RSPCA - good or bad?

[m1.carson]

Hi,

I've found them very difficult to get hold of, but, later found there were only three people to cover a huge area, after saying that, friends who work at a local business park have no trouble at all.

Max.

[RobinP]

Originally Posted by TORTUGA

I was always under the impression that prevention is better than cure

Remind me again, what does the 'P' stand for in RSPCA? Though maybe in these cases you'd be better off contacting an animal rescue organization.

I've always found the RSPCA great in dealing with domestic animals and pets but a bit lacking where wildlife is concerned.

[TORTUGA]

Originally Posted by RobinP

Remind me again, what does the 'P' stand for in RSPCA? Though maybe in these cases you'd be better off contacting an animal rescue organization.

I've always found the RSPCA great in dealing with domestic animals and pets but a bit lacking where wildlife is concerned.

I tried everyone believe me, no one wanted to know. They all said that it was not abandoned and as such there was nothing they could do.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by TORTUGA

I was always under the impression that prevention is better than cure, the owners did not want their animals suffering and were prepared to re-home, the RSPCA did not want to know until a crime had been committed, but in my eyes they were prepared to let the situation get to the point of animal suffering until they got involved. This to me is not the actions of an organisation which claims to care about animal welfare.

but as someone pointed out higher up the rspca is a charity with limited means - is it really a good use of these limited resources to expend them on taking care of animals who have an owner who is not mistreating them and who should have made arrangements for their care.

Particularly where a dog or cat is locked in a flat as the rspca have no powers for forced entry and thus would have to involve the police - who almost certainly have better things to do with their time too and who wont want to get involved until there is a problem.

I understand that this situation must have been frustrating for you but the blame lies not with the rspca but with the owner - even in prison they have phones and it isnt that hard to call a mate to go and retreive tiddles or rover. There can't be many people who go down who don't have any freinds or family whatsoever.

The owner is passing the buck for something which they should sort out via you to a charity , who to my mind are right to kick it back into their lap and say sort it out or else.

On a general point i've worked a lot with both uniformed rspca and their investigations dept and always found them to be great - most of the times they get criticised its because people are expecting too much - as i said they have limited resources and can't do everything for everyone all the time.

[bounce]

Mixed thoughts, after our G.S.D passed away aged 17 we went along to our local RSPCA just for a look and there was this fantastic looking doberman, not a dog I'd ever thought about but it was fantastic, 4 times more expensive than the rest but after a walk with it we decided that was the one. We submitted our details for inspection and within 24 hours were told we was not suitable? The dog was on its 2 weeks up we were told and needed out, but not to us? Later through a freind who's brother worked there we found that the manager had a love for and owned 2 dobermans already and if no-one wanted it then after its time was up instead of destroying it he could have it.
Also my mum wanted a small dog, they had some puppies 20 weeks old they said wont grow much bigger, so she came away with one turns out they were 9 week old lurchers not so small now.

[stripee]

With dog problems, I usually contact the dog warden of the local council. Discarded breeding bitches are left sometimes by the sides of main roads. One a couple of weeks ago, this was lucky to be found by a dog loving neighbour.
The times I have phoned the RSPCA I have found them helpful. Some years back I reported a terrible scene of puppy farming in a derelict property off the road, dogs in old cars, and tied up, some too weak to stand. This resulted in a successful prosecution. Year before last, I phoned about mistreatment of a cow, which had gone crazy when her 1st calf was taken off her, and had been winged by the stockman who was chasing it with his gun to finish it off over a couple of miles on other peoples properties. (The cow disappeared and lived happily in another farmer's herd for some time). But I learnt about shooting cattle in the head from the RSPCA. They have expert advice. And seem excellent for domestic animals.
For wildlife I contact the local wildlife hospital, and for information, usually the appropriate charity/wildlife trusts etc. Vets have an obligation to treat wildlife casualties, although some are more sympathetic than others.

[djackso]

Thanks for your succinct and comprehensive reply - I'll refer to this in the future as I reckon you are pretty spot on with your assessment.

The dog info. rings true - once I spent a good few minutes getting irate with one patronizing person on the help-line, trying to explain that the growling creature in the bushes at the back of a neighbouring garden most definitely did NOT belong to a neighbour, only to be informed (after several minutes getting nowhere at all and wasting my breath) that the RSPCA didn't deal with these cases anyway. And I thought the RSPCA were busy people.....

[Cidermaker]

The Private Eye has some different views on the RSPCA - worth a read.

[tufftie]

Just going on from Stripee's comment about vets while they do have an obligation quite a few still refuse to take them in. Maybe it's worth people checking out the local vets in their area to find out which ones will and wont. There's a good one in Lower Horsebridge in East Sussex that will and they are lovely people

[dampflippers]

In order to not waste the charity's funds:

Unknown dog in neighbour's garden: Council dog warden.
Abandoned dog tied to railings: Council dog warden
Dog left at home following accident or confinement of owner: Council dog warden or animal shelter.

Let them do the job of dealing with mistreatment and neglect. They aren't dog wardens.

Playing devil's advocate- the fox mentioned above died before the animal sheler person arrived, so actually the RSPCA assessed the situation right, and the offer to put it to sleep was correct.