Just had a phone cal from a woman wanting rid of her GSDs. She got them both from the RSPCA & has the agreement form that if ever she cannot keep them they must be returned to the RSPCA. Now guess what they won't have them back ! & gave her our number as we always have empty kennels !

This is the same branch that tried to close our rescue kennels & that is closely linked to the female inspector who "Can rehome any GSD in twelve hours or less"

As we once had lots of hassle(threats of legal action etc)from this branch when we inadvertantly rehomed(direct from old to new)a dog that was from this branch we have a policy of not touching them except in an emergency.

Talk about double standards our kennels are not suitable for GSDs(according to this branch & the inspector)unless the dogs have come from them :rolleyes: !!!

We took in a GSD belonging to a lady who had been evicted & who had walked for two hours to get to this branch(they previously stated they would take the dog)only to be turned away by them when she got there !!!!:rolleyes:

Absolutely awful - but can't say I'm surprised :(

I have no respect for the R os S SPCA at all. A few years ago a friend and I went to see a litter of pups and were horrified by what we saw. Lots of dogs kept in cages, cramped not very clean conditions. Fleas everywhere. I phoned the SSPCA on leaving the place, nothing happened and since found out that a lot of the dogs came from there and the 'breeder' concerned is a friend of the local inspector!

Another friend was concerned about a gsd chained in a shed at the back of a scrap yard in a very poor condition. She called the sspca and offered to take the bitch in if they could remove it, she lives on a farm with lots of space and various rescues collected over the years living wonderful lives. The dog dissapeared and on enquiring a few days later she was told the bitch was unlikely to be rehomed and was pts. This didn't appear to be on medical grounds just on 'we don't have room for her' grounds :(

When it comes to shepherds I don't phone the RSPCA but breed specific rescues as I feel they get more done. Recently I came across a shepherd puppy for sale on ebay. I was very concerned about the welfare of the dog, as it was being sold along with domestic goods. I called the RSPCA (as well as reporting it to ebay) as the seller had listed a phone number and contact details, and I thought the RSPCA could check the welfare of the animal and also offer to rehome (reason given was new girlfriend's son had an allergy - I wonder if they had considered keeping the puppy and just giving the brat zirtek?), but anyway, for one I couldn't get through to report it, as I was taken round in circles by an automated service, and when I did finally get to speak to someone, they said there was little they could do. I contacted German Shepherd resuce and within the hour they had also reported the ad to ebay and called the seller offering to get involved in rehoming the pup and reeducating the owner. I donate to the RSPCA monthly, but sometimes I do despare with someof the stories I have heard. In a very remote area of Wales I visit, there are horses we have been very seriously concerned with for a long time, and as yet the RSPCA have done nothing despite a large number of people from the area reporting their concern for these animals welfare. Since then, two of the foals have died, and their carcasses were left in the fields until my partner and another local man went up to feed the horses and remove the rotting bodies. Owner no where to be found..

Being cynical.  Tell them you have a newspaper reporter coming round, they will be there like a flash, they love their names & photos in the paper.

Its really not fair to tarnish the name RSPCA, i know there are tons of horror stories but until recently i started to help our local branch and they are very self sufficent and superb they will do their upmost to help, i recently had a phonecall at 1am from a comitee member asking desperately could i home a dog for the night as this man was drunk and had threatened to his wife that he would kill the dog and she didn't know what else to do.

Really really sadly all the comitee members except me (whose soon to be initiated ) are over 60yrs and i went with my husband to get this dog and then placed it in kennels the day after all taken care of by our local branch.
What funds are gained here stay here, i'd hate to think with all these negative posts it puts people off supporting.

Very true we should always consider this in balance, I have sought help/reported things about 3 times in in the past and always found them helpful.  I don't care for some of their politics ;) or wildlife policies but their dealings regarding welfare has always seemed fair to me and nobody else does anything like the same amount of work in gathering of evidence/prosecuting cruelty cases.  All in all I think it would be a poorer world for the animals without them.

I can't agree more Isabel its such a sad shame that our local branch is reduced to a few dear old ladies that daren't go out at 1am like i would with a huge hubby (so they shouldnt!) and they say they just can't get the support nowadays.

I personally don't care with some policies either and i tend to not even read about them but the majority of branches seem to appear to run independantly so some areas maybe better than others.

