Act Rspca

[Staranais]

Yes ACT RSPCA is pitbull friendly! so they're doing something right! If it wasn' for Micheal Linke there'd be many more healty dogs being PTS because of BSL.

Hooray! That's really awesome!

[Curlybert]

Yes, donated food (if you give it to the RSPCA) is not used in its shelters due to the commercial deal it has/had with Hills. Instead, if the food has not been opened or tampered with in any way, it will sit in storage and it may eventually be delivered to pet owners who are struggling to feed their animals. But the ACT shelter had a whole storage room full of donated food, and bins full of "opened" donated food that was not provided to pet owners in need for months if at all.

How do you know this, lillysmum?

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

Yes, donated food (if you give it to the RSPCA) is not used in its shelters due to the commercial deal it has/had with Hills. Instead, if the food has not been opened or tampered with in any way, it will sit in storage and it may eventually be delivered to pet owners who are struggling to feed their animals. But the ACT shelter had a whole storage room full of donated food, and bins full of "opened" donated food that was not provided to pet owners in need for months if at all.

How do you know this, lillysmum?

I sent you a PM...this is not for general info on the board.

[sandgrubber]

I'd like to know too . . . and I'm sure others would.

It's easy to distort and/or slander if the source is kept secret.

Yes, donated food (if you give it to the RSPCA) is not used in its shelters due to the commercial deal it has/had with Hills. Instead, if the food has not been opened or tampered with in any way, it will sit in storage and it may eventually be delivered to pet owners who are struggling to feed their animals. But the ACT shelter had a whole storage room full of donated food, and bins full of "opened" donated food that was not provided to pet owners in need for months if at all.

How do you know this, lillysmum?

I sent you a PM...this is not for general info on the board.

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

I'd like to know too . . . and I'm sure others would.

It's easy to distort and/or slander if the source is kept secret.

Yes, donated food (if you give it to the RSPCA) is not used in its shelters due to the commercial deal it has/had with Hills. Instead, if the food has not been opened or tampered with in any way, it will sit in storage and it may eventually be delivered to pet owners who are struggling to feed their animals. But the ACT shelter had a whole storage room full of donated food, and bins full of "opened" donated food that was not provided to pet owners in need for months if at all.

How do you know this, lillysmum?

I sent you a PM...this is not for general info on the board.

I have PM'd you sandgrubber. I hope you understand.

[Yarrowfell]

I am curious as well

[Rusky]

Please make sure that you know the organisation thoroughly before criticising it.

RSPCA ACT are a great organisation who try very hard to improve things for animals in need in the ACT community. They definitely stand out on their own with their forward moving ideas and strategies. They are worthy of public contribution.

Whilst many may have other views on RSPCA's australia-wide, and I am unable to comment on those, in my view the RSPCA in ACT has the best interests in the animals at heart.

We see them personally trying to make a difference to the dogs on death row. They went in and parvo tested, washed and checked dogs for rescue when the parvo outbreak was at DAS. I have seen first hand some of the great assistance they give to dogs that need a bit longer to find the right homes rather than send them to rainbow bridge. I have seen them step in and help dogs that no other rescue had chosen to do.

For those that are just criticising for the sake of it - go find a more worthwhile tree to bark at .

R

that is why they are broke maybe because they actually do what they are supposed to do .. hopefully some transfer of funds from wealthier branches where they don't do much for the animals at all.

[Winterpaws]

I've dealt with them a few times on Malamutes and have found them to be wonderful.

As a shelter the ACT branch gets my support

[keetamouse]

ETA - it gets a lot of government funding as it provides an overflow impounding facility to the government as well. And despite that arrangement, it was sending lots of dogs to the pound anyway, claiming it had no room at its shelter so had to send the dogs elsewhere.

Let me put this one to rest once and for all " the RSPCA sends dogs to the pound BECAUSE all the impounds go into their quarantine pens on arrival, after that time they then go into the normal pens for rehoming (pending vet assessment) if the quarantine pens are full they can't put any of them in the normal pens, seems very responsible disease management to me and all of us in rescue here in Canberra don't have a problem with that."

