RSPCA evaluation

On looking thoroughly into the work of the country's most-funded charity (pulling in £120m last year) I am still a little muddled on what to think. Is it good? I have read so much controversial matter on the charity, bully-boy techniques, for example the Shetland Pony case, which, it is argued, resulted in the suicide of a man. There is no doubt that this charity does incredible work for most of the cases. The horror stories I have heard about the cruelty going on in this country are sickening, and the RSPCA have made a huge difference, but is it enough?

The fact that they need to prioritise calls at the moment simply means they need to get more backing, more help from the people and more advertising. More resources and uniformed officers with the capability of going out to help these animals.

On doing my rounds, the outcome was a lot more positive than negative, with no-one not having heard of the charity and it's work, which means an incredible advertising scheme. But there are still stories of the neglect of the charity acting on phonecalls... which I have explained is either due to lack of resourses or it not being in the RSPCA's area of work.

I personally feel that it is "good", whatever such a broad term means. I have read and re-read articles, both pro and con for the charity and the work that they do go and do changes the lives of these animals. The only thing that I can personally find wrong is that they cannot go to every single call.

"Cat Woman"

Now everybody saw the case of the middle-aged woman who threw a cat in a wheelie bin. This is an example of the RSPCA's power on prosecuting people who are cruel to animals.

This is an article from the Channel 4 news...

The RSPCA says it will prosecute a woman who was filmed by a security camera putting a cat into a wheelie bin with causing it unnecessary suffering.

Mary Bale is also accused of failing to provide the cat with a suitable environment, contrary to the 2006 Animal Welfare Act.

The 45-year-old is due to appear before Coventry magistrates on 19 October.

The owners of four-year-old Lola had posted footage of August's incident on Facebook after the cat was apparently stranded inside the bin for 15 hours in the Stoke district of the city.

West Midlands Police handed responsibility for the investigation to the RSPCA, who interviewed the bank worker before deciding to launch a prosecution.

"The RSPCA has taken the case to court as two alleged offences have been committed - of causing unnecessary suffering to a cat and of not providing the animal with a suitable environment," a spokesman said.

"Ms Bale was witnessed on CCTV footage stroking a cat, then looking round and picking the cat up by the scruff of its neck before putting it in a wheelie bin, shutting the lid and walking away from the scene.

"At no point did she return.

"As criminal proceedings are now active, the RSPCA will not be issuing any further statements until the conclusion of the court case."

The CCTV film was broadcast around the world, and sparked outrage from some animal lovers.

Ms Bale later apologised, and described her actions as "completely out of character".

RSPCA - FAQ

How is the RSPCA different to other charities in the same sector?

- The RSPCA is the only animal charity that prosecutes and has uniformed inspectors.

- Most animal charities are 'single issue' charities. The RSPCA works to promote kindness and prevent cruelty to ALL animals, including domestic animals, wildlife, farm animals and animals used in research.

"I believe someone is being cruel to an animal. What can the RSPCA do?

The RSPCA treats all reports in strictest confidences. Please ring the 24-hour cruelty and advice line. Staff will ask the following information...

- Your name and address, you may remain anonymous but it helps the RSPCA greatly if you can provide your details, which will not be disclosed to anyone outside the charity.

-The name and address of the owner or keeper of the animal.

-The animal's location.

-Description of the animal and it's circumstances/ill treatment.

"I have had difficulty getting through to the Cruelty line - it's too busy?"

It's true, the National Cruelty Line is very busy - in fact they received 1 1/4 million calls a year. On the one hand, this is a good thing because it means many members of the public are using the service to report cruelty against animals, which, of course, means that they are able to rescue and rehome many animals that need the help. On the other hand, however, there is a downside to this: the service has become so innundated by calls in recent years that many people are finding it difficult to get through. They have now made major changed to the tasking systems and for recording calls and incidents but the cruelty line is still extremely busy. This is why they really need the committed support of its supporters.

"I called the RSPCA about a stray dog in my street but they wouldn't come out?"

