What don't you know?

Ok, so you think you know everything about the RSPCA?

Well, please decide which of the following statements are true. Did the RSPCA…

1. save hundreds of animals after the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti?

2. set up training sessions where young offenders work with dogs to help rehabilitate themselves ?

3. use its experience, expertise and influence to successfully lobby for the first animal welfare law in China ?

3. discover through scientific research that playing song to baby birds would help them breed more successfully when they left our care?

4. play a little-known but crucial role in the founding of the NSPCC back in the 1880s ?

Well, if you haven’t guessed it already, the answer is all of the above.

And yes I know it’s a bit cheesy when all the answers are true, but it’s also a real truism that our charity’s work is incredibly varied. So much so in fact that it’s virtually a rite of passage for any new volunteer or employee to get to the end of their first week and exclaim “I just never knew the charity did all this...!"

Actually, one of the biggest challenges our press team faces is trying to get people to realise, and remember, that the RSPCA does so much more than just protect and care for pets.

Ok, cats and dogs do take up a large part of our work, mainly because they are by far the country's most popular pets. But we so much more, from campaigning to improve the lives of lab animals, working abroad to encourage animal welfare in countries with little or no animal welfare laws or providing shelter for victims of domestic abuse via our Pet Retreat scheme

So every time you think of the RSPCA, please try to remember that we may be here for the cats and the dogs too, but there’s a world of animals out there, and lots of different ways to help them.

Henry Macaulay - Head of press

Born to be wild!

I can remember the first time I met a bearded dragon. He was called Eddie and sat in a tank in the corner of a flat I was visiting.

I was fascinated that such an other-wordly creature existed as I had thought dragons were a fabrication from fairy tales. Especially ones with beards.... He looked pre-historic too – staring unblinkingly at me with ancient eyes.

But I also felt sad. His owner was struggling to look after Eddie properly and wanted to rehome him. He clearly cared about him, and was doing his best. But he had bought him on a whim when a relationship ended, not realising how much work was involved with keeping the right temperature and light in the tank, buying the right food and – now that he was moving home – finding somewhere that would let him keep him.

This story is becoming rather common. In the last ten years there have been an incredible rise in the number of bearded dragon incidents the RSPCA has been called about – from 43 in 2001 to 427 in 2011.

When I popped down to the RSPCA reptile rescue centre at Patcham, near Brighton, last week there were rows upon rows of lizards, snakes and even crocodiles which had either been dumped or given up because their owners found them too difficult to look after.

As someone more used to cats and dogs, I wasn’t quite sure how I would feel about these less tactile animals which live in tanks and are unlikely to jump up for a cuddle. Yet I soon saw the appeal.

The stunning orange and white striped milk snakes which slide along the arms of centre manager Keith Wells were utterly captivating, and it was a real thrill to watch the two caiman crocodiles nose about their tank. Then there was the gecko which crawled from hand to hand in such a cheeky chirpy way that my heart just couldn’t stop itself from melting.

Such character coupled with the quirkiness of being unusual can be very alluring, and leads many to buy on impulse without properly looking into what the animal needs and how long they might need it for. From a glance around the reptile rescue rooms, it is easy to see how this can lead to problems as the initial novelty of owning such an animal wears off.

In Keith’s care was a water dragon with a huge abscess in its mouth because of the metabolic bone disease it had developed from being given the wrong food and the wrong level UV lighting in its tank. A bearded dragon had such a big belly from being overfed the wrong food that it could barely stand up. And the crocodiles, confiscated by the police because the owner did not have a proper license, were likely to grow so big in a few years that they might need to be kept in a bath.

Keith, who has a life-long passion for reptiles and their welfare, now has to try and find new homes for these ‘exotic’ animals. He needs to make sure the new owners know what they are taking on, have all the right licenses and equipment, and are likely to look after them properly for the duration of the animal’s life. This can be quite some feat – especially in the case of the highly venomous snakes which are not exactly the kind of pet you can take out and cuddle.

