Another RSPCA Blunder.............

I don't like the RSPCA but wonder if they had no choice. GSD would be hard to rehome if they had lived in a pack and been agressive in the past. As far as using a bolt gun goes I think it doesn't make any difference to the dogs PTS is PTS - as long as they didn't suffer.

I think sometimes it is better to have an ending to their suffering than prolong it on the off chance of finding homes for these dogs.

The dogs didn't know what was going to happen and they are at peace now. The relatives knew what would happen and no one else wanted them so perhaps it was for the best in this case.
 
They deserved a chance
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Dogs behave differently when they are in a pack, if they had been separated from each other then I am sure they would have become less aggressive/dominant and could probably have become loving family pets, I'm sure they would also have made great police dogs.
 
Having read that post I fail to see what 'blunder' the RSPCA made. A decision was made that the animals were unsuitable for rehoming and had a skin condition and were euthanased as a result.

Not a perfect outcome but then we don't live in a perfect world.

I'm getting bloody sick of post after post of RSPCA bashing. I think I'm going to have to step away from HHO or at the very least New lounge until all this calms down.
 
Did they deserve a 'chance? Or the stress of being seperated from their pack, sent to a 'rehoming' centre, months of treatment which might not have cured their skin condition.

What if the RSPCA had given the dogs a chance, everything seemed fine they were rehomed and then one of them attacked a small child?

I'm sure the decision to euthanase wasn't one that was taken lightly. RSPCA inspectors are not particularly well paid, it is not a glamourous or going by what people are saying on her even a job you get appreciated for. They do the job because they care about animals.
 
Sorry but I wasn't bashing them! For once I was saying they may not have been wrong and did the best for the dogs concerned. Like I said I am not a fan but agree with them this time. That isn't "bashing" anyone.
 
misst I'm sorry!! I pressed reply after reading your post...I apologise my response wasn't really aimed at you but the OP.

Sorry again!
 
This has been debated at length on here already.

All I want to add is that I believe this would have received much more coverage and provoked much more outrage if these dogs had been, for example, labradors or collies.

I have had unsocialised GSDs and a GSD with a skin condition. They were not euthanized because we worked with them.

We have had a dog who was aggressive towards humans, protecting my mother, he was euthanized, no question about it.

Unsocialised and aggressive are not the same thing.
 
It's sad - but I can't see the problem with this. The captive bolt is a very humane method in the right hands and the dogs would have felt nothing. By the sounds of this these dogs were too far gone both physically and more importantly physcologically to be considered for rehoming. The pack instinct is very strong and TBH you would cause more stress by splitting them up - and even then they could never be trusted. I ma no fan of the RSPCA but in this case the right thing was done, and they do rehome thousands of dogs, yes some may end up PTS but it does give others a chance.
 
Haa that's ok then
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I do bash them sometimes though
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I think they are getting a bad press at the moment and I actually feel sorry for them
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[ QUOTE ]
I'm getting bloody sick of post after post of RSPCA bashing. I think I'm going to have to step away from HHO or at the very least New lounge until all this calms down.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm starting to feel the same - leave the RSPCA alone - they do a bloody good job!
 
But if the dogs were all pack orientated and it would be distressing to separate them all, how did they euthanise them all? In front of each other? Dragged out separately? What were the EXACT circumstances? I am not one for bashing any charity unless needs be but how were these dogs dealt with?

I agree with HorseCrazy to an extent, the owner having died and the dogs on their own with strangers draws different behaviour. Take one of those dogs singly at a time out of that scenario you possibly would have had some dogs who could be rehomed.

Shame
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As I mentioned - I will wager that at least ONE of those dogs was worth saving.

If not, I would never make excuses for a dangerous dog, euthanise them all if they were that bad, of course. But I bet there was at least one that could have been rehabilitated.
 
The world would be a hell of a lot worse off without them, no other animal/horse charity takes on prosecutions...... The job isn't a nice one, and sometimes harsh decisions have to be made for welfare reasons.

I hope all this witch hunting doesn't hurt them financially when they are already suffering in the current economic climate.....

Also how can this particular issue be a blunder when the animals were signed over for euthanasia? Is it purely because of the use of a bolt gun that the outcry has come?? If so why, it is a recognised humane method of euthanasia and one which would actually cause less stress to an unsociable animal than being pinned down for an injection??
 
