To everyone who bitched about how evil the RSPCA is

What??? The RSPCA were happy to do nothing till the BHS stepped in and organised a vet so IN YOUR FACE!!

I have had many many dealings with the RSPCA and have found them god awful on every occasion
 
I certainly would not allow one of their vets near any of my horses should the need arise! I showed my own vet the photo's taken yesterday and told him what had happened.... when he saw the pictures he actually took two steps back and the look on his face was pure horror............
There are lots of questions and answers in this case that we will never know....... however as Damnation said - It should not take people gathering together to get something done!
 
I have never said that the RSPCA is evil but am quite happy to state that in my PERSONAL experience, they are pretty useless. When I was a kid, new people bought the property behind ours. They had a small herd of pedigree Jersey cows, a collection of pigs, a horse, an alsation and a jack russell. They weren't cruel people but they had moved to the countryside from London with a dream of having a smallholding, but they didn't have any knowledge about animal husbandry. One day, they went off in their car but we could hear sounds from the barn, so after a while my father went across and found they'd left a cow attached to the milking cluster. Winter came along and because they knew nothing about grass, they didn't feed the animals. In the course of one weekend WE called the knackerman out to remove dead cows from outside our kitchen window. One of the pigs got in the stream, floated down under the bridge where it got wedged and drowned. A while later we realised we hadn't seen the dogs in the yard for ages, although we did hear whining and barking coming from the barn. A quick snoop about when the owners had gone out for the day (this was happening most days by this time)found the dogs locked up with no access to food or water. We called the RSPCA who came out, ignored the lack of bowls anywhere and left a note saying that the owners should leave access to water. A few weeks later we couldn't hear much at all. Dad went across and found the JR in quite a bad way but no sign of the alsation - until he poked about in the straw and found what appeared to be broom bristles and then a skull. Yep, the poor bitch had died of starvation and the JR had eaten the corpse. The skull had his tooth marks on it. Called the RSPCA again, and they still did NOTHING. Shortly after the couple sold up and moved away. Much more recently a friend of mine who kept 5 elderly ponies (the youngest was 26) which she had rescued from the meatman was given a load of earache by the RSPCA because the ponies had been reported as looking unkempt. This person visited her animals twice a day (thats more than many of the horses kept with mine see their owners in a week), their feet were trimmed regularly and they had access to a field shelter and stables - but they preferred to stay under the trees at the bottom of the field. The only "crime" she had committed was not grooming them!
 
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IN YOUR FACE!




Ok, childish

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yup
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its not the first time sadly that a vet has said a horse isnt suffering when it was. i reported horses in states as bad as carrot and spud and was told the same thing! 1 month later they were dead.

the inspectors are very crafty. Instead of calling out an rspca vet they will call out one privately, and even give them the owners a number for a vet they can call that will be sympathetic to them! That way, the horse is 'not suffering' - the horse doesnt get a 'welfare ticket' and less paperwork for them!

They will go after horses such as the amersham lot - as its a high profile case with lots and lots of animals, and therefore can guarantree public outcry, publicity and such.

But i have heard from a very good source that the RSPCA were aware of the amersham horses for a YEAR until they acted. And how many amersham horses died within that time?

Ive never had a good experience with the rspca. shame.
 
I think that the arrogant, patronising attitude of (some?) Inspectors does not help. Do they actually do a class on public relations?

I am sure that there ARE worthy and caring people working for the RSPCA in circumstances that are not pleasant. Sadly though, and in all honesty, the only Inspectors I have ever had dealings with have been overbearing, opinionated and cloth-eared to a man! Two of those were people I knew personally, so my experience has not all been fleeting.

Sorry, I am not a fan and they would be my LAST port of call in a situation.
 
QR- LMAO @ Scribbles!!

What Nailed said......


... and in my opinion the RSPCA are still a waste of space dispite the fact that they eventually came good in this case- and wouldnt you with a load of HHOers planning to shame them at big events and in the press????
 
A year ago I called the RSPCA about some poor ponies being abused
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They took my details to update me, the only thing I have ever heard from them was them trying to sell me a credit card!!! And the ponies are still with the same people......
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I think it would be interesting to read the vet report from a month ago when the vet passed them as ok.

Whilst the RSPCA and WHW let these horses down badly I feel a large percentage of the blame should lay at the vet's doorstep.

If my horses were registered with that vet I would be looking for another one pretty sharpish.
 
I'm sorry but you could seriously end up with egg on your face over this one.

Both the RSPCA and WGW had every opportunity to seek a second opinion. They didnt.

My father discovered a litter of baby foxes in one of the straw stacks. He watched them for a few days and their mother didnt return so he wrapped them in a blanket and took them home and settled them by the aga whilst my mother called the RSPCA.
The RSPCA said they would NOT take them, so my mother tried the RSPCA in the next area. They said they could collect them but would put them to sleep.
My mother gave up and fed the babies lamb's milk for a week before a gentleman came over from WALES (not RSPCA I hasten to add!) and took them back to his rescue centre. Last we heard they'd been raised and released back to the wild.

RSPCA are the biggest waste of space and money there is. Simple.
 
Whatever your feelings about the RSPCA there can be no doubt that without the pressure bought to bear by the members of this forum and Andy and Chloe, that its lunlikely anything would have been done about the Stamford horses. As it is, this situation needs highlighting as does the lack of power the charities such as WHW have in ensuring the wellbeing of horses.