Maree

CPR

[keetamouse]

Yes, donated food (if you give it to the RSPCA) is not used in its shelters due to the commercial deal it has/had with Hills. Instead, if the food has not been opened or tampered with in any way, it will sit in storage and it may eventually be delivered to pet owners who are struggling to feed their animals. But the ACT shelter had a whole storage room full of donated food, and bins full of "opened" donated food that was not provided to pet owners in need for months if at all.

I think we all know what the RSPCA was like in Canberra before Michael became the CEO, let's just move on from "years ago" and start thinking positive about the future, the 3 groups here in Canberra are moving forward and want to have a relationship with Michael and his dedicated staff, we were all approached by Michael, we were a tad wary but after talking to him and what his plans are and he wants rescue involved (before you all go off on a tandy... no he does not want to control the groups, as he knows we would just back off, he wants to work with us.

Maree

CPR

[keetamouse]

Yes, donated food (if you give it to the RSPCA) is not used in its shelters due to the commercial deal it has/had with Hills. Instead, if the food has not been opened or tampered with in any way, it will sit in storage and it may eventually be delivered to pet owners who are struggling to feed their animals. But the ACT shelter had a whole storage room full of donated food, and bins full of "opened" donated food that was not provided to pet owners in need for months if at all.

How do you know this, lillysmum?

I sent you a PM...this is not for general info on the board.

"THIS WAS YEARS AGO MOVE ON" and is not revelant now and hasn't been since Michael became CEO

Maree

CPR

[keetamouse]

Does anyone here know that Michael runs educational classes for children, and teachers them the importance of caring/treating animals so they don't grow up to become animal abusers.

Michael was on the radio last Sunday doing the Pet Tails segment as Fiona the vet was away and he happened to mention it and other things that he is doing to improve the lives of the animals in the ACT. These projects cost money so good on him for trying to make a difference and poopoo to those here who are living in the past and had bad experiences with some RSPCA shelters.

People who think positive are much happier and healther and this rubs off on the dogs that we rescue/foster/rehome to great families, so move on you lot who are living in the past and can only talk about the bad things that "some" RSPCA shelters have inflicted on many over the years/decades.

Maree

CPR

[poodlefan]

Does anyone here know that Michael runs educational classes for children, and teachers them the importance of caring/treating animals so they don't grow up to become animal abusers.

Michael was on the radio last Sunday doing the Pet Tails segment as Fiona the vet was away and he happened to mention it and other things that he is doing to improve the lives of the animals in the ACT. These projects cost money so good on him for trying to make a difference and poopoo to those here who are living in the past and had bad experiences with some RSPCA shelters.

People who think positive are much happier and healther and this rubs off on the dogs that we rescue/foster/rehome to great families, so move on you lot who are living in the past and can only talk about the bad things that "some" RSPCA shelters have inflicted on many over the years/decades.

Maree

CPR

He also fosters kittens at home.

I've given my share of raspberries to some RSPCA policies and practices but the local organisation has my support. I'm not entirely comfortable with some of their ideas being captured in the proposed legislation changes but am confident that with this RSPCA, dialogue is encouraged.

Edited December 22, 2010 by poodlefan

[Sheilaheel02]

Years ago ACDR had a number of negative experiences when trying to assist Cattle Dogs in the ACT RSPCA, which left us very sad and disappointed.

When Micheal took over I was encouraged by a friend to meet with him to discuss our concerns. I did and I had a very positive meeting with Michael. He listened to our experiences and he assured me that things would change on his watch. True to his word they have. He supports rescue and takes a collaborative approach to common goals.

While I do still take issue with some National RSPCA policies and behaviour, ACT RSPCA are one of the most progressive branches in the country. There are a number of other Interstate branches who work extremely well with us also, although they will remain nameless as I suspect this may not always be sanctioned by their Management. Together we have been able to successfully rehome ACD's that would have otherwise had very few options.

S

[bubble1]

RSPCA ACT's funding is HUGE.

I honestly think that if majority of the public knew how much money they get from the government, fundraisers, sales and legacies they would be very surprised and majority would be sending there donations to another cause.