Sorry hell will freeze over before I support them

Here Here moonmaiden

Well thats a very narrow minded opinion have you been to a local AGM? have you seen 1st hand your local accounts and what they go to and fund? so lets all ignore and not support the RSPCA whats going to happen then? can you tell me who will take over?

This is your opionion and you are tarnishing the WHOLE rspca with your misguided view, all i'm saying is not ALL areas are the same maybe you have a personal battle with yours but many do a very good job with what facilities they have. :(

Well thats a very narrow minded opinion have you been to a local AGM? have you seen 1st hand your local accounts and what they go to and fund? so lets all ignore and not support the RSPCA whats going to happen then? can you tell me who will take over?

Our local branch has a very healthy bank balance & yes I have been to their AGM(many years ago)& I have seen their balance sheets on a regular basic( & my local branch isn't the one concerned above), but the did house some of the Gatherals dogs which were sold by them & it made them a lot of money. They aren't run by a load of old dears either

Does your rescue not charge for dogs?

NO donations are occasionally received but the dogs welfare come first & we would never ask for full market price as the RSPCA did & still do

That's highly unusual, every rescue I know charges (well call it donations if you will :)) as that is generally regarded as in the dogs interest :)

Charging £100 for a 6 year old entire GSD with a pancreas condition is in the interests of the dog is it ? The new owner paid for the dog to be castrated(the branch rules)a further £100+ & has to pay the medication costs for the rest of the dogs life(Dog's Trust subsidise their dogs I believe that have known medical problems) No such help from the local branch here

They own their kennels & shop outright & receive regular donations(very nice they are too running into tens of thousands)from the trustees of several large local charities set up from the estates of some extremely wealthy ladies(& one gentlemen) who were members/committee whilst they were alive that pay for all their feeding costs & utility bills plus lots of other bills

Not all branches are skint nor on their uppers

Well it certainly isn't full market price :)  Yes I think charging is important to establish a "worth" for the dog, as I say charging, or taking donations ;), is normal practice and helps fund the keeping of other animals still waiting for their home.  I don't think it is right for one rescue to condemn the practices of another, each will decide how best to fund their operation for instance subsidising the health care of one dog leaves less money for the care of others still in kennels so some may not play it that way particularly when some people taking on rescues are willing to take on all those responsibilities.
Perhaps not all branches are on their uppers but all charities have been affected by the lottery and as Sarah has pointed out some branches are struggling so an overall condemnation of this particular charity is not helpfull to them.

They own their kennels & shop outright & receive regular donations(very nice they are too running into tens of thousands)from the trustees of several large local charities set up from the estates of some extremely wealthy ladies(& one gentlemen) who were members/committee whilst they were alive that pay for all their feeding costs & utility bills plus lots of other bills

Not all branches are skint nor on their uppers

You got the last bit right!! i havent any money and they know that why on earth do they want me? maybe many areas are not lucky enough to have trustees! have you thought of that in your RSPCA slandering campaign.

At the end of the day if i can help ONE dog to safety i dont really care what charity i support, don't we share the same goal? to help animals? :(

I always presumed no matter what a rescue has overheads and had a flat donation fee regardless of what ailments a rescue dog suffered if it was too much for the dog to be rehomed ordinarily then it became a lifer, well thats what our breed rescues save money for and thats why they rely on support! not all dogs can be rehomed.

>don't we share the same goal? to help animals

Exactly, why begrudge them what funds they get and from where if every animal helped by that is another animal.........helped :)

when I first moved inot this house,I heard a lot of screaming,and went out into the park behind our house,and found a gsd,dragging its back end and covered in blood,apparantly it had been hit by car and dragged itself into the park,it had no collar/tag etc,I called RSPCA,who totally refused to come out,they said its not their area,this poor bloody dog,was in so much pain,so I called my vet who came out and did the decent thing,he told me quite a few horror stories about animals he has treated purchased from RSPCA,of course I had to pay for vets services,which was not cheap,a call out fee and euthanasia and removal of body ,I put posters up everywhere to try and find the owner,but no luck there,I for one will never forgive them for wiping their hands of this poor dog,and the look of sheer terror in its eyes,have haunted me now for ten years,they will never get a penny from me,
Wendy

Wendy, I find it awful the vet charged :(
My mum and dad got woken up by some kids shouting. A cat had been hit by a car and had broken its back.
Mum called the vet telling him exactly what was wrong with the cat (11pm and we have always taken our pets there) and he came out, already armed with the injection ready to go (Dad had to hold it down in a box as it was writhing in agony) he euthenased the cat, put it in a bag that he already had waiting and left. They never got a bill as it was not thier cat.
I thought Vets had an obligation to treat any animal even if there is no owner or carer for it????
(And i am not even going to get started on the RSPCA, they will never get a panny from me either :( )
Lea.

