HOME EVER AFTER AND THE RSPCA
Helen Canny is a Coordinator for " Home Ever After" from the RSPCA. She gave an entertaining and thought-provoking presentation about the pets in our life and how we can deal with life's major problems.
She reminded us that the "p" in RSPCA is prevention. The organization is 150 years old and was established in Victoria in 1871, It was established by a group of concerned citizens at the time. The main areas which the RSPCA cover includes : protection, shelter, care and rehoming, prevention and social enterprise.
There is no shame in surrendering a pet to the RSPCA. In many cases, a pet owner has passed away or may be in a state of ill health. For whatever the reason, there are many options. Foster caring of pets can be used , until adoption becomes possible. The RSPCA is always on the look out for more foster carers. Stray dogs or other pets are, in many cases, reclaimed by the original owner.
OTHER SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE RSPCA
One of the many services which the RSPCA offers is the barn, on the site at Burwood, where people can learn about farm animals and the way they need to be cared for. Furthermore, in the role of advocacy, the RSPCA deals with the different types of legislation.
At the height of the bushfires, $3.3 million was generously donated to the RSPCA. These funds were quarantined and have been used to evacuate and shelter the animals affected. Individuals who lost all their possessions were given a package, so that they could take care of their pets. In partnership with Zoos Australia, the RSPCA has a dedicated Koala Hospital in the Werribee Zoo
HOME EVER AFTER
This is a pet legacy service. There is a diverse range of species of animals within this program. An executor needs to be aware of a pet's needs after the death of a person. If some action is required, your pet should be registered.
QUESTION TIME
There was a spirited session on the night, with many questions about pet behaviour and treatment. Without the consistency of the pet owner, the life of the animal would be much worse.
Here is some further information and some more statistics
The RSPCA has 4 key pillars :
> Protection
> Shelter Care and rehoming
> Prevention (including encouraging people who can’t cope to surrender their pet)
> Social Enterprise - i.e. veterinary care, op shops, grooming services
- For those who do not act appropriately, RSPCA has a team of 30 inspectors, who hold authority invested by the Department of Justice.
- They investigated nearly 11000 incidences of cruelty in 2021.
- 15000 animals were cared for over that year, by 500 staff and 2300 volunteers who largely operate at their 25acre property in Burwood, built in the 1930’s.
- Whilst the government chips in 10% operating costs for the inspectorate, 30% is delivered by bequests and the balance from donations
- About 3500 animals go into foster care each year
- 600 receive longer term care, often subject to court cases, but 7000 moved through the process in 2021
- 75000 children and adults undertook RSPCA preventative educational programs on how to care for animal- from chickens to horses
Home Ever After is free, but a donation /bequest is requested to fund the work. All animals are treated with the dignity and respect their carers would have wished for them.
Thank you Helen for illuminating how we can help with such warmth