They don’t pay for food as hills supplies ALL of it. The staff work for minimal wage. (apart from the people in the office) the get discounted if not free media coverage.

I mean the idea of saving the animals and all that stuff is great but somewhere along the way it all turned to media and money.

People praise them for being a non kill shelter... The reason they are a "no kill shelter" is because they send everything they don't want/ don’t have room for or fence jumpers straight to DAS!!

They do put a lot of animals to sleep. Anything that isn't deemed suitable for reshoeing ( fails the testing ) is PTS. Sometimes they avoid having the stats by sending the ones they know are not going to be any good to DAS.

The idea of a RSPCA is great but I think we need a better run one and less lies.

Oh and PS - 90% of the dogs that presented with parvo at das came from the rspca.

[Feather]

RSPCA ACT's funding is HUGE.

I honestly think that if majority of the public knew how much money they get from the government, fundraisers, sales and legacies they would be very surprised and majority would be sending there donations to another cause.

They don’t pay for food as hills supplies ALL of it. The staff work for minimal wage. (apart from the people in the office) the get discounted if not free media coverage.

I mean the idea of saving the animals and all that stuff is great but somewhere along the way it all turned to media and money.

People praise them for being a non kill shelter... The reason they are a "no kill shelter" is because they send everything they don't want/ don’t have room for or fence jumpers straight to DAS!!

They do put a lot of animals to sleep. Anything that isn't deemed suitable for reshoeing ( fails the testing ) is PTS. Sometimes they avoid having the stats by sending the ones they know are not going to be any good to DAS.

The idea of a RSPCA is great but I think we need a better run one and less lies.

Oh and PS - 90% of the dogs that presented with parvo at das came from the rspca.

Of the 1670 dogs who entered the ACT RSPCA shelter in the 2009-10 financial year, 98 were euthanised - that's a bit under 6%. Of that 6% it was a roughly half-half split between euthanasia on medical and behavioural grounds. Given the propensity for dogs with medical or behavioural issues to end up in shelters, I don't think that's too bad at all.

In the same time period 45% of those 1670 dogs were reclaimed, which must at least in part be due to the efforts of RSPCA staff in chasing up microchips and monitoring lost reports. 28% were adopted out. Roughly 15% were transferred to DAS (and around 4% of the 1670 were transfers from DAS to the RSPCA).

All of these figures are available in the 2009-10 Annual Report - I just thought I'd add them to the discussion for anyone who doesn't have time to look them up

As for transferring animals to DAS because they don't have room, well, what's the alternative? Should they try to cram multiple strange dogs into the same kennel? Should they introduce dogs into the main kennels without quarantine? A lot of people complain about it, but so far no one seems to be proposing a workable alternative.

Edit: I'd like to add to that that anyone interested in seeing the figures behind ACT RSPCA's financial position could take a look at the 2009 Annual Report. From the Profit and Loss Statement on p.42, it seems that the ACT RSPCA's income for 2009 was 2.86 million, less than a quarter of which came from grants, and that their total expenditure was 2.99 million. I'd also point them to the recent article in the Canberra Times detailing the RSPCA's running costs at around $10,000 per day.

It's always nice to look at the facts.

Edited December 23, 2010 by Feather

[bubble1]

im not tryng to b nasty, purely stating my opinion but "the facts" can very eaisly be tweaked, re written or straight out lies

[keetamouse]

RSPCA ACT's funding is HUGE.

I honestly think that if majority of the public knew how much money they get from the government, fundraisers, sales and legacies they would be very surprised and majority would be sending there donations to another cause.

They don’t pay for food as hills supplies ALL of it. The staff work for minimal wage. (apart from the people in the office) the get discounted if not free media coverage.

I mean the idea of saving the animals and all that stuff is great but somewhere along the way it all turned to media and money.

People praise them for being a non kill shelter... The reason they are a "no kill shelter" is because they send everything they don't want/ don’t have room for or fence jumpers straight to DAS!!

They do put a lot of animals to sleep. Anything that isn't deemed suitable for reshoeing ( fails the testing ) is PTS. Sometimes they avoid having the stats by sending the ones they know are not going to be any good to DAS.