Start lobbying!
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I think it would be interesting to read the vet report from a month ago when the vet passed them as ok.

Whilst the RSPCA and WHW let these horses down badly I feel a large percentage of the blame should lay at the vet's doorstep.

If my horses were registered with that vet I would be looking for another one pretty sharpish.

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My daughter's pony (and other pets) were regstered with this vet's 'sister' practice.

I've been and changed the cats and dog's vets this morning (thankfully we have two vets in the area) and the pony is being registered as soon as he's moved yards.
 
Well done Charlie - more people should vote with their feet like this when the opportunity arises. Did you let them know why you changed?
 
I havent yet, I've just registered with different vets this morning (have been busy doing school runs and work). Even better, new vets are happy to charge me £50 less for a small animal operation that i had already scheduled...

It's a shame really, because one of their 'more senior' (in years) vets is one of the best I've come across, very old school and 'tell it how it is'. Lovely lovely vet. He infact recently operated on a friend's mare and was wonderful. But I am so horrified with the way their more junior vet handled this (the stamford horses) situation and the way I was spoken to over it, that I wouldnt want to risk ending up with him at a colic case on a cold winter's night.
 
I am another one who has never said that the RSPCA is evil. But I do think they are ineffective and misguided. However, if they took up politics professionaly, instead of covertly, they'd probably do quite well. LOL.

The issue that the Stamford horses have highlighted again is the lack of positive action being taken in the face of clear animal distress. I deliberately don't mention cruelty as it's not been proven here. However, the animal act does allow a relevant authoritiy to remove an animal if it believes it is suffering, inadequately cared for, or in distress. I would say this applied in every instance to these horses.

I am a staunch supporter of the WHW - and was shocked to read that in tandem with the RSPCA they did not deam it neccessary for the animals to be removed.

We have a clear animal welfare law in this country which gives these authorities the legal recourse to have had those animals removed. And I simply don't understand why it didn't happen. It reinforces my concerns over what happened at Amersham - which was apathy at the very highest level of these organisations (although primarily the RSPCA).

I don't doubt that the inspectors that work for them are very well meaning. However, until they are given the authority by the powers that be to work to the full extent of the law - I see little point in anyones hard earned dollars lining their pockets.

We have laws. They must be used.
 
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http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/288802.html

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I would draw attention to two statements in particular:

Speaking after the sentencing, he (RSPCA inspector Chris Dunbar ) told H&H: "We had concerns from the start as she wasn't feeding the horses. We kept going back — she listened but did nothing."

AND

Mr Dunbar added: "We were happy with the ban. Our job is to stop cruelty and in this case that's what we feel we've done."

I would make the following observations. Don't keep going back. Issue an enforcement notice, and if it's not complied with to the letter - remove the horess. And what about this situation has prevented cruelty?

Again, total impotence.
 
Grrrrrrr - that statement makes me b----y mad!!!! You're right Sally - you don't keep going back. Once is enough to see if anything has changed which in this case it clearly hadn't!
 
I totally agree.... I think the lack of knowledge is the main problem.... being very careful how I word this but it shows it is systemic and not just the field officers..

I had a call from a lady who had just had her horse returned to her from the RSPCA after the horse had been removed from her care... the horse had been kept while under the RSPCAs care at a private livery yard (RSPCA picked up the bills) The lady who ran the yard was at her wits end this horse had such a severe pelvis problem it could not walk straight and was dragging his hinds behind him...he could not pick his feet up so had not been trimmed in what looked like years...The YO was recommending this poor horse be destroyed and instead they returned ownership to this woman who was completely clueless...

We knew none of this when we arrived to collect the horse only to get the story from the hugely upset and frustrated yard owner. This horse was so bad we had to travel him the wrong way round in the herringbone as he could not turn the right way!!!

This horse was with us for 3 weeks while we tried to talk sense to the RSPCA and told repeatedly he was nothing to do with them anymore... his owner was so clueless she suggested anglegrinding his feet where they had grown split and turned up..... our farrier risked life and limb trying to get some off his feet to no avail.... when I finally put my foot down and damanded this woman did the right thing and had him put to sleep she turned up with a headcollar (this was a shire gelding btw) in high heels and led this poor thing 5 miles to a new field in crippling pain from his pelvis and his feet split to his cornet band..... as she led him out of my yard I phoned the charity again only to be told to stop wasting their time with this complaint..!!!!
 
Sorry Camilla but it does show what everyone is trying to say on here....noone on here would be against without bloody good reason
 
Oh that wasn't a complaint - sorry if that's how it came across. I was just trying to illustrate how awful that case was. As you say, I won't be the only one.

Posts like that may be unpleasant reading but they need to be brought to our atention sometimes.

Sorry again if I gave the impression that I thought you shouldn't have posted it!!
 
Well done for changing vets Charlie!!!! As we both know, word travels VERY fast around here..... so it shouldn't be long before there is a knock on effect for that practice!
 
which is 5 mins from my house and littered with their personalised numberplated cars and gadgets and yep, having lived next to the headquarters all my life, can vow for them never doing anything of any worth. however they did waste their time coming to see me after my neighbour reported my dog being mistreated- yeah right, that mustve been after i rescued her from greece, paid hundreds of pounds on a much needed operation upon her arrival. hmmmm. i look at her now, currently snoring her head off in her plush basket obviously very scared of me!!!!!
 
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