Saturday, 11 September 2010
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...
- 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.
Friday, 10 September 2010
RSPCA controversy
I have come across a blog totally devoted to "expose the double standards of the RSPCA"
A Cumbrian ‘animal lover’ who owned the wild ponies of Caldbeck Common is thought to have killed himself after they were taken away by the RSPCA and he was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty.
Alan ‘Tutty’ Brough, 68, from Newbiggin, near Penrith, was arrested at 8.30am on Wednesday shortly before a major RSPCA and police operation began to catch about 90 of his ponies that had lived wild on Uldale and Caldbeck commons for 30 years.
After being released from Carlisle’s Durranhill police station at 3pm, Mr Brough returned home but later drove to St Ninian’s Church at Brougham, where his family say he was found hanged.
One of his four daughters, Kathleen Michie, from Carlisle, said: “It was not my dad who walked out of the police cells – he was trance-like. He said they had taken his life. He was not a people person, he preferred animals. We ran down to the car to stop him leaving the house and I took the keys out of the car.
“We spent 45 minutes talking to him and eventually he agreed to take his grand-daughter Natasha with him – he wanted to go and think.
“He stopped at Rheged for fuel and drove off when Natasha went to pay. She chased him and jumped in front of the car. But he drove off when she tried to get in.”
The 18-year-old alerted the rest of the family, who gave chase. Natasha eventually found her grandfather by the River Eamont.
His daughter Kathleen added: “We had begged him to carry on and fight for the ponies. He spent half his life fighting the parish council and Caldbeck Commoners to keep the ponies on the common.
“He got up at 5am every day to go out and gather grass for his horses. He spent every day with them.”
The ponies were rounded up and loaded onto lorries on Wednesday before being taken to new homes. Mr Brough, a builder, was not told of the operation before it started.
He first released the Shetland ponies onto the common when he lived at Mosedale when his daughters outgrew them. The ponies bred and multiplied, becoming a tourist attraction on the commons.
In an effort to control numbers, a castration programme was started by landowners, The Lake District National Park Authority, two years ago. Mr Brough co-operated with the programme but the RSPCA got involved after welfare concerns were raised.
following advice from a vet, four ponies were seized by Cumbria police last Friday. The RSPCA said one pony was put to sleep because of its poor condition.
Redwings Horse Sanctuary, World Horse Welfare, the British Horse Society and Horse World were involved in Wednesday’s operation and they are housing the ponies in undisclosed locations. Mr Brough’s family have not been told where they are.
A statement from the RSPCA and other horse charities involved in Wednesday’s operation said: “We are saddened by what has happened and our thoughts are with Mr Brough’s family at this time.”
Paragon Veterinary Group has castrated many of the ponies over the last two years.
David Black from the group said this week: “Of the ponies we saw, considering their management as wild ponies, the vets involved did not have concerns about their body condition.”
Mr Brough was well-known in his home town of Penrith and once kept lions at his Mosedale home in the hope of starting a zoo.
His family said he would never have let any animal suffer and that he was treating the horse that was put down by police. His daughter Cindy said the family were angry with police.
She added :“He was taken away for the best part of the day. They put him in the cells and broke his heart. It was as if they wanted him out of the way so they could take the horses.”
Mr Brough leaves his wife Kathleen, four daughters and nine grandchildren.
Enquiries into Mr Brough’s death are ongoing, but officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.The RSPCA has offered to return Caldbeck’s wild ponies to the widow of Alan Brough who was found dead last week after the charity removed his animals from the common.
Kathleen Brough, from Newbiggin, near Penrith, will meet officers from the RSPCA on Monday to discuss the return of the animals.
Around 100 ponies were removed from Caldbeck and Uldale commons on Wednesday and Thursday in an operation involving police, the RSPCA, the British Horse Society and several other charities.
Mr Brough was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty before the operation started on Wednesday morning.
He was not charged.
Hours after his release on bail, he was found dead by the River Eamont at St Ninian’s Church, Brougham, by his grand daughter.
Mr Brough’s daughter, also called Kathleen, said: “The RSPCA has told mum she can have as many back as she wants. She wants them all back and the whole family will help to look after them.
“He (Alan) died to get them back, we can’t turn our backs on them. They won’t tell us where the ponies are and it’s torture.”
The RSPCA took action after welfare concerns were raised about the ponies. One was put to sleep because of its poor condition.
The RSPCA said in statement: “We certainly would not rule out any suggestions put forward by the family providing, of course, the needs of the animals can be met.”
The ponies have become a tourist attraction since Mr Brough released the first few onto the common more than 30 years ago. The 68-year-old builder would take hay and grass to the ponies every day and his family said they were his life.
James Irving, chairman of Uldale Commoners Association, worked with Mr Brough for two years to control their numbers. A castration programme began two years ago in co-operation with Mr Brough and landowners, the Lake District National Park Authority.
Mr Irving said: “Everyone living round here is in shock, it’s horrendous what’s happened.
“We’re upset and furious at the way the RSPCA and British Horse Society handled this. The farmers, commoners, National Park and Mr Brough were happy with the castration programme.
“We’re all farmers round here, we know when something is suffering and these ponies had a happy life.”