I can see how much work goes into running this centre, the first of its kind for the RSPCA, and the dedication shown and hours put in by Keith are very obvious. He is clearly going to do his utmost to make sure as many of these animals as possible end up with owners who love them and do their very best for them.

But I can’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable, looking at these fantastic and fascinating creatures, about them being in a tank at all. The name ‘exotic’ pet may sound appealing and exciting but the official RSPCA definition of an exotic is a wild animal kept as a pet.

It may well be that some exotic animals, such as bearded dragons, can have perfectly contented lives in captivity if looked after properly. But whether we are talking about reptiles, or other ‘quirky’ exotics such as meerkats, marmosets and racoons found increasingly easily via the internet, what we are talking about are wild animals who are thousands of miles away from home. Their natural habitats in Africa and Asia would provide the space, temperatures and light they need naturally rather than artificially provided in the corner of a room in England.

However, the reptiles in Keith’s care cannot be released to the wild over here – it is illegal and many would either be unable to survive or else cause damage to our own environment. And it is unfeasible for them to be flown home. What he can do and is doing is help them get the best life they can in captivity and educating as many people about their care as he can in the process.

As the trend for ‘exotics’ grows, and the number of dumped and unwanted exotics is growing, so is the need for more centres like Patcham and more people like Keith.

By Katya Mira, Wildlife Press Officer

With a little help from our friends

I’m going to be honest with you – I’m angry.

I have worked for the RSPCA for a number of years now, and like most people, I came here because I care about animal welfare and believe that showing compassion to all other living creatures has an impact on the well-being of us humans too.

I see my friends and colleagues hard working every day – sometimes against a tide of public apathy or hostility.

I hear the criticisms that we have “loads of money in the bank” and yet “sit around in our shiny HQ” enjoying our “fat-cat salaries” and do not care for animals, or only do so “when a TV camera” is there.


And this is why I’m angry - because we do care. We care an awful lot.

So let’s get this straight - the RSPCA relies totally on public donations. Although we have legally required reserves in the bank and a large 10-year old headquarters in an industrial estate in a sleepy village in West Sussex – we are not ‘fat cats’ sitting around wearing coats of money...we are real people and professionals in our fields: whether we are welfare scientists, campaigners etc.

We do it because we care, and frankly we couldn’t do it without the help of volunteers and support from other organisations, businesses and donors.


So, I am going to think of some nice examples of help and support that we have received recently, to help quell my rising anger!


Stepping in and Stepping Up:


Fresh Cargo (a fair trade clothing and fair trade gifts company based in Nottingham), helped to finance an RSPCA fund raising expedition by RSPCA inspector Emma Timmis to South Africa. On the 11th hour when airlines were not able to support the event, Fresh Cargo made the decision to back the fund raising campaign.

After a year of gruelling preparation, Emma Timmis, ran 1,500 miles across South Africa in order to raise £15,000 in less than two months. To find out more about Emma’s amazing journey go to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-14880300





Doggie defence!

Dealing with animal attacks has always been a posties worst nightmare...until now...


Recently the RSPCA joined forces with the UK’s largest mail ordering company, Postal Audits, to help tackle the problem of how to deal with ‘dangerous’ dogs.

The company [that provide mail auditing, measurement and postal consultancy services in the country] donated £20,000 to fund a role within the RSPCA’s companion animal science department, to look specifically at how to work with dogs with aggression or behavioural problems.

RSPCA dog behaviourist Jenna, with Bennie the dog!

At first the research will be used to help staff and volunteers working with animals in rescue and re-homing centres, but in the long term the RSPCA hope the tips and tricks can be used by anyone coming into contact with dogs on a daily basis – such as postmen, district nurses, utility workers, home care and social workers.



Food for Thought:


When it comes to animal welfare, food labelling is confusing. All too often, meat products are labelled with terms like ‘farm fresh’ or bear pictures of animals in fields. These labels don’t indicate how the food was produced and, with 80% of the EU’s farm animals reared on intensive farms, often these labels are misleading. Describing the method of production for each animal product clearly indicates the quality of life they are likely to have experienced.


