so I was thinking.... RSPCA

CATS

So I was traveling on the train today and saw and ad for the RSPCA that got me thinking.

The ad said something about stopping dog fighting and lets do justice for these puppies who are forced to fight etc

and then it said donate £3 by texting to xxx to stop this happening (something like that)

Now surely they should have something saying to report dog fighting text xxxx or call xxxx, surely this would help to stop this happening?

just a thought, the poster got me thinking.....

~Chameleon~

They're only interested in getting money out of you which they then use to further their own animal rights propoganda. None of these donations actually help animals in need, nor do they support the many RSPCA hospitals, clinics and shelters around the country. These are all independent charities that have to raise their own funds. The only way they benefit from your donations are by donating directly to local RSPCA charities and not to the central headquarters such as the one in the advert you saw.

Dollardog

I donate quite a lot of dog/cat food each month to animal charities.
I never give any to the RSPCA - why? Because an elderly lady I know who used to take in elderly dogs who had lost their homes for various reasons and used to also help another lady who ran a small rescue saving dogs from places like the RSPCA and from being put down got a phone call one day from the RSPCA telling them that they had been donated far too much food in these supermarket 'begging boxes' and they had nowhere to store it and if they didn't go and take it away that day, it was going in the skip.
Now I am sorry but people had given that food in good faith, expecting it to go to the animals and do some good. For it to have ended up in a skip, to me, is morally wrong. Yes - it was good that before putting it in the skip, they ran the little rescue and offered it to them, where it obviously was very welcome, but was that just on the initiative of someone else at the RSPCA shelter, who like me, thought it was wrong?
That was done just once, so how many times has it occurred that they have had too many donations and it has actually been put in the skip?
Sorry, I feel very sorry for the animals that find themselves at the RSPCA, they are far to quick to put them down, especially those that have actually been handed in and they are not forced to keep for 7 days to see if they have been claimed. I have heard of horrendous tales of dogs being taken in for rehoming because people's circumstances have changed and the dogs being put down virtually as they leave even though they were perfectly rehomeable.
I know people are going to jump on this saying that they can't take all homeless animals in and keep them till they can be rehomed and I understand that but I am sorry, due to their policies and the money that they waste on propagander rather than trying to rehome more, I couldn't justify to myself supporting them.

moggymutt

I'm no fan of the RSPCA, they've just miffed me by telling me one of the reasons why they wont take on a sheep cruelty case is because they concentrate on cats and dogs. Funnily, I thought sheep were animals, and that' the word in their title.

I do sometimes think that they like to do a bit, but not enough to ever get on top of the situation, or they'd be doing themselves out of jobs.

I also one reported a case repeatedly- in the end a member of the call centre staff admitted even the police had reported it 3 times. To get them to act I had to give them a deadline of 5pm that day, or I was turning up with the local press to the house being reported (kittens sitting in the windows, with burst eyes).

G-WWBB

While I understand people have had bad experiences with the RSPCA, sadly, a bad experience with one branch, or the National RSPCA, or an RSPCA hospital, or an RSPCA shelter, can give the entire organisation a bad name.

I volunteer with my local RSPCA rehoming branch and have done for some time now. They're always extremely thankful for any help they can get and do whatever they can to ensure they have space for animals, to the point where their manager has turned every room in her house in to rabbit runs so she can foster them until they're ready for adoption to their forever homes.

What a lot of people don't know is a majority (if not all) of the rehoming branches are completely separate charities to the National RSPCA and the RSPCA hospitals, but they often get a lot of abuse for something that is actually nothing to do with them.

Within our area, we have a cattery which can house up to possibly 15-18 cats and at least 20 foster homes for cats alone (I volunteer on the moggy side so only know the stats with those) the week before last all those homes and spaces at the cattery were full, just to give you an idea how full, I had 8 fosters in my care, 7 six week old kittens and a mum cat. 5 of those were abandoned with mum and another 2 joined them after being abandoned also.
Within 15 miles of our branch, is another 6 branches, they too were maxed out with cats, this got to the point where (frustratingly) the National RSPCA actually put a temporary stop to collecting locally abandoned cats because there was no available spaces to take them to.
I say "frustratingly" because while all our 'spaces' are full, there's always a way our branch manages to find somewhere for an abandoned mog to go, it usually involves juggling and moving fosters around, but if it means we can help another animal, then we do it. Even the RSPCA rehoming branches don't agree with everything the National RSPCA do.