The RSPCA will respond to a call if it concerns an injured stray dog, but only so it's injuries can be treated; it is then handed over to the proper authorities. Responsibility for stray dogs rests with the local authority through local dog wardens and the police. Anyone wishing to report a stray dog should contact their local dog warden or may wish to take the dog to their area police station themselves. The Police do not collect stray dogs but will act as a holding facility until the dog warden can collect the animal.

RSPCA key areas of current work

The RSPCA provides 24 hour emergency help for animals

Anyone wanting to report and animal in distress or an act of cruelty can phone the national Cruelty and Advice line on 0300 1234 999.

The RSPCA also provides general advice and information

Anyone wanting to ask about re-homing, obtaining assistance with veterinary bills, volunteering, fundraising, or to clarify the Society's policy on a particular issue can phone the Public Enquiries Line on 0300 1234 555

Branch Activity

Every area has an RSPCA branch looking after local animal welfare, in fact there are approx 170 branches across England and Wales.

Freedom Food

The RSPCA's Freedom Food is the largest and fastest-growing farm animal welfare food-labelling scheme in the UK. Freedom Food labelled products are widely stocked by major supermarkets, independent stores and farm shops throughout the UK.

International

The International Department was established in 1934 to promote animal welfare abroad. Now known as RSPCA international, the departments targets its resources primarily in Southern Europe, Central and Eastern Europe and East Asia. Through its aid programme RSPCA International has provided support for various projects such as shelter construction and animal welfare campaigns, as well as funding for vehicles (animal ambulances), veterinary equipment and educational material.

Parliamentary action

The Society works had to keep animal welfare on the agenda at Westminster and has always been successful in bringing about legislative changes for the benefit of animals. Current developments include the new Animal Welfare Act - a modernised and updated version of the 1911 protection of animals act. Under the previous law, people responsible for pets could only be prosecuted for cruelty once suffering had occurred and when it was often too late to save the animal from death or lasting injury.

RSPCA case study - Kiwi

RSPCA - case study - Jess

RSPCA case study - Ben

RSPCA A day in the life of Inspector Phil Norman

RSPCA - The statistics

- Every 25 seconds someone in England and Wales dials the 24-hour cruelty line for help. They received more than 1million calls in 2009.
- They have 330 inspectors, 80 animal welfare officers and 115 animal collection officers working to prevent cruelty and promote kindness to animals in England and Wales.
- In 2007, the Animal Welfare Act passed into law. For the first time, this law places a clear legal obligation on people to care properly for their animals. And the Act can also help RSPCA inspectors to prevent animal suffering by taking action earlier in cases of ongoing neglect.
- They have a network of around 170 RSPCA branches around England and Wales, and they work with many animal welfare organisations abroad through the international team.
- They have four RSPCA animal hospitals and five clinics to treat pets in need of preventative medicine or welfare treatments belonging to members of the public who can't afford private veterinary fees. They also have 37 clinics and 3 mobile clinics run by the charity itself.
- There are 17 regional animal centres across England and Wales that help people adopt pets and rehome more animals than any other organisation. They also have 40 animal re-homing centres run by the branches.
- They have 4 specialist RSPCA wildlife centres in England.
- They also work to improve the lives of millions of farm, laboratory and wild animals.

During 2009 the RSPCA...

-Rescued and collected 135,293 animals.

-Treated and helped 217,497 animals in their hospitals and clinics.

-Neutered 87,189 animals.

-Found new homes/released back into the wild 90,493 animals.

-Microchipped 73,791 animals.

-Investigated 141, 280 cruelty complaints.

-Secured 2,579 convictions by private prosecution to protect animals against those who break the law.

-The prosecution costs were £5,156,563.

The UK pet population...

-8million cats, in over 5.2 million households

-8 million dogs, in over 6 million households

-4.7 million households owning fish

-12 million non-domestic pets are kept in the UK

-1 in 2 households own a pet

This gives a small insight into the massive job the RSPCA have.

Controversy... did the RSPCA drive a man to suicide?