Recognising the existence of this problem in the marketplace, a coalition consisting of RSPCA, Soil Association and World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) has started work on a new campaign that will call for clear, honest labelling of the method of production on all meat and dairy products across Europe.

The coalition is looking forward to officially launching the campaign later this year.

One of our farm animal scientists, checking out the chooks

When businesses, individuals or other charities are able step in and help support the work of RSPCA, we are able to make so much more of a difference to the lives of animals in this country and abroad.

So who could possibly stay angry - when you have a little help from your friends?

Calie Rydings

Snr Press Officer

Have pen, will travel (adventures of an RSPCA press officer)

I won’t lie – I’m no Alan Whicker. Sure, I’ve had a few adventures - from going up the Statue of Liberty to flying over the Swiss Alps in a hot air balloon - but I’m hardly what you’d call a hardened traveller.

When it comes to work though, I do have a fancy for getting out from behind my desk, jumping into a car and driving off into the sunset (or up the M40) to find out what our staff are up to on the frontline.

If nothing else, it has given me a far greater understanding of the challenges faced by all different wings of the RSPCA on a daily basis. What it also offers is the chance to find myself in some unlikely situations, meeting people I never thought I’d meet and gaining unique access to situations I can’t imagine ever having experienced if it wasn’t for my role in the RSPCA.

This was brought home to me during a recent visit by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural affairs, Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP, to the RSPCA’s Harmsworth Animal Hospital in north London.

It was there I found myself sat in a meeting that could influence the biggest change in dog control legislation for more than 20 years. It was the second time I’d found myself chatting with Government Cabinet ministers at Harmsworth in two years, having previously met former Home Secretary Alan Johnson MP and former Defra Secretary of State Hilary Benn during the launch of a government consultation in 2010.


As someone born and raised in the fairly quiet confines of rural Shropshire, it got me pondering upon some of the ‘how did I get here?’ moments  I’ve experienced since joining the RSPCA press office nearly four years ago.

As a former newspaper reporter, getting out and about as part of my job is nothing new, but here are some of the random experiences I’ve enjoyed since working for the country’s biggest animal welfare charity:

• Joining covert RSPCA inspectors and police on dawn raids at the homes of suspected dog fighters in Birmingham.

• Throwing buckets of water over horses to cool them down as they crossed the Grand National finish line.

• Sitting in a Soho recording studio with British actor Bill Nighy while he recorded a voice-over for an RSPCA fireworks campaign radio advert.

Male models in pants = normal day at work

• Commentating on a sack race between a group of male models dressed only in their pants and fake pig snouts, while volunteering on an RSPCA stand at a music festival in Clapham Common.

• Standing in a windswept West Yorkshire allotment at 6.30am on a wet February morning, looking for a man wanted on suspicion of illegal hunting with dogs.

• Dangling a microphone over a cliff edge in Pembrokeshire to record the sound of crashing waves for a podcast about rope rescues.

• Watching police intervene as two dog fighters brawled with each other in the waiting area of the magistrates court where they were being tried during an RSPCA prosecution.

Which ones are the Eggheads? You decide.

• Filming an episode of teatime quiz show Eggheads at the BBC Scotland studios in Glasgow with my press office colleagues (we didn’t win!).

• Meeting former Liverpool Football Club manager Rafael Benitez in the showring at Aintree Racecourse during a live broadcast of BBC One’s Football Focus.




It does beg the question, whatever next? The simple answer is, who knows, and just goes to show that life at the RSPCA press office isn’t dull.

Andy Robbins, Senior RSPCA Press Officer

RSPCA - Looking to the future

What exactly is a ‘pledge’?  

 It’s a funny word, not quite a promise but more a statement of intent.  We know Americans ‘pledge allegiance to the flag’, and politicians often ‘pledge wholehearted support’, and then of course there’s even the furniture polish…

But why is the RSPCA unveiling five pledges today?  (www.rspca.org.uk/  ) 

Well, for us they really are a statement of intent, and a pretty clear one at that.  This country may have a reputation as a nation of animal lovers, but all too often we know different. Sometimes it’s direct and shocking cruelty to animals, like the awful cases as our inspectors have to confront each and every day. 