I suppose the point of charity is it is a matter of choice :) 
Don't worry, MyGirl, although charities generally have suffered since the lottery there will still be plenty of people who appreciate how important the RSPCA continues to be to animal welfare generally :)

I know Isabel it just breaks my heart that our local rspca spend £18,000 a year on a charity shop, their turnover doesnt even cover the rent!(the only one in a 35mile radius that doesnt seem much but we live in a very rural area) as they feel its a focal point for any help (and boy do they go to lengths to help). Now they are suffering to keep the shop going and they have no other base :( this sort of view can affect many not just our area and turn away much needed funds.

Thats my opinion anyway and i feel very saddened that people may form an opinion based on a personal view :(

Reported a family to the R.S.P.C.A. a local family who to my knowledge have had a rottweiler, a staffie (male ), a poodle cross, a yorkie , a sheltie , a little cross breed, another rottie and a staffie bitch and  staffie pup . All the dogs are bashed around, they call it training, till they are seriously truamatised.then sold in pubs. Some of the dogs, local people believe were bought in pubs .  The  response to my call was along the lines of , 'its not an offence to buy and sell dogs ', when i pointed out that it was a moral crime and that the dogs would possibly end up in rescue centres i was assured that this was not something they were interested in. I mentioned that this family had their children taken into care ( about  11 of them, and that was only the under 16's ) i was told that it was of no interest . I have no faith in these people .

The RSPCA can only work within the law.  There is no law against buying and selling animals nor a law preventing the parents of children in care owning animals.  I think we have to be realistic is what we expect the RSPCA to do.

I think many people think the RSPCA can perform miracles and forget they havent the authority to just enter a premises and have to have very strong grounds to do so! They aren't the police!! they have so many restrictions is unreal!

Their hands are tied in many circumstances and although they may appear unmoved they know they have to have certain detatchments within the law theres only so much they can do.

Absoloutely right - the RSPCA can only operate within the law and even though morally they may think that a dog is being kept poorly they can do nothing unless a law is actually being broken.

Don't forget folks that the RSPCA is the ONLY animal charity in this country, with such a wide remit - unlike others it deals with all animal cruelty cases  irrespective of species - it also makes a huge impact towards the future welfare of animals through it's education programmes and working with government bodies to change the laws concerning animal welfare - (it had a significant input in the new Animal welfare bill) - these are the things that make a difference for ALL animals. Yes specific individual cases may not be acted on in the way that you would like - but don't forget that they are not government funded and have to make some hard choices about how they spend their donations - overall they do a fantastic job and we are very lucky to have them .

Yvonne

It would also help if people got involved in any drive to change the laws which restrict the animal charities from doing the work they want to.  Unfortunately, the RSPCA along with many others are only able to act once what the law deems as 'cruelty' has already taken place, they are unable to do much to 'prevent' the cruelty.  In some cases they can go along and advise the owners but that's about it.

When I worked at their HQ many years ago it was acknowledged that their remit was in their title "Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals". Once the cruelty was done it was a police job - their role should be purely advisory and educational. However the police forces simply haven't time or manpower to do that now. :(

cant see were its unrealistic to expect them to deal with animal abuse.

They do deal with animal abuse, but as others have said, their role is best suited to education and prevention.  Thet also do a lot of work in investigating chronic animal abuse such as dog fighting but with just over 300 inspectors for the whole country, some of which will be on leave, sick leave or just off shift the practicalities of them being a 4th emergency service capable of responding to every emergency instantly is obviously not possible.  We all have a responsibility to prevent suffering not just the RSPCA so if an animal is injured for instance it is right that we should deal with it if we can.  Most vets do not charge "good samaritans" so you were unlucky there Wendy :), but the fact is if you had not forked out the RSPCA would have been using some other good citizens money as they have no other sources, they are not the NHS funded by taxes.

I think the RSPCA is suffering from a very bad public profile. Following the soppy Rolf Harris rubbish where expensive operations were performed on poorly budgies whilst folk phoning with genuine animal suffering reportings are ignored - they seriously need to go on a public charm offensive.

