Just had a visit from the RSPCA door knocker.

[Grumpy Jewel]

He gave me a lovely speech about the good that they do and how they receive no government help, he showed me pictures of very skinny dogs before and after they seized them and was very polite and chatty about our animals at home.
He was somewhat surprised at my instant answer of no and why I said no, but thanked me for my time and for listening and virtually ran down the path!
I did feel bad, but I supported them for years and feel that my money was not used as it should have been after having looked into the charity more.
Was I mean to have done that as they are not all bad and even though they are not as affective as they could be they still need funds?

 

[Shysmum]

I would find ANY charity knocking on my door begging for money very intrusive. And I would complain. I also really hate it when they are at the doors of supermarkets too - I'm afraid i always go up and tell them that I support charities in my own way, and hate being made to look "tight" if i want to walk past without paying.

You really do not want to know what religious door knockers get when they call here


Rant over.

 

[Grumpy Jewel]

I reserve 'just f&@k off and leave me alone' for the ones who jump in front of me as I'm walking down the high street. Charity muggers really annoy me, and when the RSPCA high street ones do finally get me I will not be so polite with my answer. I know everyone has to do their jobs and times are tight so I usually hear them out and will sometimes support them but not always.

 

[Shysmum]

Funnily enough they never approach me in the street (nor do those survey people) - could it be something to do with the look on my face when I see them

 

[mandwhy]

Aww I used to do that job, I worked for the dogs trust (not as bad selling sponsor a dog packs at Christmas) and red cross (lots of people ranting about helping 'the enemy' as they help literally anyone who needs it), don't be too mean to them I made hardly any money and at one point I worked 68 hours a week, lost 2 stone and was eating mashed potato for breakfast as I had absolutely no money and had to make one meal last 12 hour day of knocking on people's doors to have them slammed in my face! Spare a thought for someone desperate enough to do that job on a winters evening

I see your point about the RSPCA, they are just too big for their own good now.I think several smaller charities are always better than one big one.

 

[ROMANY 1959]

The ones who put little envelopes through letter box do my head in, cos they come back to collect, I give to blue cross and cancer research and that's it... I do it by dd so they get the tax relief,
So far this month I've had 4 envelopes through door... All given back politely. I am not being mean but life is getting hard keeping horses, dog, kids and a car going on a single wage is a nightmare, I am a regular customer at the "we buy gold" shop!

 

[binkymerlin]

Funnily enough they never approach me in the street (nor do those survey people) - could it be something to do with the look on my face when I see them

^this!! nor me I think they know im no a good idea where as my OH the big hairy mean looking rocker gets hassled by these people all the time!

 

[Grumpy Jewel]

Mandwhy, I always hear them out and am polite and generally speaking sign up, donate a month or two then cancel the dd. that way the door knocker gets another person, I make a donation and everyone is happy. I do feel mean saying no though.

 

[Dry Rot]

Isn't it assault if they shake a tin at you and battery if they actually touch you?

I used to collect during rag week as a student in London. The best pitch was outside The Bunny Club. How the doormen hated us -- but they could do nothing at all about it!

Now I am on the other side of the fence and as mean as hell. I still regret giving 3d (one of those multi-sided threpenny bits that would be worth about 1.5p today!) to the RSPCA about 50 years ago! They've had nothing from me since, that's for sure.

 

[indie999]

I would rather give any charity my money directly or in official shakey pot(I think PC ruined those shakey tins...crazy..I love shakey). I wouldnt like being knocked on door at home.

Now RSPCA I do sort of have time for. Years ago rang RSPB to sort out some swans but they were not interested as only cover legislation for birds. RSPCA came out couple times to rescue swans in fishing lines etc and spent couple hours each time doing this.
Sis horse was reported as emaciated(well was 36 and use to lie down a lot....) RSPCA knocked said horse was reported but could see it was old and well looked after end of story. I reported someone for dog neglect and RSPCA told me what happened etc.faultless.
Its only on hear that I read not such good things??.

