turning their attention to REAL cruelty cases, not pursuing ethical breeders to ride the media wave after Crufts.

And the money would be better spent on subsidised desexing programmes and closing down puppy farms.

fifi

I see you too are a fellow cynic

;) YEP !!!

I wonder if all those dear little old rich ladies who have left them massive bequests over the years, ever thought their money would be used to hunt down good people while strays and needy animals are left to fend for themselves.

fifi

[Chocolatelover]

Disgusting! How can they justify this and happily sit there counting all that money. But it's what I've come to expect from the RSPCA

A lady was chatting with me at a cafe yesterday about my adopted dally Tango. We had a long discussion about the ins and outs of taking on an adult dog with a "history". She said she'd been thinking of buying a puppy but I had made her think that rescuing a dog is a better idea. She said she was going to visit the RSPCA tomorrow and see if they had anything like a Golden Retriever or labrador she could adopt because she likes that kind of breed.

My immediate response was NO don't go there. Check out the Tassie Dogs home or find out if there's a GR or Labrador specific rescue group and go with them. I gave her a run down on the RSPCA and she was shocked and appalled. I think it's a tragedy that the RSPCA has fallen so far that I find myself warning people away from them.

I find it appalling that you would actually warn someone off going to check out the dogs at the RSPCA !! The ones up for adoption have been health checked and temp tested, for goodness sake !! Whatever your feelings about the organisation are, it's irresponsible to bad mouth them to someone who may have given one of the dogs a home. Better to have given her the OPTION of the other rescue groups to consider as well. There are a lot of very dedicated workers in the RSPCA who are working on the coal face as it were and it is a sad and sorry state of affairs when other dog lovers cannot support them in the work they do. Yes there are problems as in any large organisation but badmouthing and running down does nothing to address the issues. I have recently adopted a purebred dog of my favourite breed from the Sydney shelter. He had failed his temp test so could not be adopted out to Jo public. The staff there went to a great deal of trouble to find a home for him as there was no breed rescue in place and with a lot of phoning about they were told I might help out. I have nothing but admiration for what the staff are doing and my experience of dealing with them was totally positive from start to finish. I personally do not agree with some of the policies but publicly bashing them will not change anything .As with most big organisations I am thinking that the way things are done probably differ from shelter to shelter on many points depending on how well managed they are from the ground up. I can actually understand how the UK organisation is thinking, I imagine they are so overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of animals in need that it is necessary at some point to drawer a line in the sand. Cruelty cases must have an advocate and be a priority surely. Before you jump in and flame me about all the other animals being abandoned and needing help etc, I am well aware that it is a huge problem, I have no idea what the answer to it all is but bad mouthing the RSPCA will not help in any way. If you hate the policies so much here in Australia then get involved and start trying to do something from the inside or as an organised group to lobby for change.

Totally agree - and lets not forget that humans create the need for this organisation in the first place.

On one hand people are appalled because the RSPCA will turn people away when they decide they have "had enough" of their devoted canine companion. On the other some admit to warning people off rescuing from the RSPCA. So what is the RSPCA to do? If less people rescue a dog through them and people continue to dump unwanted pets on them then it isn't hard to work out what will happen. They either have to refuse them (and cop the backlash) or PTS (and cop the backlash). The hypocrisy so often revealed on this forum is amazing!!

Direct your energies and anger at the pet dumpers and animal abusers - they are the cause of the problem. The RSPCA and rescue are only treating the symptoms.

[WreckitWhippet]

Less policing from the RSPCA , more caring for "all creatures great and small" and butting out of issues that don't concern them and it would be problem solved.

I don't give to them, don't adopt from them and do not support them in anyway and I encourage my family, friends and anyone I meet to do the same.

[Chocolatelover]

Less policing from the RSPCA , more caring for "all creatures great and small" and butting out of issues that don't concern them and it would be problem solved.

I don't give to them, don't adopt from them and do not support them in anyway and I encourage my family, friends and anyone I meet to do the same.

One can only hope that these people will make their own unbiased and objective choices then.

[~Anne~]

If they have included the recpercussions and fallout in their new business plan, such as where the animals will then go, I can't see it being such a bad thing.

One of the reasons why the RSPCA in Australia has problems is the business units or streams it carries do not neccessarily work well together. A charity, a shelter, a Vet Hospital, an enforcer, and investigator and more. Perhaps if the different streams have a smaller focus, they can operate more efficiently.

[spottychick]

To those who jumped on (flamed??) me for telling you about my chat with the lady who wants to rescue a dog.

Until the RSPCA in Tasmania fix their problems and start spending money on actually helping dogs instead of having high pts rates and spending their money on nice staff bonuses and vague but massive "admin" expenses I will happily continue to warn people away from them.

There are plenty of other dedicated rescue groups who are actually doing the right thing by their animals who have lovely well- prepared pets desperately in need of adopting so it's much better for people to support those groups instead at the same time as rescuing a deserving pet.

