Cop out

[Rosie]

R S P C A : 0870 5555 999
Confidential 24-hr emergency phone line to report suspected animal cruelty or injured animals.
To locate an R S P C A branch, animal welfare centre, clinic or shop -click here-
however ... remember that stray animals taken to the RSPCA will often be killed if not rehomed.

Don't you think this is a cop out to stop people reporting things and I believe the RSPCA don't take in "strays" so not sure where that comes from. In other words if you report something and we take the animal in and it gets pts it is your fault.

[Hreow]

Or that if you do take an actual animal in to the RSPCA to be rehomed, they may have it pts, as the organisation does not rehome animals? This would discourage some people from trying to get the RSPCA to rehome their animals.

[dinahsmum]

Don't you think this is a cop out to stop people reporting things and I believe the RSPCA don't take in "strays" so not sure where that comes from. In other words if you report something and we take the animal in and it gets pts it is your fault.
Yes, I agree. Unless it's to stop people claiming that their cat (which they no longer want) is a stray. Maybe the RSPCA thinks people will think twice about handing them over if they may be pts.
btw - do you know the number/proportion that are? I don't.

[CJK]

if the need ever arose for me to re-home an animal ( hopefully never will) I would NEVEr tkae it to a rescue or shelter that ahd a PTS policy if no home found in a set amount of time, that doesnt seem like much of a "rescue" to me. Different if theyre poorly.

I've heard somuch against the RSPCA lately that I think i would be hesitant to call thema bout anything.

this sort of thing could possibly encourage more "dumping" of animals and less people willing to call them in.

other organsitaions seem far more "animal friendly" than RSPCA inmy opinion

[dandysmom]

All I know about the RSPCA is what I've learned here on CP...and now I know if I lived in the UK I would NOT call them!!

[Booktigger]

At least they are being honest, but so much for what the initials actually stand for - while it is a humane way to do things, it isn't giving most of them a chance. I didnt think we actually had an 'kill' shelters in the UK till I started reading some of the stuff about the RSPCA - but there are some good shelters, just a shame that the negative stuff is so negative. Here are some stats from 2000 - not sure if things have got better or worse since then

Dogs
Homed 26460
Destroyed 10123

Cats
Homed 44996
Destroyed 18961

Others
homed 24947
destroyed 59854

[borderdawn]

WHere is that a quote from?

RSPCA are useless, period!
Dawn.

[Jac]

I went to an SSPCA centre years ago. It was an eye opener. Never again. As far as I'm concered they dont care. Yip they will take an animal but after that...................................there was a dog that could hardly walk as its nails were so long. I was told if I took it they would clip it's nails (surley that should have ben done as a matter of course) when I said I had children they wouldnt give her to me. :(

[Naomi]

I remember a few years ago a work collegue saw a stray dog wandering round the housing estate she lived on. It was really thin and dirty. She phoned the RSPCA and they told her if she can catch it then they'll come out but it'd be a few days before they could get someone out there so she'd have to look after it. If no one claimed it the dog would be PTS in 7 days I think they said. Well work collegue did catch her, kept her and she's the sweetest natured dog you'd ever meet

RSPCA are a waste of time IMO. Unless it's for publicity eg being on national tv etc they don't want to know

[EmmaG]

At least they are being honest, but so much for what the initials actually stand for - while it is a humane way to do things, it isn't giving most of them a chance. I didnt think we actually had an 'kill' shelters in the UK till I started reading some of the stuff about the RSPCA - but there are some good shelters, just a shame that the negative stuff is so negative. Here are some stats from 2000 - not sure if things have got better or worse since then

Dogs
Homed 26460
Destroyed 10123

Cats
Homed 44996
Destroyed 18961

Others
homed 24947
destroyed 59854

Sorry I find this sort of figures totally misleading, what they fail to say is that some of these animals are actually PTS due to poor health due to the neglect of previous owners, or severe illness. Obviously if there are too many animals and not enough homes a lot of the older/less healthy animals are going to have to be PTS, to make way for the healthy animals.

I do believe that the RSPCA do a lot of good work, my local RSPCA has always been very good, and I do have experience of working there as I did some time doing the dog walking to help them.

[dandysmom]

Emma's post got me to wondering: do the rules vary by location/area, or is there a rigid standard that applies everywhere? That might explain why some people say RSPA has been good & others say awful..just curious...

[CJK]

we have a house directly opposite ours that is "emergancy" housing,so we see alot of people come and go.
ONce this couple vanished after two days there, three days later the dogs were still int he house and RSPCA hadnt even visited.
On day four some neighbours smashed a window and took the dogs. Theyd been feeding the dogs through the letterbox

[Booktigger]

dandy's mom - I think they are run by volunteers, so like most rescues that have more than one branch, you will get good and bad, as it depends on the people who run it - I think on certain things they might have guidelines though.
Emma - yes, some of those figures could be for poorly cats, but I still think it is high - other rescues dont pts cats just cos they are older and they need space, so I don't see why the RSPCA should.

[EmmaG]

Emma - yes, some of those figures could be for poorly cats, but I still think it is high - other rescues dont pts cats just cos they are older and they need space, so I don't see why the RSPCA should.

I don't disagree that they are high, but the RSPCA is the largest animal shelter/charity I believe and more than likely the first the general public go to, in order to rehome animals.

You are not comparing like for like. "other rescues" might be able to provide a better service as they don't have so many demands on their time as the RSPCA. It is a bit like me taking in the odd stray and rehoming every single one and saying "why can't the RSPCA do the same" , I have a 100% rehoming rate, why can't they?