Today in M&S I noticed the absence of Poppies on the counters, I hope they are going to put them out otherwise I will be very cross! M&S where are the poppies?

Knocking on door that is wierd!

 

[Foxhunter49]

They would have got the same answer from me!
I will not support the RSPCA since it has become so political.

 

[Shysmum]

don't get me STARTED on the plastic bin bags that come thru the door for clothes !!! The clothes are all sold in bulk to somewhere abroad by a company that makes a tidy profit out of it - as well as giving some to the charity. You are not giving the clothes to a charity, but to a "trading company".

At one time we got four bags in a week - I wrote in to the local paper asking if they wanted to leave residents here naked, and to ask them to stop inflicting themselves at my door. IF i want to donate clothes, i will take them to one of the five charity shops just up the road. NOT to a profit making organisation.

Oh and are the plastic bags themselves recycle - able ? No, thought not.

 

[TrasaM]

I had the door knockers earlier this year from RSPCA also. Listened politely about what a great job they do but declined to sign up to DDs. Am happy to put some cash in occasionally though. I personally believe that something as important as animal welfare should receive help from the state especially as mistreating animals is a criminal offence.

 

[Jools1234]

i thought the door knockers for charity were volunteers, i did not realise they got paid

 

[Shysmum]

The Dogs Trust volunteer who tried to get me to sign up was so desperate he MUST have been on a low salary plus commision. I suspect the RSPCA ones must be too.

 

[Grumpy Jewel]

Shysmum, we get loads through our door too. I filled one up once, left it out, it was never collected, it got ripped and rained on and the clothes had to be lobbed. I now use the bags as bin bags! We must live in an area well known for donating then. Banging on my door recently (between 6 and 8, so really bad timing) I have had RNLI, air ambulance, battersea and RSPCA. We also regularly get 4 types of clothing charity bags and someone offering us subsidised loft insulation. My husband got the poor loft man, I don't think they would come and do our loft now even if we paid them!

 

[vickyb]

We got so sick of cold callers at the door (double glazing, 'chuggers', mormons, you name it, we get it) we put a 'No Cold Callers' sign on the front window where they can't help but see it. It has worked! We haven't had a single one since. I find them so intrusive and they always call at the wrong moment, when you're in the loo or eating your supper.

 

[Shysmum]

haha, now you REALLY don't want to know what happens when I get foreign (or even UK) marketing calls. Funnily enough, they never seem to ring back.

 

[CLM]

I think there is a difference between the local RSPCA and the national. My local RSPCA runs a cat home / rehoming centre and doesn't get any central funding from the national RSPCA or from government. It is run by volunteers and all funds are raised locally. I would make sure any donation goes to the local branch who do actually help animals in trouble.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Think we're missing out down here in the sharp end!! We've never had any RSPCA or any other charity people rattling our door, perhaps they know what a load of tight gits we are!!

The only punters we do get are the Jehovahs Witnesses - usually at Christmas and Easter-time, or thereabouts, and think they've given up now as we've been telling them we're good Catholics for the last twenty years! Plus the last time they came the dogs had been out digging on the muck-heap, and Little-Un in his enthusiasm thought "Oh Goody, people all dressed up in posh suits, let's jump up". Which he did. Exit JW's.

 

[Antw23uk]

I think there is a difference between the local RSPCA and the national. My local RSPCA runs a cat home / rehoming centre and doesn't get any central funding from the national RSPCA or from government. It is run by volunteers and all funds are raised locally. I would make sure any donation goes to the local branch who do actually help animals in trouble.

Sadly this is how they make there money. They rely on the 'poor us' card to bring in the money.

I keep reptiles so am not a fan of the RSPCA for that reason alone. Im nicely suprised by the hate on this forum as well

 

[Grumpy Jewel]

Thanks for that CLM, worth looking into. I'm a bit shocked about the poppies.