An article from 'The Telegraph'

Several times in recent years I have reported on the change which has come over one of Britain’s richest charities, the RSPCA. Its officials too often seem bent on harrying genuine animal lovers, luridly misrepresenting alleged cases of cruelty in order to win the publicity which will keep funds rolling in, to the tune of some £115 million a year.

Last week I was alerted to a particularly chilling case by the SHG (Self Help Group, online at the-shg.org), set up to advise animal owners on RSPCA persecution. It involved Alan Brough, a 68-year-old retired builder from Newbiggin near the Cumbrian fells. He bought Shetland ponies 30 years ago for his daughters, who in time outgrew them.Eleven days ago, at the instigation of the RSPCA, Mr Brough was arrested at 8.30am and held in custody at Carlisle police station while officials of the charity put the ponies onto lorries bound for RSPCA-approved sanctuaries. When Mr Brough was released at 3pm and discovered what had happened, he was, according to his family, “trance-like”. He drove to a nearby church, then to a riverbank, where some time later his 18-year-old grand-daughter found him. He had hanged himself.

The RSPCA issued a statement: “We are saddened by what has happened, and our thoughts are with Mr Brough’s family.” They offered to return the ponies to his widow, but then insisted on keeping them, on the grounds that – although there was no evidence of ill-treatment – the animals might suffer sometime in the future. Mr Brough was cremated on Friday, The RSPCA were wise to stay away from his funeral.

RSPCA advert

This features the voices of Simon Cowell and Fearne Cotton, an example of the amount of people who support and want to promote the RSPCA's work.

RSPCA direct mail

Direct Mail

Keeping in touch with you

Charity direct mail can get a bad press, but for the RSPCA it’s a valuable way to communicate with our supporters old and new. Right now, like most charities, we are experiencing a drop in donations because of the recession, so direct mail appeals are vital if we are to make up the shortfall.
A worthwhile investment

Several times a year we send mailings designed to attract new supporters and raise their awareness of animal welfare issues.
These obviously cost money to produce. However, out of every £1 we are given, we spend only 10pence on fundraising, governance and administration. That’s less than most national charities spend on administration alone. Plus, we know that over time, our initial investment will be worthwhile. Because once people decide to support the RSPCA, they tend to keep giving for years – often by monthly Direct Debit.
Raising awareness

Each appeal focuses on a different need or campaign. Recently, we have been telling people about the sharp rise in animal abandonments since the recession began: a tragic situation putting unprecedented pressure on RSPCA resources. This is bad news, but by responding to a special mailing, supporters can play a key role in helping us meet this demand.
Some mailings, like ‘The Biggest Animal Rescue’ or ‘I Like Pigs’, are part of larger campaigns that also run across TV, the internet and the press. Campaigns like this raise money and vital awareness.
Not all our mailings ask for money, though. We also send out newsletters and annual reports to keep our supporters informed about our campaigns and what we’ve achieved with donations. We like to know what our supporters think about animal welfare issues, so we often ask them to write back.

RSPCA - door to door fundraising

Door to door fundraising

Knock Knock!


The RSPCA’s door to door fundraising campaign runs between February and November every year. Our fundraisers call at homes across the UK, giving people the chance to find out about our work and pledge a regular gift.

This campaign has proved to be a wonderful source of much-needed funds. We’ve also discovered that our door to door campaign brings us new supporters who we might not have the opportunity to reach in other ways. Your donation doesn’t have to be much - someone who pays the RSPCA an amount monthly by direct debit will make a significant difference over several years.
If you do sign up to a regular gift, did you know that you can increase its value by almost a third simply by signing a Gift-Aid declaration? By making your gift tax-efficient through Gift Aid, you’ll turn every £1 you give into £1.28 for the RSPCA.