I personally, wouldn't donate to the National RSPCA, but I don't hesitate when it comes to the rehoming branches. I've seen what great work they do for animals and just how much their lives revolve around caring for and rehabilitating those animals.

I'm prepared to be bashed for my post, as I know everyone has different views and experiences on this, (I admit I did too before I started volunteering with them) but I just wanted to say that every branch under the RSPCA name isn't the same as the National RSPCA, so please don't tar them all with the same brush.

marlot

THanks G-WWBB for a very helpful post.

I'm surprised the RSPCA haven't set up a scheme like the blue cross for direct owner to owner rehoming with a little bit of charity help in the middle to vet both sides, assess the anaimal etc.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

marlot wrote: »

THanks G-WWBB for a very helpful post.

I'm surprised the RSPCA haven't set up a scheme like the blue cross for direct owner to owner rehoming with a little bit of charity help in the middle to vet both sides, assess the anaimal etc.

No profit in it.

moggymutt

G-wwb, I think small groups do suffer because of the national RSPCA. Each local group should be judged individually, same with Cat Protection. Many years ago a London Branch of Cats Protection League used to fund my friend neutering farm cats in Wales, very against head office policy, but the Branch concerned thought it immoral to keep money in the bank when it could be out there doing good in an area that no other organisations were operating in.

Sadly I have had many, many bad experiences with Rspca, (too countless for me to type), because me being in rescue means that I have had to deal (unpaid) with cases that the RSPCA (paid) has walked away from.

There are good people in their system,- if that call operator hadn't broken rank and admitted to me just how many people had reported the case of the kittens with burst eyes, I wouldn't have had the ammunition to go to the papers and make them get it sorted.

G-WWB , I hope your group continues to thrive and show other parts of the RSPCA how they themselves should be working.

chucknorris

I am not anti RSPCA but I did stop regular donations to them in favour of the 'Last Chance Rescue' and I am also a member of the dogs trust and occassionally donate to them also.

G-WWBB

moggymutt wrote: »

Sadly I have had many, many bad experiences with Rspca, (too countless for me to type), because me being in rescue means that I have had to deal (unpaid) with cases that the RSPCA (paid) has walked away from.

I know where you're coming from with this, we recently received a call from a local vet who'd had three kittens brought in after they found abandoned. They called the National RSPCA who refused to take them as they had no room for them locally. They then called our branch direct (as they've dealt with them before) straight away the manager was on to the various foster homes we have to find somewhere for them. Later that same day, they were collected from the vets and in their foster home by the evening.

moggymutt wrote: »

There are good people in their system,- if that call operator hadn't broken rank and admitted to me just how many people had reported the case of the kittens with burst eyes, I wouldn't have had the ammunition to go to the papers and make them get it sorted.

I honestly don't blame you for resorting to that option, I would've probably gone down the same route to make them do something.

I know in some areas the RSPCA are really up against it to find spaces for animals, not all branches have the funds for a cattery, or so many foster homes to hand. It's a sad story that a majority of our spaces are filled with un-neutered mums with litters, or pregnant mums about to give birth. If everyone had their cats neutered (Most RSPCA branches even offer to help fund this) it would free up so much room for those animals in need and those families who genuinely need our help in times of crisis. But that's another story altogether

moggymutt wrote: »

G-WWB , I hope your group continues to thrive and show other parts of the RSPCA how they themselves should be working.

Thank you for your kind words

ameliarate

Thanks for the information in these posts. I do donate to the RSPCA Headquarters regularly. I have now cancelled my direct debit and am getting in touch with my local branch who I know are very good and don't put dogs down routinely.