 More often than not though, animal welfare is a hidden issue. It can be the vague labelling on meat in shops & supermarkets, the substantial suffering of lab animals used in research, or even the health of cute-looking but physically crippled pedigree pets. 

Enough is enough, and the RSPCA wants to do something about these awful problems. That’s why we’re committing to doing our level best over the next five years to tackle these issues.  The pledges don’t cover all our work but they do give a clear idea of what our big priorities are over the next few years.

It’s unusual for a charity to be quite so bold setting such public targets – sometimes we’re all so busy just coping that we get too focussed on right now, and not on our long-term goals.  

So today the RSPCA is explaining very clearly what we intend to do and how. The honest truth however is that we really won’t be able to do it on our own, and that’s where we need your help.   

New CEO Gavin Grant launching the brand new pledges!

There’s a useful guide on our website with a few short films, some straightforward information, and a clear explanation of how everyone can do their bit.  You can have a look at: www.rspca.org.uk/pledges 

Trying to achieve these goals is what the RSPCA is all about, and frankly it’s why I come to work every day.  In some areas we’ve made some great strides in the last few years from the hunting ban to the Animal Welfare Act.

But make no mistake, there’s a long way to go, so please take a moment to look at the pledges and have a think about how you can help.  If we all do our bit, then things will change and we could finally become a nation of animal lovers.  Maybe then our country could really deserve that reputation.

Henry Macaulay, Head of Press 

Silent suffering

"If to be alive to the suffering of my fellow creatures is to be a fanatic, I am one of the most incurable fanatics ever permitted to be at large." William Wilberforce, co-founder of the RSPCA, politician and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade.

It's that time of year again...the shops are dripping with heart shaped balloons and cards festooned with wide-eyed kittens. Love is very much in the air...

Many people assume because we are an animal charity , we 'love' animals more than people or even stronger than that - because we show empathy to animals we are incapable of showing empathy to humans.

That is why I want to tell you about one of the brilliant schemes we run. It is a project that I am immensely proud to work on and one that helps save the lives of both animals AND humans.

But first, let's think for a moment about domestic violence.

Well, it accounts for one-quarter of all violent crime. One in four women - and one in six men- will suffer domestic abuse in their lifetime, regardless of age, ethnic origin or social status. On average, two women are killed by current or former partners every week.

• One incident of domestic abuse is reported to the police every minute
• On average, a woman will have been assulted 35 times before she reports abuse to the police.
• It takes a woman an average of seven years to leave an abusive partner and each year 750,000 children witness domestic abuse against a parent.

It knows no boundaries and is a very serious problem.

What does the RSPCA have to do with this tackling this problem? Well, tragically, many victims find it even harder to leave when there is a pet involved - because they don't want to leave them behind but most refuges can't accept animals.

In fact, around half the households in the UK own a pet, so it's not surprising many families seeking to escape domestic abuse have animals in need of care.

That's why the RSPCA founded PetRetreat - a pet fostering service for families fleeing domestic violence. It was established in 2002 alongside Womans Aid and has already helped hundreds of pets and their families to escape abuse in the last ten years.

Through a network of amazing volunteer fosterers, we care for family pets while they are in a refuge or waiting to be re-housed; and the reunite them when they're settled in a safe new home.

Here's an example of just one animal that has been helped by PetRetreat:

Petra, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, lived with the perpetrator of the abuse, his partner and two children. The dog (like many animals in abusive households) was also a victim of violence in the home.

Petra!

On one occasion the abuser broke her hind leg in several places by kicking her. Sadly she had to live with the pain of the injury for many days as he wouldn't let her be taken to a vets for treatment.

When the woman and her children left to go to a refuge, they asked us to foster Petra.

This beautiful, friendly dog was taken for treatment by the RSPCA, and unfortunately she had to have her leg amputated. This didn't change Petra's tenacious attitude and despite everything she had been through she was still a happy and energetic dog!

