RSPCA - RANT!

[skewbaldpony]

Our house, presumably along with all the others in our neighbourhood./ the country/ the world has this morning, received a begging letter from the RSPCA (printed in a lavish extravagant format, but lets overlook that for now) blithering on about wanting money to save animals from cruelty.
Also offering 'advice leaflets' on 'how to look after your pets'
Included in these, among the hamsters and tortoises, are 'HORSES'.
HORSES ARE NOT PETS. And blithering dumb @rse dogooding old biddies who feel that it is cwuel to put the ponywonies out in the rain SHOULD NOT BE ENCOURAGED TO BELIEVE SO, while being robbed of the last of their heating allowance by this bunch of IDIOTS.
How can we run a campaign to explain to people that horses are not pets, and that if they need advice on how to care for one, 1) they should not own it and 2) they would be best advised to contact the BHS, or a local instructor, NOT THE RSPC BLOOMING A.

 

[bennsboy]

What a waste of paper, sorry not a huge fan of them either, tried to report a field of horses in a terrible state to them last year, couldnt give any of my personnal imformation to them due to the circumstances, but to cut a long story short my 40 odd years experience of owing horses was not good enough to know these poor ponies were desperate and needed immediate intervention to save them.
It took over a week and the death of 2 of these poor creatures before they interviened.
Dont waste money on posh leaflets JUST ACT SOONER!

 

[chungalung]

totally agree with you both, the rspca are a bunch of idiots. we have phoned them soo many times about gypsie cobs and trotters in our area, they didnt always come but when they did they sent out eithier inspectors who were scared of the horses or knew SFA about horses, nothing was ever done about these poor animals one foal died because we told the inspectors that the field was covered in rubbish, they didnt listen and the next day i went to check up on mare and foal, the foal had strangled its self with her head collar on a metal gate on the floor in the middle of the field. it was terrible, but once again the rspca didnt want to know.
i have soo many stories about them but its just too long, if you ask me they are just A WASTE OF SPACE!!!!!!!!!!

 

[scrat]

I used to pay a monthly donation to the RSPCA by dd. That was until I found out that the equivelant of my first years donations would be paying the agency they used to collect the money. Not going where I thought, to help the animals. While I appreciate that they have overheads they do seem to spend an awful lot on fundraising and rubbish through the post. I also think that whenever they are featured on various documentries they come across as arrogant and in some cases usless (especially at catching birds).

 

[LOZHUG]

They are too keen round our way. I think!! Or they were.

Years ago they had a call from someone about my Shetland that is was not being look after!!!!!

Its was the most well looked after pampered Shetland which made me laugh!! Maybe it was too much care, not quite sure.

Yet there are horses around not being looked after with sores, long hooves, no water, no grazing etc!

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

The RSPCA where we were wouldnt come out to the extreme cruelty happening to the horses at the next door travellers site cos they were frightened of the residents (they didnt admit that but thats what we concluded eventually partly as their only response was to send us (!) a pack of welfare leaflets and asked us to go in and hand them out :-O

I have no time for them.

 

[emilyandnessa]

I once called about a shetland pony tethered on the side of a busy road he was quite happy but he had only on a neck collar on and on a long rope which meant it could walk half way across the first lane of the road it also had no water and their response was that its not illegal to tether horses and if the horse does not seem emaciated or distressed they cant do anything about they advised that I kept checking on it to see if it was ok and the owner was coming back to water it several times a day and if it was still there in a few days they may be able to send some one out to help, maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think the type of person who tethers horses by the side of the road goes to check on it with a bucket of water and some pony nuts 3 x a day. So in the end I turned down my urge just to take it home doubting any one would miss it and I took the law into my own hands and retied the rope so it could not get onto the carriageway I couldn’t do any more so I had to leave I went back 2 days later and it had gone but rope was still there I don’t know if it was killed but I hope some one else took it home and its now a treasured pet, not that I condone stealing but nicer to think of that than I left the horse there to die, I still feel guilty but I could not do any more.

 

[hellsdarkrose]

I had a similar thing happen. 2 shetlands tethered on a piece of grass next to a busy ring road. I used to walk past them every morning on the way to work feeling really sorry for them.

One day I walked past and one of them was loose. I rang my mum to come down and help and we rang the RSPCA who told us to tie him back to the tree. But as the horse wasn't in bad condition they wouldn't come out :s

I wanted to take those 2 home as well. I did consider at the time offering the owner if I could find them some money for them just to rescue them. But I didn't have anywhere to put them.

 

[Natch]

RSPCA seem to be ok with dealing with dogs and cats, but if you want a charity help with horses then the general consensus seems to be ask a specialist horse charity.

 

[Swift08]

The dealers yard my pony was from lost 2 horses in summer '05 one was so dehydrated it broke into the primary schools playing field and died shortly after, the other probably died of ragwort poisoning as the man has 30 acres of ragwort. Again the RSPCA said there is no problem with him!! The RSPCA do my head in most of the time, even our local small animal vet was refused a dog because she was a vet and was out of the house to long...but the dog was going to go to work with her.

 

[suzyseymour]

I wouldn't give them a penny! I rehomed a minature shetland pony a couple of years ago. He had laminitis in all 4 feet, sweet itch, lice, had never had his teeth done. Totally un catchable and fed on chicken corn. He had big red raw patched, mats in his coat, his feet were so bad, bearing in mind the size of him, you could fit your fingers under his toes.

I was telling a friend about him at a dog show and was over heared by someone else there. They had reprted him 4 times to the RSPCA and they had done nothing.

 

[Honeypots]

Thankfully I've never had to deal with the RSPCA so can't comment on how good, bad or ugly they may be however I will just say that my horses and ponies ARE pets

I do however agree that no one should own a horse unless they know what the heck they are doing but think that goes for any animal...

