Sheffield Stray Dogs - Nowhere to go - does anybody care?

[Rainrescue]

Sheffield - the stray kennels cannot allow the public to walk the dogs that they have there. I know that the Sheffield Council did ask for volunteers to help them - if you want to actually be involved in kennel work, please give them a call and see if they can use your offer. I know its mostly dirty, cold and stressful - but thats whats needed.

 

We at our rescue have dogs in boarding kennels. They get walked short times in the day - but would love someone to come and take them out for half an hour or an hour, or sit and cuddle them and give them what they so desperately miss - human company.

 

On a long term improvement of what can people do? Definately write to every newspaper in the country and shout out how many dogs are being dumped/lost/stray every day. There are JUST TOO MANY DOGS for decent homes available. Only breed dogs that people want. You are right - look at the new pics we have just put up on our web site http://www.rainrescue.co.uk Sheffield dogs. These are the dogs dumped and DESPERATELY looking for homes from Sheffield council - THIS WEEK. Over half of them are staffy's or some sort of staffy cross breed. Yes - get them all neutered to stop it.

 

However, whilst anyone can get to make a few quid from breeding their staffy - they ignore the destruction a few months down the line. We never have a problem rehoming the nice fluffy friendly dogs - someone will always take them - but the staffy's can be in kennels for months before they go - if they ever do. (PS I am a staffy lover and so we try to help these more than any other breed).

[XxhunxX]

well your people who throw your dogs out when ya carnt be arsed wiv them anymore, its not the councils fault, atleast the strays have somewhere to go, does rain rescue or the rspca take in strays noooooooo

[Rainrescue]

Please understand the law if you are going to post questions like this. Legally only the council can hold any dog that strays - and there it must be kept for 7 days. The council can pay commercial or rescue kennels to hold these dogs for them.

 

The question here is who helps those dogs after their time is up?

Rain rescue does - the local RSPCA does not. This thread is in no way blaming the council. We KNOW its not the councils fault - however education could be put in place to try to reduce the irresponsible people breeding more and more dogs when there simply are not enough homes to go to.

 

This thread was asking if anyone cares - do you do anything to help?

[XxhunxX]

the unwanted dogs are better off in warm (yes they are heated), clean (yes they are disinfected), shelterd (n yes they have indoor pens) kennels. atlest they get fed n looked after, or do ya recken theyd be better off left om the street. just think about it... they do their best.

[XxhunxX]

rain your right, its just a shame the council doesnt have the funds to neuter and spey the dogs once there adopted, maybe the vets should lower their prices then perhaps more owners would get them done, theres just sooo many unwanted dogs its such a shame, my mate volunteers at spring st and she says most of its residents are stafys, perhaps vets ect should spey/neauter staffys for free, what do ya recken

[Rainrescue]

XxhunxX - I don't understand who you are venting your questions at - or the points you are trying to get across - sorry if i'm confused - it is late at night.

 

At the end of January 2009 the Sheffield Council Stray kennels had 68 unwanted, lost or abandoned dogs in its kennels. My question was does anybody care - does anybody know. Whilst many people who visit over on the pet section are well aware what happens when dogs roam - I genuinely believe that the dog owning public are unaware that there is this scale of abandonment and unwanted pets in our brilliant city.

 

No the dogs would not be best left on the streets and we are lucky to have these facilities to be able to use - albeit they are very old, outdated and disfunctional but you are right - they have had their heating and electrics just fixed but that has not been the case for the last few years - and the dogs were not in warm kennels.

 

Yes - I do feel that the cost of neutering a dog is extremely expensive but so is the tax for the car, a years train pass, college fees and everything else that it costs us to live. Its a cost that every responsible dog owner needs to account for before they take on a dog. You are right though - personally I think that it would be feasible for the councils to provide assisted and promoted neutering for whatever breed of dog is causing a problem/issue in their area - and in the most cases thats staffys and their cross breeds

[brus]

One of the main reasons for stray dogs is that they are abandoned when they become ill, the high cost of vet bills being the prime reason. Having lost two dogs in the past year i found the vet bills to be very expensive, the difference between vets and their charges being totaly out of proportion, having spent several hundred pounds on our Boxer with a vet in Dinnington and seeing no improvment we decided it was kinder to have her put to sleep to stop any further suffering. This vet quoted between £90 and £95 to put her to sleep, after telling a friend about this he told me about a vet in Brimmington Chesterfield where they had recently had their dog put to sleep, I contacted them and told her what this other vet had diagnosed wrong with the Boxer, and was told that there was no cure for this illness and it would be better to have her put to sleep. This being the case why did the original vet prolong the agony the dog endured when the medication paid for at considerable expense was just a waste of time and money, We did take the dog to Chesterfield and have her put to sleep, the cost £30 not £95 as the other con artist

qouted. Yes a long winge but if we ever do get another dog i will shop around for the best value. And finally if the RSPCA and other agency's were a bit more realisic in the price they charge you to take on a stray dog more dogs would be reholmed.

[Rainrescue]

Absolutely true Brus - the vet fees are expensive for everyone to cope with but vets are a business and human medical treatment would be a fortune if we had to pay for that ourselves too without the support of the NHS. Don't get me wrong - I KNOW that dogs are abandoned because people can't pay for the vet treatment and when someone only earns £100 per week or even less - how can they possibly afford the fees charged, and the blase way that vets expect these fees can be found - or somehow you are made to feel guilty that you don't love or care for your pet if you don't quickly offer the cash for treatment.

 

We at our small rescue do not receive any discounts on the vet treatment that we receive. 1 vet gives us 10% off neutering cost and thats all - so again the same as everyone else - it cripples us.

 

With regards to your statement about a realistic adoption fee - many of the dogs that we take on often go with no donation at all - (some I would even pay to have adopted but thats another story) (only joking there honest).

 

We adopt our dogs out - and the donations are a bonus -but rescues continue because the people who help in them are passionate about saving the lives of abandoned and lost dogs and most will continue whilst ever there is money in the bank.

 

However, on average here are the costs involved for each dog we take in:

 

Boarding @ avg £6.00 per day per dog (average 4 weeks per dog) - really good price and some can take much longer

Vet Treatment due to previous neglect/illness/accident - average £50

Vaccinations - avg £30 per set

Bitch spay £140 Dog castrate £110

Microchip, £10.00

Flea treatment £5.00

Worming £4.00

 

Even to receive a donation of £100 which we often don't get - we are already running at a loss on every dog we take in.

 

We don't have enough volunteers to do sponsored walks, street collections, jumble sales or fund raising and so I honestly don't know how we survive, we sit and write funding applications and its those mostly that keep us going but maybe only when you see the figures you can see - a donation is not unrealistic - but really a token gesture towards the full cost.

 

The people who really get the money are the breeders who don't have most of those costs to consider - but thats another story.

[Evei]

And finally if the RSPCA and other agency's were a bit more realisic in the price they charge you to take on a stray dog more dogs would be reholmed.

 

I think the price is totally reasonable. My dog came castrated, vaccinated and wormed and that would have cost more than the amount I paid which was £95 from the RSPCA. That is not including the 4 months worth of food and kennel costs when he was waiting to be adopted.

 

It costs about £45 ever vet trip for worming tablets/ flea treatment/ vaccinations so if the £95 outlay at the start cannot be paid for I don't know how anyone would afford to keep a dog with insurance/ vets fees to pay fo it's life.

[tomjerry]

I found an abandoned dog once, he was in a very sorry state. The RSPCA refused to take him in because I had a job. I just feel that the RSPCA are a sorry excuse for a charity and I wouldn't ever give them a penny. End of rant!