This is one of the reasons why I preferred to go the extra expense of spending money on air freight when I adopted my dally and get him from a NSW rescue group rather than go via Tassie's RSPCA which is just up the road from me.

The lady already has the option of still going to the RSPCA if she wants to, I simply gave her information from the other side of the coin. I have not stopped her from making a choice - I have given her the ability to make an informed choice. If she wants, she can do her own research (like I did) but at least she has been alerted to the fact that things are not always as they seem. I think it would be irresponsible NOT to let her know that it's not all roses in the RSPCA.

Note that I'm referring to Tassie RSPCA and they have real issues with high kill rates and irresponsible money management which have resulted in many, including their biggest benefactor, withdrawing their support for them. I'm quite happy and proud to warn people away from them (counteracting the massive RSPCA promotional machine) and direct them to better, less cash-rich and kill-focussed rescue groups.

[Borderpower]

Just wanted to say that the RSPCA here in Darwin has stopped taken in strays and unwanted pets for the last 2 years, NO reason was giving to me when I asked why.

[Souff]

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/rspca...0-1225856071929

THE RSPCA will turn away stray or unwanted pets from animal shelters in the UK from next month to cut costs and focus on policing animal cruelty, according to a memo obtained by Channel 4 news.

The decision could affect as many as 75,000 unwanted animals a year which are currently taken to RSPCA centres across England and Wales, The Times reported.

It comes after the animal welfare charity admitted that the number of abandoned pets is soaring.

The documents show that from May 4, some 17 RSPCA animal centers will only take in animals which are “RSPCA generated”, which means seized by inspectors in cruelty cases or those which are at immediate risk or cruelty.

Pets belonging to people who are taken into hospital, evicted from their homes or are simply unwanted or found as strays will from that date normally be turned away.

The move has been criticised by vets and animal lovers who called it a “dereliction of duty.”

The RSPCA is Britain’s eighth largest charity, with an income of £119 million ($196m) in 2008.

The move comes as the organisation is making savings of £54 million ($89m) over three years, with donations falling due to the recession.

Read more about the RSPCA at The Times.

My goodness gracious me, this is the RSPCA doing this?

Oh surely not, it must be a fake memo.

Another nasty little rumour ... yes, that must be it.

But how is all this going to affect the morale of their staff? They will have no strays to euthanase and put through their horrid "temperament tests".

Oh no, wait a minute, they will be rounding up all the dog breeders instead. "There ya go, into that crate now!"

Yes, that should be much more satisfying.

No staff morale problem to worry about at all.

Ah, the world is such a jolly old place to be.

Souff

[Souff]

Just wanted to say that the RSPCA here in Darwin has stopped taken in strays and unwanted pets for the last 2 years, NO reason was giving to me when I asked why.

Well it costs money to put dogs down and do stuff like that.

[Souff]

Lets hope they are turning their attention to REAL cruelty cases, not pursuing ethical breeders to ride the media wave after Crufts.

And the money would be better spent on subsidised desexing programmes and closing down puppy farms.

fifi

I see you too are a fellow cynic

YEP !!!

I wonder if all those dear little old rich ladies who have left them massive bequests over the years, ever thought their money would be used to hunt down good people while strays and needy animals are left to fend for themselves.

fifi

And those families of the newly departed who say "no flowers, envelopes for RSPCA donations will be at the church" also need to be told too.

[Chocolatelover]

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/rspca...0-1225856071929

THE RSPCA will turn away stray or unwanted pets from animal shelters in the UK from next month to cut costs and focus on policing animal cruelty, according to a memo obtained by Channel 4 news.

The decision could affect as many as 75,000 unwanted animals a year which are currently taken to RSPCA centres across England and Wales, The Times reported.

It comes after the animal welfare charity admitted that the number of abandoned pets is soaring.

The documents show that from May 4, some 17 RSPCA animal centers will only take in animals which are “RSPCA generated”, which means seized by inspectors in cruelty cases or those which are at immediate risk or cruelty.

Pets belonging to people who are taken into hospital, evicted from their homes or are simply unwanted or found as strays will from that date normally be turned away.

The move has been criticised by vets and animal lovers who called it a “dereliction of duty.”

The RSPCA is Britain’s eighth largest charity, with an income of £119 million ($196m) in 2008.

The move comes as the organisation is making savings of £54 million ($89m) over three years, with donations falling due to the recession.

Read more about the RSPCA at The Times.

My goodness gracious me, this is the RSPCA doing this?

Oh surely not, it must be a fake memo.

Another nasty little rumour ... yes, that must be it.

But how is all this going to affect the morale of their staff? They will have no strays to euthanase and put through their horrid "temperament tests".

Oh no, wait a minute, they will be rounding up all the dog breeders instead. "There ya go, into that crate now!"

Yes, that should be much more satisfying.

No staff morale problem to worry about at all.

Ah, the world is such a jolly old place to be.

Souff

I worry about this world. Everyone out for themselves