 

[Hairy Old Cob]

I had a Chugger outside Sainsbury Rattle his tin right in my face He looked very surprised when I hit it very Hard underneath and sent it over into the carpark

 

[QUICKFIRE]

Well after living in the sticks for a number of years and not getting any cold callers, to moving back to civilisation I must admit it has been a shock to the system! with cold callers knocking.
Just the other week I was re-waxing a pine box which I keep various bits of tack in, so had my yellow marrigolds on, and was just emptying the box and had a whip in my hand when the door bell went, well! couldn't resist it as wasn't expecting anyone! I answered the door with whip in hand, and said "yes young man can I help you" he legged it down the path so fast he was a blur! ...Had me in fits! and giggles all day! I never found out what he was selling?

 

[casinosolo]

I have no time for the RSPCA, despite re-homing my previous cat from my local branch.

However, after this my sister found a stray cat in a pub car park where her husband worked. It was in a terrible state and was clearly living out of the bins.

With us both having our own cats already we couldn't keep it. We put posters up and posted on online pet tracing forums to find the owners, but had no luck.

My sister called the RSPCA, and instead of them just saying they had no spaces, she was told they didn't take in strays (!) and that if she rang back and pretended it was her cat that she was getting rid of, they would be able to take it! How ridiculous, that she should have to pretend it was her own cat!!

Needless to say we re-homed it without their help.

A couple of weeks later I decided to 'test' what they had told my sister. I rang up and said I had to give up my own cat. They said, surprise surprise, that they didn't take in people's cast off pets and concentrated on taking in strays.

 

[Moomin1]

I had a Chugger outside Sainsbury Rattle his tin right in my face He looked very surprised when I hit it very Hard underneath and sent it over into the carpark

How big of you!!

 

[Moomin1]

I think there is a difference between the local RSPCA and the national. My local RSPCA runs a cat home / rehoming centre and doesn't get any central funding from the national RSPCA or from government. It is run by volunteers and all funds are raised locally. I would make sure any donation goes to the local branch who do actually help animals in trouble.

You do realise that it's the branches that actually house the neglected animals that the inspectors remove from neglect cases etc etc in most instances?!! So the insinuation that the National Society don't help animals in need is a load of crap! Many of the animals up for rehoming at the branches ARE those that National Society inspectors have removed and most likely prosecuted on.

 

[Moomin1]

Aww I used to do that job, I worked for the dogs trust (not as bad selling sponsor a dog packs at Christmas) and red cross (lots of people ranting about helping 'the enemy' as they help literally anyone who needs it), don't be too mean to them I made hardly any money and at one point I worked 68 hours a week, lost 2 stone and was eating mashed potato for breakfast as I had absolutely no money and had to make one meal last 12 hour day of knocking on people's doors to have them slammed in my face! Spare a thought for someone desperate enough to do that job on a winters evening

I see your point about the RSPCA, they are just too big for their own good now.I think several smaller charities are always better than one big one.

A good idea would be for all the RSPCA haters to start reaching into their pockets a bit more, donating to all these smaller charities and requesting that they prosecute animal cruelty cases!

 

[brighteyes]

I was a bit dismayed to learn that the letterbox envelope collectors are 'expected to pocket x % of money collected' according to one Charity's telephone helpline. Our little village does very well - probably due to the integrity of those collecting.

 

[MerrySherryRider]

Anyone good enough to stand with a charity tin for several hours gets a donation from me.
Also invite charity cold callers in for a hot drink and recall feeding one very frozen, hungry chap on a wet winters night.
I no longer sign up for DD's now and tell them, so as not to waste their time. Prefer to donate anonymously to deter them from sending glossy leaflets and pens for the next 10 years.

Everyone who knocks on my door gets treated politely, including JW's who despite having a very different belief to me, are basically genuine (but misguided) people trying to do something good.