RSPCA - face to face fundraising

Face to face fundraising

Face to face or ‘street’ fundraising is a bit like Marmite. People either love it or hate it. But for the RSPCA, it has proved to be an exciting and cost-effective way of recruiting new supporters.
Our professional fundraisers work in teams, approaching people on the streets in town centres across the UK. Their aim is to raise awareness of the RSPCA and get people to sign up for a regular donation.
Talking to our generation: a great way to recruit young supporters

Each year new donors are recruited on the streets, they often tend to be people in their 20s and 30s, who have never given to charity on a regular basis before.
These people don’t tend to give to traditional appeals, but respond well to a face-to-face approach from our fundraisers, usually aged between 18-30. So street fundraising is getting a whole new generation involved with animal welfare!
A strict code of conduct

“What if a face-to-face fundraiser makes me feel pressurised?” Short answer: they shouldn’t.

Like our door-to-door fundraisers, our face-to-face teams are governed by a very strict code of conduct which expressly prevents them from harassing passers-by.
A genuine RSPCA street fundraiser will be polite and respectful towards you, whether or not you want to talk. They’ll be wearing a blue jacket with the RSPCA logo printed on it in white. They’ll also have an ID badge which shows their photograph, their fundraiser ID number, our registered charity number and the name of the fundraising agency.
Face-to-face fundraising raises millions of pounds in valuable donations for the RSPCA every year and has brought us a new generation of supporters. So, although not everyone loves it, it has proved to be a wonderful way of helping unloved animals.

RSPCA TV Advertising

Have you seen our TV adverts?

Have you seen The Biggest Animal Rescue ad on TV? This TV ad is part of a wider, co-ordinated campaign, featuring direct mail appeals, banner ads on the internet and a special microsite, www.rspca-biggestanimalrescue.org.uk.

It features Tim Wass, RSPCA Chief Superintendent, making a heartfelt appeal for donations – to help us cope with our hugely increased caseload. Tim declared: "I don’t intend to let one animal down and I’m sure that you don’t either… whatever you can give will help."

A great way to reach a wide audience

TV is a highly effective way of informing the public about animal welfare issues. Around 95% of viewers who respond to TV ads do so within seconds of transmission.

Our TV ads are often shown on daytime TV or satellite channels – cheaper than prime-time TV. And when we film the ads, production costs are kept to a minimum. Stars like Simon Cowell and Fearne Cotton have generously donated their time for free.

Home For Life

TV ads also raise awareness of the RSPCA’s work. Recently we ran a successful TV ad to publicise our Home for Life service. This free service gives pet-owners the reassurance that, if they should pass away, their pet will be looked after by the RSPCA and, if possible, rehomed. All they need to do is assign the pet to the RSPCA in their Will.

Like The Biggest Animal Rescue, Home For Life was a major campaign featuring press advertising, direct mail and a website, www.homeforlife.org.uk. We hope it will also encourage people to consider making a gift to the RSPCA in their Will.

We often use TV ads to highlight animal cruelty issues we think you should know about. So watch out for us on the TV – and phone in to help if you can!

The RSPCA

I learned a great many facts about the RSPCA in the month I worked for them.

They get a call every 25 seconds now... and they only have 500 officers around the country. This is where the problems arise, they are now having to prioritise cases and calls. Which obviously is an awful position to be put in.

It is a charity completely funded by charitable donations with no funding from the government and they depend on the fundraisers and advertisements on the telivision and on the radio.

Last year they had a million calls and could only go out and help a quarter of them. This is where the controversy arrises. When people call, if the animal is known by the RSPCA to not be in any immediate danger, they ask the person to keep the animal until they have the opportunity to come out and help. They prioritise the animal cruelty cases.

The Animal Welfare Act - BBC - Ethics guide

The Animal Welfare Act - DEFRA

The Animal Welfare Bill received Royal Assent on 8 November 2006 becoming the Animal Welfare Act..

The Animal Welfare Act marks a milestone in animal welfare legislation, and demonstrates an effort by the government to clarify, condense and modernise legislation on animal welfare, some of which has not been addressed since 1911. Amongst other things, the Act will ensure that all vertebrate animals are properly cared for by their owners and allows for preemptive action to be taken against unfit caretakers before an animal suffers. It also simplifies the legislation, consolidating more than 20 pieces of legislation into one.