 

[Smash]

It seems to be little known that individual branches of the RSPCA (y'know, the ones that actually do the CARING for animals) have to raise their own funds and don't get financial help from the central organisation - if you want to help animals, donate to your local branch rather than paying for the fancy offices of those higher up.

 

[minesadouble]

Don't get me started on the R.SP.C.A. wouldn't give them a penny -
Firstly the amount of money they spent on advertising to promote the hunting ban
and secondly they know nothing about large animals - they should stick to cats and dogs!

 

[mle22]

At least their heart's in the right place! The USPCA in Ni do really good work tackling dog fighting rings among lots of other things and they work on donations to local branches. Ok they may not be great for big animals but there are a lot of cats and dogs and snakes and other creatures who need them badly imo

 

[nuffield]

re the "pet care" leaflets about horses. I have seen and read these. they are quite basic but informative and correct.
My horses and ponies are pets. I do not own them for commercial reasons. I have a RSPCA rescue pony as a ompanion to my other horses. All live out 24/7 in the rain and snow and hail with hedges for shelter and a field shelter. the arabs are rugged if necessary.
I have visited and helped out at RSPCA rescue centers where on going case horses are kept pending court cases. Fully qualified eg BHSAI people work at these places , often staying up through the night, to give hourly feeds to neglected starved horses, whoes stomachs cannot take more than a handful of fibre feed one an hour. Their dedication is admirable.
RSPCA rescue horses, like WHW rescues go on to be companions or ridden animals depending on type and conformation.
I have seen terribly abused horses nursed back to full working health. I feel humble in the presence of these dedicated workers who do so much above and beyond the work contract for these animals.

 

[PennyJ]

I wouldn't dream of giving the RSPCA money, but actually I do think of my daughters 2 ponies as pets. Both were out competing today at ODE by the way, they're not field ornaments by any stretch.

 

[Honeypots]

[ QUOTE ]
they're not field ornaments by any stretch.

[/ QUOTE ]

4 of mine are

...Not sure what difference it makes tho..they're all still pets

 

[jellyshake]

all the rescue centres are run like franchises and you're right Smash i don't think very many people realise it, they mistakenly think that their £2 a week or whatever the RSPCA is currently fleecing off innocent soft hearted souls, actually goes to help those centres when in reality it pays for the plush HQ and the flashy advertising

i'm afraid i have no time for them at all after an incompetant vet of theirs nearly caused the death of a dog we rehomed through them

 

[buttons1600]

RSPCA offered to look after my sisterinlaws new litter of kittens whilst their mum was spayed and when she went to collect them - they'd put the whole litter to sleep!!!!! They were only supposed to be keeping them their whilst the op was done!!! Unbelievable.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Moyra, in NI I could do with seeing less of a certain person constantly on the television and a lot less of their high-profile bickering with other organisations and Govt bodies - it should be about welfare, not personalities.

I rang and emailed the USPCA about a ridiculously skinny stallion (you could have cut yourself on him) in a dealers 'field' or should I say 'bog with no grazing' three months ago. Guess what?
Still no reply.

 

[mle22]

Hacking Hack - I agree with you, but at the same time I just think there is so much cruelty towards animals in our society that any one who is trying to help should be supported. I live near to a charity animal shelter and they do a great job. The USPCA could learn from them, but I still think the more people trying to protect animals the better - we have a horse that was rescued out of a field, similar if not worse condition to the one you are talking about. She was rescued by a private individual who was told about her and bought her for very little money from the qwner who had more or less abandoned her.

 

[YorksG]

I have no time for them, both as a result of their political gesturing re the hunting ban and as a result of their behaviour towards horses. I have been told that the majority of the horses I posted about being in poor condition last year were in fact placed with the 'keeper' by the RSPCA and were in good condition when seh got hold of them!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CorvusCorax]

I see where you are coming from Moyra - I would have taken that horse myself if a) my fields were any better - they aren't.
b) that I know he is covering every mare the dealer has-making him money from foals-and any offer or advice I make would probably be met by the end of a blunt instrument.

 

[skewbaldpony]

[ QUOTE ]
I have no time for them, both as a result of their political gesturing re the hunting ban and as a result of their behaviour towards horses. I have been told that the majority of the horses I posted about being in poor condition last year were in fact placed with the 'keeper' by the RSPCA and were in good condition when seh got hold of them!!!!!!!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]
you are right, yorks g - they are a political organisation, their position on hunting was unforgiveable, and they acted on a 'tip off' and came out to insult and bully a friend of mine who had been reported for 'chasing a horse around with a whip'.
Yes you are right, she was lungeing.

 

[YorksG]

Their lack of knowledge is only equalled by their arrogance and rudeness. IMO

 

[Skhosu]

horses are pets...why on earth wouldn't they be?

 

[basil99]

totally agree with all your comments. I live near the moors and when moorland ponies are in trouble a local equine charity SWEP usually ends up picking up the pieces. Even when I phoned them about some neighbours with neglected dogs they came back to me and were quite abrasive about me complaining and more or less told me to butt out!

 

[eoe]

Totally agree they are not on my christmas list, they should stick to small animals.

 

[mle22]

I'm not saying whether I am for or against or neutral about hunting, but the reality is surely that the majority of the population is anti - so the RSPCA is reflecting the majority opinion and can't really be blamed for that. As I said earlier I don't live in England so have no direct experience of the RSPCA, but I find the level of vitriol against them very surprising. Are they not trying to help animals?? Ok they may not get it right all the time and maybe they need better training or whatever but should they not be supported in their endeavours? They have to act within the law too and I'm sure that ties their hands a lot of the time.I'm honestly not trying to stir it - I just don't really understand the depth of hatred that people seem to feel towards them.