RSPCA Friend or foe?

[Aard Vark]

Today I had to serrender one of our dogs. He is a great dog 2 y/o Blue X staffy

What got me is I have spent the better part of two weeks trying to find him a home but no luck. Why we had to rehome him? He lost his mate to a brown snake and was going up the road to see the bitch there. Her owner has made it clear that if Trooper (my dog) ever comes into his yard again he will leave with a bullet in the head.

This is where the RSPCA comes in. I was treated like I was abusing my dog and had surrended him because I didn't want him. I was near in tears handing him over, nothing I said made any differance. They even looked up my history and saw I had handed over a dog 3 years ago. (My X girlfried's mother's dog It was very old and it was to be put down) then before that a stray and then my first dog 19y/o that was 15 years back.

As I train my dogs and keep them on a lead I was told in no unserten terms not to snap his lead when he wasn't behaving. Then as the they where taking him away I wanted to give him one last petting I had to ask the girl to wait because she had walked off.

Am I being to sensitive or picky about this? All I know is I was upset and was doing this for the dogs best interest as I didn't want him shot but I can't dog proof the hole farm.
Has anyone had this?

[Gob]

Nothing much I can say mate, it's a job to them, a friend to you.

[loCAtek]

I'm sorry Aardy, ya did yer best. Thank dog for ye!

[Aard Vark]

I would of expected a little sympathy or even a tinny bit of compassion for my or anyone elses feelings.

When I took my first dog in I was treated like a dog owner that loves his mate. This time a bastad dumping a mungrel.

I have sent a letter of complaint to RSPCA Hq stating how I was treated, I would of been in a real state if I was getting my old dog put down or bringing in a stray and treated like that.

But your right the starf don't have to give a dam about the people they have to deal with. Shame they don't train them to understand how much it can hurt the caring owners. Might even help if they were able to notice the differance between the dumpers and the people that give a toss

[tyro]

I have a similar story. We had a German Shepherd that seriously bit my brother’s hand drawing blood. My brother insisted that it wasn’t anything but the trail of blood spoke otherwise.

We tried to find another home, but we felt it only right to note that he had bitten. It isn’t easy to find a home for a good dog, harder for a known problem.

My wife called the SPCA and was told that it was pretty much our fault, don’t bring your dog here and to hire a trainer.

On the very day my wife called the vet to get an appointment to take him in for the one-way visit, I got a call from someone who had suggested his neighbour would like a dog. Some more calls were made and the lucky dog is in a home where he can get the attention he needed.

I think the SPCA is overwhelmed by the number of people who bring in their pets for minor causes. So they treat everyone as though they are not good pet owners.

Unfortunate.

[@meric@nwom@n]

Was having him fixed so he would stop visiting the bitch down the road not an option?

[Reality Bytes]

Ardy - much as I kinda understand how you feel as someone who is involved at the sharp end of dog rescue I have to say that knowing that their system showed that you have previously surrendered 3 dogs I can see why the RSPCA staff would perhaps be less than thrilled to be having to take another dog off you. As far as they are concerned all you have done is hand your problem over to them to solve and walked away, yes you are upset, but there were other things you could have tried before giving up.

If you can't dog proof the entire property then why not build a safe dog proof area? Walk him on lead and let him have a big area to run around in at other times, having him neutered might also have helped with his wandering not to mention increasing his life expectancy by removing the threat of testicular cancer.

Does the RSPCA work differently over there that you can take an old dog to them to be euthanised? Why the RSPCA and why not the vet the dog was registered with?

Every day RSPCA and rescue staff will hear story after story of why a "much loved pet" has to be given up or have someone come in with a "stray" they have found - some of those cases will be genuine but the vast majority are not and for every dog one of the rescues takes in another dies - there simply are not enough homes out there for all the dogs who need a home, no kill rescues sadly end up full and having to turn away dogs many of whom will then end up being euthanised. The staff are there to care for the unwanted dogs they are not there to make it easy for someone to dump a dog they no longer want the hassle of dealing with (I'm not suggesting thats what you did) sometimes that means people who are genuine might get their feelings hurt, but they are not the ones there day in day out dealing with these issues - the staff are.

[Aard Vark]

Troopy had spent two weeks in a pen we did walk him with the other dogs most days (2 Kms) and let him run and play with the minniture pigs. After the death of his mate Troopy changed, he was more agressive, skittish and stopped obaying commands. That is the main reason for needing a new home, I know he needed more time than I could give him and a new home would break the new behavour pattern.
It was easy with all the dogs together. The Mastiffs did the big dopy thing and the 2 bluies did the run like mainiacks. When we went for walks the Bluies would stand between any thret and us and their big dopy mates. If I needed the alpacas hearded up I could depend on the blue healers to do the job. After Milly died Troop stopped wooking.

As for the older dogs The RSPCA will do euthanisa of pets for people on a pention. As I am on a dissabuility pention it's a lot cheeper to go there than a vet.