“The most fundamental piece of legislation for nearly a century has now passed into law. The Government believes by extending the duty of care to non-farmed animals, it will reduce animal suffering in this country. This is the culmination of several years’ work during which the government has worked closely with stakeholders. The result is legislation of which we can all be proud.”

Ben Bradshaw, Animal Welfare Minister, 9th November 2006

For an overview by an Equine Lawyer of what the Animal Welfare Act will mean to horsowners, please click here

The key elements of the Act are:

• reduce animal suffering by enabling preventive action to be taken before suffering occurs

• place on people who are responsible for domestic and companion animals a duty requiring them to do all that is reasonable to ensure the welfare of their animals

• extend the existing power to make secondary legislation to promote the welfare of farmed animals to non-farmed animals, bringing legislation for non-farmed animals in line with that for farmed animals

• deter persistent offenders by strengthening penalties and eliminating many loopholes in the current system. For example, those causing unnecessary suffering to an animal will face up to 51 weeks in prison, a fine of up to £20,000, or both

• simplify the legislation for enforcers and animal keepers by consolidating over 20 pieces of legislation into one

• extend to companion animals welfare codes agreed by Parliament, a mechanism currently used to provide guidance on welfare standards for farmed animals

• strengthen and amend current offences related to animal fighting

• increase the effectiveness of law enforcement for animal welfare offences

• increase from 12 to16 the minimum age at which a child may buy an animal, and prohibit the giving of pets as prizes to unaccompanied children under the age of 16

• ban mutilations of animals, with certain specified exemptions

  
  

  
  

RSPCA - The Animal Welfare Act.

The Animal Welfare Act, imposed in England and Wales in 2006 is the most significant change to animal welfare laws in over a century, the previous Animal Welfare Act was imposed in 1911 and was outdated as it was imposed when animals took a very different role in society, mainly for transport and industry.

In the new legislations, they added a legal duty of care of pets.

1.Provide them with a proper diet, including fresh food and water.

2. Allow them to express normal behaviour.

3. Protection from pain, suffering, injury and disease.

4. Meet the animal's nee to be housed with, or apart from, other animals.

5. Give them somewhere suitable to live.

RSPCA - TIMELINE

1822 - Richard Martin MP introduces the very first anti-cruelty bill into Parliament "to prevent the ill-treatment of horses and other animals."

1824 - The RSPCA is founded as the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals by Richard Martin, William Wiberforce and other reformers: the first animal welfare charity in the world.

1835 - Thanks to the SPCA's lobbying of Parliament, the Cruelty to Animals Act outlaws cock fighting and bull and bear bating.

1840 - Queen Victoria gives her seal of approval for the SPCA to be called the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

1841 - The RSPCA employed 5 roving inspectors, based in London, paid 1 guinea a week, and issued with uniforms/truncheons to increase public respect.

1866 - Inspired by the RSPCA, America founds its own animal protection society, followed by Australia (1872) and New Zealand (1882).

1876 - A new cruelty to animals act, to control vivisection and experiments to animals becomes law.

1911 - The Protection of Animals Act becomes law.

1914-1918 - World War 1: the RSPCA sets up a sick and wounded horse fund, helping the royal Army Veterinary Corps treat 725,000 horses in France alone.

1952 - RSPCA Inspectors Ambrose and Pickett rescue animals from the flood disaster in Lynmouth, Devon.

1967 - RSPCA staff to help sea birds affected by oil from the Torrey Canyon tanker disaster.

2000 - Parliament passes the fur farming prohibition act, abolishing fur farming in the UK.

2004 - The Hunting Act to protect foxes, deer and hares from being hunted with dogs becomes law.

2006 - Parliament passes the animal welfare act, making it possible for the RSPCA to save animals from the likelihood of cruelty. The Act came into force in Wales in march 2007 and in England in April 2007.

2008 - The Chinese government asks for the RSPCA's advice on animal welfare reforms