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Post by rainrescue on Nov 28, 2006 23:59:07 GMT 1
I am a new member to this board - and hope I can manage to gain some experience and knowledge from other rescues on here who work with pounds.
I work with a group that helps pounds in yorkshire.
Conditions in there are not good - councils just turn a blind eye. I feel there must be something that we can all do collectively to approach councils - 1 by 1 - to make them take notice of whats happening in pounds and god forbid - actually pay for proper kennelling for the dogs with treatment when needed.
I know a few of you have spoken about this before - so point me in the right direction please if there is a thread I can link into.
I want to make a difference - not just keep mopping up these poor souls at the end of the line.
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Post by Old Dragon (Al) on Nov 29, 2006 1:22:22 GMT 1
Welcome to the board. I will modify your profile to show you as a Rescue Representative. Please feel free to visit the Staffroom and have a look at what projects are running at the moment that might benefit your rescue. (I.e. Christmas Parcel project list, Coldies & Oldies etc.) The other Rescue Reps active on the board can be easily identified by their service role title, and a list can also be found in the list members, located under the title bar, then click on 'view staff members' and scroll down. There are quite a lot, although not all active. If you are able to get together and do something to address the situation, that would be wonderful.
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Post by ajs on Nov 29, 2006 13:29:22 GMT 1
I agree it would be good to get something done about poor pound conditions.
Here we are told not to rock the boat. The councils do not have to let the rescues or the public into the pounds....they do not have to pass the dogs on to a rescue after their 7 days either....
if the councils think they are going to be subject to bad publicity they will simply close their doors and that will be that..
The public do not want to pay for stray dogs, (out of council tax) so it is not a vote winner for the councillors...they merely pay as much as they have to to carry out their statutory duty. Farmers and other pound owners just want the lump sum of cash injected into their bank account - it is not usually very much so does not pay for staff to attend to the dogs - just enough to feed the dogs from cheapest bulk food and maybe clean the kennels with disinfectant. The dog wardens are meant to inspect the condiitons in the pound....now most dog wardens are paid a pittance - make of that what you will...
PS I make the above statements without prejudice to the rescue I am associated with. It is my personal opinion.
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Post by rainrescue on Nov 30, 2006 1:41:37 GMT 1
I know that all you say is true - every word of it. and i know it is going on everywhere. We are all scared to blame pounds we deal with - and people we deal with and councils we deal with. Not because we don't want to stop it, but because rocking the boat isn't the answer. It won't get the results that we need.
I just keep going round in circles - there must be something we can do - surely if the public were aware of what was happening today - they would kickupa bit of an outcry -
I know everyone tells me that the RSPCA and the DOGS TRUST know whats going on - see it every day and can't do anything - so how can weas small rescue groups - but - they aren't doing their job for nothing.
all of us in rescue do thison top of our day jobs. we do it cos we passionately dont want suffering. that gives us the extra mile.
Is there another thread on here where others in rescue are trying to do something? Or are there enough one here that could try to have another go of pooling what we know and maybe coming up with some way forward?
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Post by ajs on Nov 30, 2006 13:16:38 GMT 1
If we want to change anything I think it has to be a political move - a petition to all our MPs for example, asking them to look into the conditions and comment on them. Of course the MPs then just ask their council staff to look into it - so we need to ask them to carry out an INDEPENDENT investigation, otherwise the councils are in effect policing themselves. It is the thick and ignorant people that allow their dogs to end up in these places that we really need to get interested and informed. Somehow they need to be persuaded to either take more care of their pets or not have them at all. (probably not allowed to say thick am I?) Maybe we should try to get primary school involvement. (Secondary school agendas are so full it is hard to get time with secondary kids - but may be possible in their "personal development" classes perhaps??) I know some councils do send their staff into schools for awareness raising - not sure if all do, probably not and it is probably only once in a blue moon anyway. If we could teach the next generation what it takes to properly and wholly care for a pet, maybe it will reduce suffering in the future. Sigh... actually I just feel like obliterating certain people from the planet when I think of it, which is not good I know! (where is the shock horrow emoticon when you need it?! )
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Post by rainrescue on Dec 12, 2006 3:09:24 GMT 1
I know one of the larger rescue charities employed an education officer to do these programmes in the schools. I was talking to her once, and she was really down and un-enthusiastic. I couldn't believe it.
she said it saddened her to see so many kids, not having a dog or any pet, not wanting one, and certainly not caring about the enjoyment or happines of a pets health.
How sad is that for tomorrow.
I have just written to panorama - to see if they would be interested in doing a feature on the state of the pounds and what the councils get away with. A tv programme have also contacted me to see if they could do something next year (not half). as long as they don't turn it all into some sort of stupid joke like they usually do.
i know there are some groups who really manage to lobby some of these bad councils into being responsible - i know that the DT do a lot of work in this direction - i just wish i understood what and what else we could do to help
I don't sleep at nights thinking about them all laying in those sh**ty kennels, with wet cold floors, leaky rooves, sores and then being destroyed - surely someone cares enough up in the powers that be to make a difference.
My biggest bug bear is all these charities (large and small) who are sat on millions, and thousands, and they don't do anything to help. all they seem to want to do is open another charity shop - it makes my blood boil.
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Post by Selina the Moorland Minx on Dec 28, 2006 21:32:06 GMT 1
All I can say is I have recently started working with my local dog pound (never knew it existed until recently) and they now let me know about every springer they get through there doors, give me access to assess them and from there rehome or find safe foster placements for them until there new forever homes can be found. The staff there are the first to admit it isn't an ideal situation but they are happy to work direct with rescue organisations to make sure that as many as possible are kept safe and not PTS, for that I can only applaud them. As a whole the situation is both depressing and certainly not ideal, what a lot of breed rescues don't understand is the fact that dog's are still being PTS, either that or turn a blind eye to the situation. If more breed rescues can help that would take the weight off the dog pounds and ease the desperate situation.
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Post by Amanda on Dec 29, 2006 23:58:03 GMT 1
I know one of the larger rescue charities employed an education officer to do these programmes in the schools. I was talking to her once, and she was really down and un-enthusiastic. I couldn't believe it. she said it saddened her to see so many kids, not having a dog or any pet, not wanting one, and certainly not caring about the enjoyment or happines of a pets health. How sad is that for tomorrow. I have just written to panorama - to see if they would be interested in doing a feature on the state of the pounds and what the councils get away with. A tv programme have also contacted me to see if they could do something next year (not half). as long as they don't turn it all into some sort of stupid joke like they usually do. i know there are some groups who really manage to lobby some of these bad councils into being responsible - i know that the DT do a lot of work in this direction - i just wish i understood what and what else we could do to help I don't sleep at nights thinking about them all laying in those sh**ty kennels, with wet cold floors, leaky rooves, sores and then being destroyed - surely someone cares enough up in the powers that be to make a difference. My biggest bug bear is all these charities (large and small) who are sat on millions, and thousands, and they don't do anything to help. all they seem to want to do is open another charity shop - it makes my blood boil. I hope the TV people do an article on it. As for charities who are sat on millions etc.. thats my bug bare too.. I remember a while ago now, one of the dog magazines published an article on the finances of animal rescue charities. ACC Vs Dog Trust I believe were 2 listed. I never read the article as I do not subscribe, but from what I have been told by the trustee's, when you break every donation down pound per pound, ACC uses it all on the animals directly! ACC aren't a pound incidentally, but having tried to get the dogs out of local pound has seemed near on impossible. The guy there is simply in it for the money. The only bonus I suppose is that I think he's losing the contract. (thats the rumour anyway.. fingers crossed that he is)
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