Dug up a very interesting website commenting on the activities of the RSPCA (primarily in NSW), SOS News; ‘RSPCA – The Dark Side’. Well worth a read. I can’t verify the facts quoted; however I do know that the RSPCA has shifted from what was originally a conservative, well-respected organisation set up to protect domestic animals from maltreatment, to a more radical organisation that is more along the lines of animal rights extremist organisations (especially in Victoria and South Australia). For example, the RSPCA in southern Australia has been working hard to get state governments to ban rodeos, regardless of how well run they are. And I have experienced the arrogance of the organisation first hand, when trying to purchase a dog from the RSPCA shelter here.
For more than 6 months we tried to buy a small cross-breed pet dog from the RSPCA. With more than 160,000 people, Townsville is full of dogs, including many Heinz varieties, so it seemed the ideal solution – the unclaimed dogs needed a good home, and we needed a dog. Preferably a small cross-breed. At least once a week we would optimistically head off to the RSPCA kennel first thing in the morning on unclaimed pound dog-delivery days, to repeatedly discover the vast majority of the dogs were pig-dog types (crosses of bull terriers, rhodesian ridgebacks, great danes, bull mastiffs, wolfhounds etc), and stock-working types (kelpies, border collies and blue heelers) – all eminently unsuited to kids and a town backyard. In fact many of these unfortunate dogs were not ideally suited to anywhere at all (for temperament, breeding and/or training reasons), other than for pig shooters or rabbiters, who could invest the time in suitable training and give these dogs the exercise they need, while engaged in a very worthy occupation. But guess what, the RSPCA don’t deem pig hunting and rabbiting to be worthy dog occupations; instead they’d rather keep the dogs and put them down, when ‘suitable’ owners can’t be found. Of the few remaining dogs, many seemed to be diggers and fence climbers or of unsuitable temperament (barkers, biters, etc). Yet the RSPCA continued to run their standard tear-jerking front-page news story a couple of times a year, about the huge number of pets they had and how much more money they needed to run the shelter. Always featuring some cute little dog that definitely won’t be at the shelter when you zip around there for a look. The canine equivalent of Harvey Norman running an ad for a fridge at half price, when there was actually only one on offer in the whole shop (i.e., bait advertising). However it wasn’t the head-in-the-sand impracticality and ‘poor bugger me’ song they were constantly singing that were the most exasperating aspects, it was the arrogance and patronising attitude of the staff that tipped me over the edge. Being lectured, patronised and given the third-degree as to our suitability to own a dog, by a girl who had obviously only just left school, was so bad it was funny, given the amount of dogs we’ve owned over the years, and my original intention to find a homeless dog and give it a good home. This houlier-than-thou attitude was quite a bizarre contrast to child-raising, because anyone can have children, without parental suitability being questioned by anyone, from start to finish (more’s the pity). The level of cynicism and chip-on-the-shoulder attitude displayed by RSPCA staff was very, very unpleasant. Yes they do see a lot of appallingly badly treated animals and no doubt it is very depressing; however to presume that the whole human race doesn’t look after their pets properly, and to treat them as guilty until proven innocent, is akin to a doctor presuming that all people are sick and unhealthy (because they only ever see the crook ones). I very much disliked being viewed as a quite likely dog starver or dog beater or neglectful owner, so in the ongoing absence of any remotely suitable RSPCA canine companions, we trotted down to the local petshop for a look, and on the same day bought a purebred poodle. The smartest and most family oriented dog I have ever owned. Unfortunately we won’t ever be going back to the RSPCA; they charge nearly as much for their dogs, huge amounts of time have to be invested in actually finding anything remotely suitable for a young family and suburban backyard (due to the scarcity of such dogs at the RSPCA shelter – which of course is actually a good thing) – and you have to swallow a huge amount of patronising attitude.
Apparently the Queensland RSPCA made $19,769,870.00 through 23 retail outlets in 2007/8. In January the Queensland RSPCA announced that they would officially be selling animals through pet shops. Quite bizarre, given the amount of criticism the RSPCA has heaped onto the heads of pet shop owners, apparently ‘profiteering at the expense of animal welfare and responsible pet ownership’. I doubt there are many, if any at all, good quality (healthy & good temperament) dogs put down by the RSPCA. Most of the dogs put down are those that homes can’t be found for – unfortunately, for very good reasons (lack of suitability). As to cats, well the best thing the RSPCA could do, if they cared about all animals and not just a handful of cute & fluffy species such as dogs, cats and horses, would be to put every cat down that they could get their hands on. Selling through pet shops is about making a profit for the RSPCA, pure and simple.
Tags: Living in the country and remote areas, Australian meat industry, Conservation and the environment