The idea of a RSPCA is great but I think we need a better run one and less lies.

Oh and PS - 90% of the dogs that presented with parvo at das came from the rspca.

Your post is so off base you really need to go back and read the whole thread and I can't believe you have said what you have said without doing just that, I said why the RSPCA sends dogs to DAS.

How do you know that 90% of the parvo dogs came from the RSPCA, the majority came through the front doors at DAS. If they came from the RSPCA then they would have been shut down the same as DAS was for all those months.

Of course the RSPCA put the sick, old, aggressive, dogs with behavioural issues to sleep, "so does the pound", they hold the others for as long as it takes to rehome them, unlike a pound who put to sleep after 7 days.

With the fence jumpers, are you saying that the RSPCA puts the dogs through the quarantine period then sends them into the general population, then has the dog out in the runs and the dog jumps the fence and then when they catch it they send it to DAS

Maree

CPR

[bubble1]

RSPCA ACT's funding is HUGE.

I honestly think that if majority of the public knew how much money they get from the government, fundraisers, sales and legacies they would be very surprised and majority would be sending there donations to another cause.

They don’t pay for food as hills supplies ALL of it. The staff work for minimal wage. (apart from the people in the office) the get discounted if not free media coverage.

I mean the idea of saving the animals and all that stuff is great but somewhere along the way it all turned to media and money.

People praise them for being a non kill shelter... The reason they are a "no kill shelter" is because they send everything they don't want/ don’t have room for or fence jumpers straight to DAS!!

They do put a lot of animals to sleep. Anything that isn't deemed suitable for reshoeing ( fails the testing ) is PTS. Sometimes they avoid having the stats by sending the ones they know are not going to be any good to DAS.

The idea of a RSPCA is great but I think we need a better run one and less lies.

Oh and PS - 90% of the dogs that presented with parvo at das came from the rspca.

Your post is so off base you really need to go back and read the whole thread and I can't believe you have said what you have said without doing just that, I said why the RSPCA sends dogs to DAS.

How do you know that 90% of the parvo dogs came from the RSPCA, the majority came through the front doors at DAS. If they came from the RSPCA then they would have been shut down the same as DAS was for all those months.

Of course the RSPCA put the sick, old, aggressive, dogs with behavioural issues to sleep, "so does the pound", they hold the others for as long as it takes to rehome them, unlike a pound who put to sleep after 7 days.

With the fence jumpers, are you saying that the RSPCA puts the dogs through the quarantine period then sends them into the general population, then has the dog out in the runs and the dog jumps the fence and then when they catch it they send it to DAS

Maree

CPR

fyi, i did read the whole thread but i was marely stating my opinion on RSPCA's "funding crisis". please do not tell me what i have and have not done.

How do i know about the parvo? well how do you know that majority came through the doors at DAS? clearly we both know something so do not jump to thinking yours is the correct answer.

yes the pound has a legal way to run in which on the 8TH day they legally own the dog. therefor can do what they wish with the animal wether thats PTS or finding a new home or holding dogs over. i think that is very unjust and unfair to say that they put them down on the 7th day. does that mean that every dog who has been there for 7 days gets pts straight away? i think not.

and no iam not saying that about the fence jumpers i am saying they DO NOT rehome majority of fence jumpers. what do you think the reason for surrender would say on the surrender waiting list " can not contain dog in yard" or something like that? so im sure they jump up and go oh my should we bring this fence jumper in for rehoming or the one that " dont have time to look after in"

the pound is not the nicest place, no thats true and the RSPCA trys hard yes that is true but from the begining all i was trying to say was there " funding crisis" is a load of crap with the amount of cash they earn.

and i think the pound needs to be shown a bit more compassion for what they do, imagine how hard it is for them, having a legal requirement to take ALL dogs wether theres room or not.

you may continue to " bang your head" but b careful you dont hurt your self

[poodlefan]

i am saying they DO NOT rehome majority of fence jumpers.

And the problem with that is ????

Its a challenging behaviour for an owner to deal with, its bloody hard and sometimes very expensive for even a dedicated person to manage it. Putting a committed fence jumper out into your average suburban back yard is heartbreak waiting to happen.