This is a post about the "shetland pony disaster" in which the RSPCA have been blamed for the suicide of a man.
"HEARTLESS RSPCA RENAGE ON PROMISE TO BEREAVED FAMILY
A Cumbrian ‘animal lover’ who owned the wild ponies of Caldbeck Common is thought to have killed himself after they were taken away by the RSPCA and he was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty.
Alan ‘Tutty’ Brough, 68, from Newbiggin, near Penrith, was arrested at 8.30am on Wednesday shortly before a major RSPCA and police operation began to catch about 90 of his ponies that had lived wild on Uldale and Caldbeck commons for 30 years.
After being released from Carlisle’s Durranhill police station at 3pm, Mr Brough returned home but later drove to St Ninian’s Church at Brougham, where his family say he was found hanged.
One of his four daughters, Kathleen Michie, from Carlisle, said: “It was not my dad who walked out of the police cells – he was trance-like. He said they had taken his life. He was not a people person, he preferred animals. We ran down to the car to stop him leaving the house and I took the keys out of the car.
“We spent 45 minutes talking to him and eventually he agreed to take his grand-daughter Natasha with him – he wanted to go and think.
“He stopped at Rheged for fuel and drove off when Natasha went to pay. She chased him and jumped in front of the car. But he drove off when she tried to get in.”
The 18-year-old alerted the rest of the family, who gave chase. Natasha eventually found her grandfather by the River Eamont.
His daughter Kathleen added: “We had begged him to carry on and fight for the ponies. He spent half his life fighting the parish council and Caldbeck Commoners to keep the ponies on the common.
“He got up at 5am every day to go out and gather grass for his horses. He spent every day with them.”
The ponies were rounded up and loaded onto lorries on Wednesday before being taken to new homes. Mr Brough, a builder, was not told of the operation before it started.
He first released the Shetland ponies onto the common when he lived at Mosedale when his daughters outgrew them. The ponies bred and multiplied, becoming a tourist attraction on the commons.
In an effort to control numbers, a castration programme was started by landowners, The Lake District National Park Authority, two years ago. Mr Brough co-operated with the programme but the RSPCA got involved after welfare concerns were raised.
following advice from a vet, four ponies were seized by Cumbria police last Friday. The RSPCA said one pony was put to sleep because of its poor condition.
Redwings Horse Sanctuary, World Horse Welfare, the British Horse Society and Horse World were involved in Wednesday’s operation and they are housing the ponies in undisclosed locations. Mr Brough’s family have not been told where they are.
A statement from the RSPCA and other horse charities involved in Wednesday’s operation said: “We are saddened by what has happened and our thoughts are with Mr Brough’s family at this time.”
Paragon Veterinary Group has castrated many of the ponies over the last two years.
David Black from the group said this week: “Of the ponies we saw, considering their management as wild ponies, the vets involved did not have concerns about their body condition.”
Mr Brough was well-known in his home town of Penrith and once kept lions at his Mosedale home in the hope of starting a zoo.
His family said he would never have let any animal suffer and that he was treating the horse that was put down by police. His daughter Cindy said the family were angry with police.
She added :“He was taken away for the best part of the day. They put him in the cells and broke his heart. It was as if they wanted him out of the way so they could take the horses.”
Mr Brough leaves his wife Kathleen, four daughters and nine grandchildren.
Enquiries into Mr Brough’s death are ongoing, but officers are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.The RSPCA has offered to return Caldbeck’s wild ponies to the widow of Alan Brough who was found dead last week after the charity removed his animals from the common.
Kathleen Brough, from Newbiggin, near Penrith, will meet officers from the RSPCA on Monday to discuss the return of the animals.
Around 100 ponies were removed from Caldbeck and Uldale commons on Wednesday and Thursday in an operation involving police, the RSPCA, the British Horse Society and several other charities.
Mr Brough was arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty before the operation started on Wednesday morning.
He was not charged.
Hours after his release on bail, he was found dead by the River Eamont at St Ninian’s Church, Brougham, by his grand daughter.
Mr Brough’s daughter, also called Kathleen, said: “The RSPCA has told mum she can have as many back as she wants. She wants them all back and the whole family will help to look after them.
“He (Alan) died to get them back, we can’t turn our backs on them. They won’t tell us where the ponies are and it’s torture.”
The RSPCA took action after welfare concerns were raised about the ponies. One was put to sleep because of its poor condition.
The RSPCA said in statement: “We certainly would not rule out any suggestions put forward by the family providing, of course, the needs of the animals can be met.”
The ponies have become a tourist attraction since Mr Brough released the first few onto the common more than 30 years ago. The 68-year-old builder would take hay and grass to the ponies every day and his family said they were his life.
James Irving, chairman of Uldale Commoners Association, worked with Mr Brough for two years to control their numbers. A castration programme began two years ago in co-operation with Mr Brough and landowners, the Lake District National Park Authority.
Mr Irving said: “Everyone living round here is in shock, it’s horrendous what’s happened.
“We’re upset and furious at the way the RSPCA and British Horse Society handled this. The farmers, commoners, National Park and Mr Brough were happy with the castration programme.
“We’re all farmers round here, we know when something is suffering and these ponies had a happy life.”
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.
Monday, 6 September 2010
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.
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.
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.
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