As I said, no witch hunt on my behalf, the RSPCA don't operate here, the USPCA do.

I just don't think all ten dogs were beyond help.

I realise any previous objection to a bolt gun by me is hypocritical, I accept that. I had personally never heard of it as a method of killing dogs before, but apparently it is not rare.

I never gave money to them anyway, or to the USPCA because of past experience personally, so none of these posts would have put me off giving them anything.

Can two opinions not exist?
 
No, look I have joined no bashing discussions because I feel it serves no purpose whatsoever.

BUT, it is obvious that when you have dogs frightened in a group situation that they will react differently (not always though) if they are dealt with singly and given appropriate behaviour assessment they can come good. That is why I asked how the dogs were dealt with. German Shepherds are very very vocal dogs and can give the impression of aggression, however, I am not saying this applies in these circumstances because I was not there.

Anyways, I will bow out now, said my bit
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No lover of the RSPCA here, however to expect dogs that have lived in a pack all their lives to go and be lone dogs within a family is cruel IMO. It is better for the dogs to die together than to cause them the psychological harm of being seperated from the pack.
 
I generally ending up defending RSPCA on this forum, but my main criticism of them is that they tend to be a bit "trigger happy". Despite that, I dont see any other call they could have made in these circumstances.
Having worked in RSPCA kenels, you get an understanding of what can be rehomed, and what can't. Perfectly calm, healthy german shepherds which conformed well to breed type were frequently in for over 6 months before they were rehomed due to the stigma attached to the breed, their size, and the fact that they are not a "fashionable" breed at the moment. Whilst I dont dispute that these dogs *could* have probably all been made suitable family pets with time, I could easily see them being in kennels for 2+ years before appropriate homes could be found, and I hardly think this is fair on the dogs or a proper use of the RSPCA's limited resources when there are so many other animals which can be more easily saved at less stress to the animals themselves.

Yes it would have been different if they were labradors (although probably not collies as again these are hard to rehome sucessfully) but purely because there would be homes available for them to go to, making the experience less stressful for the dogs and less drain on RSPCA resources.

My only criticism of the RSPCA in this case is that the breed organisation were not contacted first to see if they would like to take them on, although in my experience the breed societies for the more common breeds were rarely interested in dogs safely in the custody of another organisation unless they were of practically show quality.
 
A very well reasoned, well considered and thoughtful post, thankyou gnubee, I appreciate that.

As I said on another post, the whole thing has made me much more inclined to do more for GSD rescue.
I thought I did a lot for the breed, maybe I did, but now I know I can do a hell of a lot more.

But speaking for the main GSD rescue organisation, show type does not come into it.
 
And thats a bloody shame. Shame they weren't labs or [****]-tzus or whatever makes it easier to destroy them. What I am saying is not directed at you personally but it hurts me to know what a sad society we live in when it comes down to preference and easiness which is not the animals fault.

One, two, three, BIG SCRRREEEAAAAAAAM. I still don't feel any better.
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I believe at least 1 could of been saved.

When i was younger i wanted to be an RSPCA inspector but after a problem down a local horse market and the attitude of this peticular inspector i decided I didn't want to be one, it seemed that he couldn't be bothered as he seen it all too many times and wasn't worth the paper work.

On a 2nd occasion i contacted the police and Rspca and so did numerous other neighbours about a peticular family with a white boxer. The man that lived there regulary beat his dog up in the back garden, you could hear the dog screaming, the RSPCA were also offered access to neighbours houses for video evidence, The boxer eventually died at the hands of the man and the RSPCA visited once. Needless to say the police were also not interested.

And thats just my opinion from my own experieces

I just think a bolt gun wasn't the answer and as someone else has mentioned if they were in a pack, did they separate them first?
 
Well said gnubee although in my own experience, breed rescues have a waiting list for dogs going into their kennels same as all rescues, so if they had been able to take one or all in a few weeks where were they supposed to go in the meantime if there were no immediate kennel spaces?
 
Why collies?

Can understand what you say about labs - we used to have one and he was so soft he was unbelievable.

I've got two collies now and they are the sneakiest dogs I've ever met. I would have thought you are more likely to get bitten by a collie than a GSD.

A GSD is a much easier dog to deal with than a collie ....in my opinion.

(I've owned a GSD in the past too).
 
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