I have always found them to be very good. I have found before in the past the CPL to be useless when I wanted to get a cat (last two cats) they never returned my calls and recently when I wanted a female cat (Bronwyn who I got through the RSCPA) it took them a week to reply to my emails and I never had any call back to messages left on their phone. However after being on Catpages I see the excellent work that Smudgley does for the CPL and I realise that all shelters are not the same.

I think with the demand of rescue cats being outweighed by the sheer numbers of animals that need rehoming what are the RSCPA to do??? They don't have the space to rehome every cat/animal.

I think it is all well and good critasizing an organisation like the RSPCA but what is the solution to the problem??? rehome every single healthy animal, but you can only do that if you have enough people wanting pets.

[Booktigger]

I personally think the answer is early spay and neutering, to avoid kittens being born, as then we might have more luck finding homes for the many cats in rescues around teh country. I actually have no experience with the RSPCA, as the shelter in my area was closed down years ago after complaints, and they are still fundraising to open the new shelter - I would actually consider going to committee meetings to try and change things though, rather than sitting here criticising. The charity I foster for have taken in animals instead of the RSPCA (and they are technically in a different area to me, and do have a local RSPCA) - but they have also done the same for CP too.

[CathyW]

we went to a rspca homing center in clacton a few years ago, saw a lovely little staff female she was so cute, i fell in love with her, she was licking my fingers through the gate, and rubbing her body up against my fingers for strokes, and because we lived out the area they would let us adopt her. i was really upset. ive only ever been in touch with them once as i had a voucher with paid for 1/2 of ben being *done* but thats all.

[hamish]

I went to an SSPCA centre years ago. It was an eye opener. Never again. As far as I'm concered they dont care. Yip they will take an animal but after that...................................there was a dog that could hardly walk as its nails were so long. I was told if I took it they would clip it's nails (surley that should have ben done as a matter of course) when I said I had children they wouldnt give her to me. :(


I ve never had any problems with thew sspca, all my animals, dogs cats rats have all came from them including my latest addition. Their cattery, kennels have always been spotless

[Hreow]

It's clearly down to a few branches doing really, really well and a few doing equally poorly. In a way, I can imagine that it would be tough to deal with so many heart-breaking cases, so many people that really should be pts for sheer viciousness, or indifference to the suffering of others. They are only human, and it takes a rare person to face all that and not get discouraged and possibly hostile. Not that that's an excuse to make life difficult for those who are doing their best to help. Just an accolade to those that do manage to do good in a throw-away society.

[Canis-Equus]

The RSPCA dont do strays, for a start. They dont make this fact 'that' clear unless you actually ring them up with a stray problem.

They LICENCE some rehoming centres to run under their name - for this the shelters pay several thousand pounds a year, and have to run under certain guidelines.

Money donated to the RSPCA goes directly to headquarters to be distributed how they see fit, they do not give money to the rehoming centres running under the RSPCA name. If you want money to go to your local shelter, send it to them specifically, NOT via the direct debit schemes or 'mug you in the street' people you often get.

They dont have very many inspectors, and those they do have, undertake a relatively short training scheme, the main focus of which does seem to be 'how to euthanise an animal' (and i heard that from someone who DID the training course).... to be an RSPCA inspector you must be able to drive and be over 23. NO animal knowledge whatsoever is required.

They do have to work within the law, which is currently in many departments sadly lacking... in many cases current law actually prevents THEM from 'preventing cruelty', and generally they can only step in when cruelty is actively happening. Current law generally does not take into account mental cruelty, such as denying a dog exercise or catering for their gregarious nature.

That said... their top staff are paid a wage which is GROSSLY larger than the average uk wage for people in similar jobs in similarly large charities.... they appear to be totally self regulated and answerable to no one... (there are good reasons why those who run rspca shelters or get paid to work for them tend NOT to ask 'sticky' questions..if you do it gets a tad mafia like).... they spend a ridiculous amount of money on misrepresenting themselves in their advertisements (how many of you thought the rspca DID deal with strays??)and very little of that money on actually preventing cruelty.

I do believe at grass roots volunteers and some of the inspectors ARE doing the best they can.

I also firmly believe that they are a multi million pound BUSINESS and are just as corrupt as any other multi million pound business (and more than many others).

And joy of joys it would appaer that the new animal welfare law will give them even MORE power.

Em

[EmmaG]

Em can you please elaborate on what your mean by "do strays" because if you mean take in strays you certainly have your facts wrong. Because I know for a FACT that my local RSPCA centre does take strays I myself have taken them there and they have taken them in without any questions. I have also seen other animals in there who are strays, and even when I was there once an inspector turned up with some stray dogs.

Although a lot of people do slate the RSPCA I wonder just how bad things would be for some animals if we didn't have the RSPCA?

[Canis-Equus]

If you have a stray, say you find a stray dog on the roadside. Cant or dont know, to contact teh dog warden, police tell you to let it go as they dont 'do' strays either (some do, some dont, depends if they have the facilities), and you ring the RSPCA....

You will get precisely no where.

Yes, individual shelters may take them, but most dont, most will redirect you to the local pound which will more often than not be a 7 days and pts type outfit.

Sometimes RSPCA shelters ARE the local pound so yes they will do strays, although they also would prefer it if these came via the dog warden as they get paid then, which they more than likely DONT if they come from members of the public.

My point was, that the national advertising campaign, the leaflets the door knockers the street collectors all carry information that 'suggests' and definately doesnt deny, that the RSPCA take in strays and for the most part, they do not.

Em