If he had bitten one of the kids or attacked some one without being instrucked to, then I would of shot him on the spot myself.

I just think the starf could be a little more compassionate that's all

[loCAtek]

You have alpacas? Do tell!

[Crackpot]

alpaca is very tasty

[loCAtek]

I hear they're like giant rabbits;


'After man' rendition-

[Reality Bytes]

Again without wishing to appear unsympathetic you have said yourself that the dog had a behaviour issue caused by a change in it's living conditions which you yourself don't have the time to spend on working on with him, with all due respect you have then handed those issues over to someone else to solve and put the time and effort and expense in that you cannot, can you not see that to the RSPCA workers thats hardly going to make you appear someone deserving of sympathy? There are things that can be done to rehabilitate him which you don't have the time to do, and it's for that reason why the shelter workers wouldn't have been all that kindly towards you as all they see is that the dog is being handed over because his owner doesn't have time for him any more.

I actually do approve of the fact that rather than just taking him out and shooting him you have in fact given him the chance of a new life elsewhere & that is to your credit, I can also see that the fact you knew that he needs a lot of time spent on him which you can't give him made the decision to give him up the right one and a distressing one for you.

However playing devils advocate here put yourself in their shoes, someone comes in who has multiple dogs and are keeping the dogs who are no bother and giving up the dog that needed a bit of effort, it's the 2nd or 3rd time that day someone has come in with a similar story, and you know that tomorrow and the day after and the day after that there will be a similar number, all "much loved" dogs that their owners no longer have time for. How long do you think it would take before you lost any sympathy for the owners and started getting very cynical indeed about people?

At the end of the day they did what you needed them to do, they took him in and will find him a good home, maybe they weren't all that nice about it, but they will still do whats best for your dog, and thats all that really matters.

[Aard Vark]

Alpacas somewhere between a cow, horse and a rabbit.
they just cruse around all day and eat, when they want to they can be very affectionate, you can't ride them and I am told not the best to eat.

Our two girls. We intend to breed them and sell the wool.

And here they are breeding

If you can imagine trying to round these up without a good dog your dreeming. They are farst and don't like being told what to do.

[SisterMaryFellatio]

ALPACA PORN!!

[rubato]

whenever possible if you have an animal that needs to be put down you should do it yourself. And not pass it off.

yrs,
rubato

[Crackpot]

Alpaca are related to camels Vicunas and llamas

[loCAtek]

[The Hen]

Today I had to serrender one of our dogs. He is a great dog 2 y/o Blue X staffy

What got me is I have spent the better part of two weeks trying to find him a home but no luck. Why we had to rehome him? He lost his mate to a brown snake and was going up the road to see the bitch there. Her owner has made it clear that if Trooper (my dog) ever comes into his yard again he will leave with a bullet in the head.

This is where the RSPCA comes in. I was treated like I was abusing my dog and had surrended him because I didn't want him. I was near in tears handing him over, nothing I said made any differance. They even looked up my history and saw I had handed over a dog 3 years ago. (My X girlfried's mother's dog It was very old and it was to be put down) then before that a stray and then my first dog 19y/o that was 15 years back.

As I train my dogs and keep them on a lead I was told in no unserten terms not to snap his lead when he wasn't behaving. Then as the they where taking him away I wanted to give him one last petting I had to ask the girl to wait because she had walked off.

Am I being to sensitive or picky about this? All I know is I was upset and was doing this for the dogs best interest as I didn't want him shot but I can't dog proof the hole farm.
Has anyone had this?

I have heard this type of story many times Aardy.

I can empathise with the RSPCA as they get many people who have not tried to rehome their pets before giving the responsibility to the RSPCA. However, they don't have the right to assume that you exaggerating your efforts.

I think you did right writing to the shelter management. You may not be the first to have complained about it. This could be a staffing issue?

In the long-run, there isn't really much you can do but take it on the chin.

Though I wonder if you would have been treated differently if you had been a women? People do view males and females completely differently in these circumstances, the RSPCA are nothing but human.

[@meric@nwom@n]

Alpacas aren't cheap over here. A breeding pair costs at minimum $25,000.

[Big RR]

Again without wishing to appear unsympathetic you have said yourself that the dog had a behaviour issue caused by a change in it's living conditions which you yourself don't have the time to spend on working on with him, with all due respect you have then handed those issues over to someone else to solve and put the time and effort and expense in that you cannot, can you not see that to the RSPCA workers thats hardly going to make you appear someone deserving of sympathy? There are things that can be done to rehabilitate him which you don't have the time to do, and it's for that reason why the shelter workers wouldn't have been all that kindly towards you as all they see is that the dog is being handed over because his owner doesn't have time for him any more.

But RB, isn't that a reason organizations like the RSPCA exist, to provide people like aardy an alternative to having their pet euthanized and to offer the pet another chance? I know I support my local SPCA for that very reason; the alternatives of people killing dogs or letting them loose is not a viable one--we need organizations which will provide this alternative an I (and millions of others are more than happy to donate to ehlp this happen).