Queensland animal welfare
Feb 8th 2008, 4:41 am
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2007
Location: townsville now UK !!!!
Posts: 227
Queensland animal welfare
Hi there,
Just needed to get this out, please forgive me........
In the Uk I worked for the RSPCA for many years (not a perfect organisation i know, but hey we tried) . We moved to Townsville in the autumn, and the first thing I do is track down the local shelter, to be a volunteer until I get working rights.
All I can say is that animal welfare is VERY low on a lot of North Queenslander's priorities, and my heart is broken. At least 100 dogs and 100 cats enter the shelter each week - pups, oldies (cos they can't find boarding while they go on holiday), you name it, and in the last few months I can count on one hand the animals that have been re homed. I am not joking.
My head is spinning with *what can I do* thoughts, but I know deep down that the culture will not change. I just have to accept it and do what I can do for the animals, as do the poor staff.
I have thought about lobbying the council, but they are suggesting the re-instatement of "stray pens" where animals can be dumped outside the shelter. Staff would come in and find pig dogs had been put in the same cage as kittens - need I say any more.
Sorry to rant, but I am soooooooooooo frustrated. I know it's all part of culture shock, but if I had only known................
Alliekate
Just needed to get this out, please forgive me........
In the Uk I worked for the RSPCA for many years (not a perfect organisation i know, but hey we tried) . We moved to Townsville in the autumn, and the first thing I do is track down the local shelter, to be a volunteer until I get working rights.
All I can say is that animal welfare is VERY low on a lot of North Queenslander's priorities, and my heart is broken. At least 100 dogs and 100 cats enter the shelter each week - pups, oldies (cos they can't find boarding while they go on holiday), you name it, and in the last few months I can count on one hand the animals that have been re homed. I am not joking.
My head is spinning with *what can I do* thoughts, but I know deep down that the culture will not change. I just have to accept it and do what I can do for the animals, as do the poor staff.
I have thought about lobbying the council, but they are suggesting the re-instatement of "stray pens" where animals can be dumped outside the shelter. Staff would come in and find pig dogs had been put in the same cage as kittens - need I say any more.
Sorry to rant, but I am soooooooooooo frustrated. I know it's all part of culture shock, but if I had only known................
Alliekate
Feb 8th 2008, 5:20 am
#2
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 23,400
Re: Queensland animal welfare
My mate is an RSPCE Inspector for West London and he came round for coffee today. He said some major changes in the animal rights laws are underway now but he was saying how bad the cruelty is in the UK and how many people that should have gone down, will walk away.
We were discussing about the 'hidden' cases of cruelty - the ones that are so well disguised, that the owners will never be caught.
They are the parents that buy puppies/cats etc as presents for their kids, allow them to pull the dog/cat around, neglect the rabbit/mice/rats.
The type of parent that says 'Oh hes a good dog, the kids can poke his eyes and pull him around'.
The type of parent that doesnt see nor give a shit that little Johnny will pull/punch and kick the poor animal.
The type of cruelty in the guise of a family unit in their two up - two down semi detached and the type of family that would not hesitate to replace whatever animal bit their child in response to cruelty.
I hate animal cruelty, we had a woman down the road from us who is not long out of prison - she was a key member in a dog fighting group.
Dog fighting is on the up in the UK now, it is big money and even with these new legislations, it just isn't enough sometimes to bring them to justice.
I spent a day doing some freelance veterinary journalism with this particular inspector and in that one day, I was heartbroken at what I saw.
It is not a job I could do.
We were discussing about the 'hidden' cases of cruelty - the ones that are so well disguised, that the owners will never be caught.
They are the parents that buy puppies/cats etc as presents for their kids, allow them to pull the dog/cat around, neglect the rabbit/mice/rats.
The type of parent that says 'Oh hes a good dog, the kids can poke his eyes and pull him around'.
The type of parent that doesnt see nor give a shit that little Johnny will pull/punch and kick the poor animal.
The type of cruelty in the guise of a family unit in their two up - two down semi detached and the type of family that would not hesitate to replace whatever animal bit their child in response to cruelty.
I hate animal cruelty, we had a woman down the road from us who is not long out of prison - she was a key member in a dog fighting group.
Dog fighting is on the up in the UK now, it is big money and even with these new legislations, it just isn't enough sometimes to bring them to justice.
I spent a day doing some freelance veterinary journalism with this particular inspector and in that one day, I was heartbroken at what I saw.
It is not a job I could do.
Feb 9th 2008, 10:30 pm
#3
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2007
Location: townsville now UK !!!!
Posts: 227
Re: Queensland animal welfare
Trust me - child abuse often starts with animal abuse. (SSPCA research)
Snuff videos - you name it - but I was an Inspector/Chief near London, and NOTHING I saw was as bad as it is here. Yes, you get the usual sadistic cruelty, but the scale of it here is beyond belief. All because of lack of neutering. And a totally different culture.
Our Inspector has a patch of well over a thousand miles to deal with alone - in the Uk you are always in a group of at least five other Inspectors - for a town the size of Townsville at least six - and he alone goes right up north, then down south.
And don't forget the pig hunting - trust me, I saw lot of fox hunting but it has nothing on "Bacon Busters". (a magazine you can pick up in any newsagent, usually next to the kids comics.............).
And don't get me started on the funds the RSPCA UK has compared to Oz !!! The RSPCA is pretty much hated out here
, hence funds are much scarcer. Mind you, 60 m to 20 m people, I guess it's going to be different.
Ah well, sorry, rant over - it is just so sad when over 1000 animals are dumped at one shelter every month, but why get an animal from the RSPCA when there are hundreds of "giveaways" in the local paper every day .
Snuff videos - you name it - but I was an Inspector/Chief near London, and NOTHING I saw was as bad as it is here. Yes, you get the usual sadistic cruelty, but the scale of it here is beyond belief. All because of lack of neutering. And a totally different culture.
Our Inspector has a patch of well over a thousand miles to deal with alone - in the Uk you are always in a group of at least five other Inspectors - for a town the size of Townsville at least six - and he alone goes right up north, then down south.
And don't forget the pig hunting - trust me, I saw lot of fox hunting but it has nothing on "Bacon Busters". (a magazine you can pick up in any newsagent, usually next to the kids comics.............).
And don't get me started on the funds the RSPCA UK has compared to Oz !!! The RSPCA is pretty much hated out here
, hence funds are much scarcer. Mind you, 60 m to 20 m people, I guess it's going to be different. Ah well, sorry, rant over - it is just so sad when over 1000 animals are dumped at one shelter every month, but why get an animal from the RSPCA when there are hundreds of "giveaways" in the local paper every day .