Sadly many animals aren't as lucky as Petra. One woman told us that her husband threw a kettle of boiling water over her puppy and then strangled it. When she was dead she realised she had nothing to keep her there, and left.

So let's talk about love again, and the goodness of human nature. Last April we appealed for people to become fosterers, so we could continue to run this vital scheme. And you know what? More than a thousand lovely people came forward, bumping our numbers up from just 80 in 2010 to over 1,000!

Tamsyn, one of our inspirational fosterers. Herself a former victim of DV

If you want to know more about the appeal, why not listen to our podcast?

So right now the challenge is to meet the demand from the ever increasing number of calls we get from victims of DV needing our help.

I'm going to be blunt, because there are lives at risk (of both people and animals). We need money first and foremost to keep this scheme going. To donate, please go to: http://www.rspca.org.uk/donate/petretreat/single

But we also need people to help us publicise the scheme in any way you can - it could be a leaflet drop, a letter to your local newspaper, a status update on Facebook, a tweet on Twitter or even (and I blush saying this!) by sharing this blog. This way, more families affected by domestic abuse will know there is help out there for them and their pets.

With your help, we really hope RSPCA PetRetreat will be able to remove one of the barriers to escaping abuse, and ultimately, that it'll help families and their pets live without fear.

So, if you really want to spread a little love this Valentine's Day - why not support RSPCA PetRetreat.

Calie Rydings

Murphy's Law? Not for this horse!

This is the story of skewbald Murphy, a 21-year-old pony who landed on his hooves when his new owner, Gemma Brown took him on three years ago....

Among the variety of media work we do, we press officers are occasionally asked to write features and news stories for our supporter magazines Animal Life and Animal Action - which is aimed at our younger members.

So in search of a story about a rescue horse for Animal Action I recently visited stables in Ferring, near Worthing.

That’s where I met Murphy; who was found in a field in East Sussex in 1991 
when he was just over a year old.  He had a nasty chin injury caused by a head collar which had been left on him as he grew, getting tighter and tighter until it cut into his skin. 

Murphy was fostered on behalf of the RSPCA for three years before he went to a new owner and all was well for many years. However, Murphy’s owner had to move away and he was rehomed to a riding stable and livery yard.  It was here that Murphy met Gemma in 2009.

I found out that Gemma is just 18 and a student at Chichester College.  She has been riding since the age of nine and works part time at the stables where Murphy lives.  Gemma told me how Murphy helped her to get her confidence back after she had a bad fall when out riding four years ago, leaving her reluctant to ride.

She said:  “I had known Murphy for several years, but took on his care three and a half years ago.  He didn’t completely trust people when I met him and could be quite stubborn. 

“I realised he needed a confidence boost just as much as I did and did lots of work with him - he’s a different character now.  Murphy is still a bit cheeky especially with me, but he is so safe and good with people now.  It’s so great to see him happy.”

It was great to see how content Murphy obviously is and how much Gemma cares for him, despite being more than three years his junior! 

We hear so much about irresponsible owners, that it’s great to get out and meet some of the millions of people who really care for their animals.  Gemma is just one of those.  She was keen to point out that if anyone is thinking about taking up riding or getting a horse, they need to make sure they are prepared to care for them for them properly.

She explained how much time and hard work owning a horse can be and how, when Murphy was in full time livery, she had to get up before her GCSEs to get to the stable every morning.  Now Gemma works part time to keep up Murphy’s care, as well as studying. 

Every year the RSPCA works hard to improve the lives of the thousands of horses which aren’t cared for as well as they should be.  Last year we rehomed hundreds of horses and dealt with 669 calls about abandoned equines, all with a field staff of just 402 officers in England and Wales, which equates to just one RSPCA officer for every 337 police officers.

Did you know?

Horses can live well into their thirties and much longer, although their working (riding or driving) lives may be shorter.

There are estimated to be between 600,000 and just under a million horses in the UK

The total cost of keeping a horse could amount to over £70,000 during its lifetime, so a substantial commitment is required

You can find out more about horse ownership here

by Sophie Wilkinson