There is a case on one of the boards at the moment where a 16 year old girl is insisting on riding and jumping a horse that is lame in 2 legs and was sold to her as a broodmare - not to be ridden because of serious back problems. The girl is loose schooling the horse - chasing it with a whip - when it can barely walk and is ignoring all advice and instruction not to from other people on the yard. The horse has actually kicked someone who tried to talk to the owner - rearing up - and the RSPCA are refusing to get involved saying that if the horse has access to water, food and shelter there is nothing they can do.

So - why are they not out educating and preventing there? Infact, I have not heard ONE positive story in all the cruelty cases that come up on the horse boards - unlike the ILPH and Redwings etc who do not get the funding the RSPCA does.

I know Isabel it just breaks my heart that our local rspca spend £18,000 a year on a charity shop

Well, I'm sorry but they aren't running their shop correctly then.  I was an assistant manager in a charity shop for almost 6 years and if you have the layout, good quality stock, friendly staff, volunteers who want to work there and prepare in advance for events (Such as Halloween when people want to make costumes) you can make a very good turnover.  On the run up to Halloween we could make over £700 in one day!

Edited to add: I have had 1 dealing with the SSPCA when I found an injured bird of prey early one evening, they wouldn't come out to it even though an officer lives in the same village I do.

Isabel, maybe being a bit thick here, but how have charities lost out by the lottery?

Since the advent of the lottery, giving to all charities has dropped.  It appears people would rather have the prospect of a return from their contribution ;).

You are right. At the end of the day they have to work within the confines of the law, and I am sure it frustrates the hell out of them not being able to act in certain circumstances. Hopefully the recent changes in the law regarding animals will help them to function more effectively. Please don't get me wrong, they do a marvelous job, and I certainly couldn't do it, but when they do fail, it is heartbreaking as you know that animals have continued to suffer as a result, I think that is what makes it such an emotive subject, and everyone has heard stories about when the RSPCA has failed, but majoritively, they do do an excellent job and just think of what the situation would be like without them.

Sorry, I replied in the wrong place, that response was to MyGirl.

i dont see why our rspca cant have the same powers regarding the law as the aspca in america. in america, they have the same powers as a police officer and can arrest people and enter property to help a neglected animal.  im afraid, i have had bad experiences with the rspca and unfortunatley i think this is how people will base their opinions.  i have horses and when my grandparents used to run a stables, we had a customer there who had a mare and a foal. bearing in mind that the foal was over a year and a half old and it was still suckling from its mother as it had never been weaned. she was literally drinking her mother dry. the owner hardly ever came up to feed the horses or muck them out regardless of how many times we phoned her and spoke to her about it. in the end, we called the rspca. they came out and said that because the horses were still standing, had hay and water, they could not do anything to help. it didnt seem to matter that it was us who gave them hay and water!! also the condition of the horses didnt seem to matter to them. also, when i was going to get my first dog, we immediately went to the rspca because we wanted to rehome a rescue dog. well we didnt even get the chance to look at any dogs because they immediately dismissed us because my parents worked full time. it didnt matter that i was home, but because i was under 18 they said "you could easily get bored of the dog and bring it back to us for all we know". this was despite the fact that 2 weeks previous to this i had completed 2 weeks work experience there and got a glowing report, was doing animal care at college and had other animals.  im sorry but i could just have easily got bored with a dog if i was over 18, age doesnt make any difference.  although i appreciate that they have to be careful who they home dogs to and how long people are out at work, but i feel that they could have discussed the matter further or compromised, but we literally got a straight NO. i have now got 3 happy healthy dogs all of which i have brought from breeders and i would not choose to go to the rspca ever again.  it then infuriates me when the adverts come on the telly asking people to give them money! i could have homed three dogs from them but no i wasnt good enough, so im afraid they can stck it!.  i knwo i will probably get an earbashing for saying that but as i said, people based their opinions on personal experiences.

getting ready to duck!!:rolleyes:

becky

I must admit, although I have only seen the American system on tv shows, they do seem to have the power of law behind them, and they also seem to be able to take proactive action - with the law to back them up - unlike the RSPCA. It is a real shame it isn't more like that here.

I don't think the civil liberties lobby would allow it ;) and I must say I would not like it myself.  The RSPCA seem to have a very good working relationship with the police which is all that is necessary in my view, if they can't produce enough evidence to work with the police using their powers I don't fancy the idea that they can just go ahead on their own.