The RSPCA will hold dogs for months while cases are pending so the can earn money for their prosecutors, but when it comes to saving dos and showing compassion – forget it. This money hungry corporation has a lot to answer for. It needs to have an inquiry into its operations.
Rutherford RSPCA kills family’s dogs
By JANEK SPEIGHT
Sept. 18, 2013, 10:45 p.m.
NSW RSPCA is at the centre of another storm regarding its Rutherford shelter’s kill policy after two healthy dogs were put down this week.
Two Jack Russell terriers, Nikki, 1, and Rocket, 2, were euthanised despite owner Kylie McCrea negotiating to get them home.
A fee of almost $1000 was blocking the dogs’ release. Despite not failing any health or temperament tests, a supervisor deemed the dogs a ‘‘nuisance’’ and ordered them destroyed.
It follows a similar incident last year when Max the pointer was put down at Rutherford after failing a controversial temperament test.
The RSPCA concedes there were mistakes made in evaluating the Jack Russells’ situation and have launched an investigation.
But the investigation comes too late for Ms McCrea and her sons, Jaiden, 4, and Jake, 13.
Pups killed while owner finds money
TWO playful and loveable pups were destroyed at the RSPCA’s Rutherford shelter even as their owner was negotiating to pay for their release.
The Jack Russell terriers, Rocket and Nikki, were euthanised on Monday after being held at the shelter more than 28 days.
Owner Kylie McCrea, of Sawyers Gully, said she had been in contact with the shelter to tell them she was negotiating the fee for the dogs’ release, which had risen to $960, with Maitland City Council.
The RSPCA told her on Friday that the dogs would be held until she had a chance to contact the council and get back to them.
Yet over the weekend a supervisor made the decision to put the pets down on Monday.
“I had spoken with staff, and the manager, all last week telling them I didn’t have the money and I was told to sort it out with council,” Ms McCrea said.
“The manager told me she would hold onto the dogs until I got back to her.”
Following Newcastle Herald inquiries yesterday an RSPCA spokesman admitted employees “did not fully investigate” the circumstances of the case.
“The RSPCA accepts that this is too late for the two dogs in question, but hopes that improvement in process and communication will ensure that this type of incident does not occur in the future,” he said.
A more detailed investigation into the matter had been launched and appropriate disciplinary action would be taken pending its outcome, he said.
Ms McCrea said an RSPCA manager had told her the dogs were euthanised because they had been impounded three times in the past two years and had been deemed a “nuisance”.
“They had escaped from my work, it wasn’t their fault,” she said.
“Now I’m totally blaming myself.
“But they didn’t even give [the dogs] a chance. If they had told me they were going to kill them I would have done anything to find the money.”
Nikki, 1, and Rocket, 2, lived with the McCrea family at Sawyers Gully.
Ms McCrea described them as “our other kids”.
The family had been renovating their property and moving fences around, and the two pups had escaped a few months earlier.
“I decided to take them to my [work] office in Thornton with me but then they escaped out the front door one day,” Ms McCrea said.
“They had tags with my mobile number on it and I called the pound that day but the first I heard about them was through a letter.
“I didn’t have the money and the fees just kept accumulating.”
Both Nikki and Rocket were vaccinated, registered and micro-chipped.
“They didn’t fail any health or temperament test,” Ms McCrea said.
“They weren’t put down for behavioural reasons or because they couldn’t find them a new home.
“They told me due to the fact they were impounded more than once they had been destroyed.”
The hardest part, Ms McCrea says, has been breaking the news to her youngest son, Jaiden, who is only four years old.
“I can’t stop crying myself,” she said.
“He would ask about them every day, he would sleep with them in his bed.
“The three of them were so funny to watch, just three little kids.”
In October the Herald reported on the story of Max, a pointer who was put down due to a controversial temperament test at RSPCA Rutherford, again without consultation with his owner.
Geoff Davidson has been campaigning for increased transparency within the RSPCA since Max’s death and has set up Facebook page Justice4Max.
“This just shows that despite some minor changes [since Max’s death] there’s work to be done to get their house in order,” Mr Davidson said.
“Once again they’ve released a similar statement, and it’s not really an apology but a regret.
“They are not addressing the real issues and so these things will continue to happen.”
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I have been supporting the RSPCA for many years with monetary donations – I actually rung and cancelled my direct debit on Monday in preference of supporting the many Rescue organisations in the Hunter (Dog Rescue Newcastle and Hunter Animal Rescue). Shame on the RSPCA Rutherford, they are disgusting!!
Lee SC
on the face of this, this is appalling – again RSPCA you have let down the poor little innocent dogs that you are supposed to be saving – sack the person who gave the instruction to euthanase to healthy and wanted lives
Yecart SC Good on you SC for changing where you donate to. 🙂
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Alvin Tostig Bigfeller you’d be at the front of the queue Bigfeller, better be careful of what we wish for, LMAO
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Hans Murdok Alvin Tostig How could he possibly be in front of you?
John RSPCA “Royal Society Protection Cruelty Animals” You just killed two dogs knowing where they lived. Why not just give the dogs back to their owners, the fees are exorbitant. Even if the owners paid the fines off it would be a better outcome for the dogs.
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More to it. John The fee is set by council, not the rspca. It’s the council who wouldn’t waive it and release them back to the owner. The rspca couldn’t waive it, even if they wanted to.
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Rochelle Josephine Lyons More to it. sorry but i have been through this with the rspca they make you go back an forth i have been told by MAITLAND city council that the RSPCA set the fees the council only have say on the registration the council said the rspca had all rights if they wanted to release my dog after her registration fees where paid i know this because this has happened to me this is not fair what happened to this family i was just lucky enough that i got enough money to get my dog out
Tess I am sure these 2 little dogs could have been given to a rescue group if all else failed They would at least still be alive RSPCA you need to hang your heads in shame killing 2 (and many more) healthy rehomable dogs Shame on you
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Nicole Tess They didn’t even need to be re-homed. They had owners wanting them back. This is so sad and unnecessary
Tess Nicole I agree Nicole but if all else fails let Rescue have them My point is no healthy dog should be KILLED
GeoffD RSPCA’s actions here are yet another breach of the Companion Animals Act. Sections 21 and 21A of that Act set out clear procedures for dealing with nuisance dog orders, including those “habitually at large”, i.e. not just picked up 3 times in 2 years as reported here. None of these procedures were followed here, and none of those procedures involve killing the animals.
And if RSPCA is claiming they killed them under section 64 of the Act, they clearly failed to consider and implement all practical alternatives to killing. Again illegal.
The kill-first mentality of RSPCA, and its disregard for the legislation it is supposed to be acting under, must change now.ness GeoffD GeoffD i wrote to them and let them know about another issue with them regarding animal liberation exposing them for putting their name on a farms produce claiming it was free range when it wasnt they told me to call them so i will and i will also mention this also. I believe they need to be sued and shut down and a more competent animal group who actually care for the animals need to relplace them they are misleading the public and commiting illegal acts of cruelty against animals!
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anonymous ness Yawn, 3 times in 2 years IS habitually at large. It is unacceptable for people to expect to be able to do whatever they want, and then refuse to pay the fine. This emotive, baised nonsense article does nothing but attempt to excuse the selfish idiocy of the owners, and the abrogation of their fault in the entire mess. It is not the fault of the RSPCA that the animals were euthanised, but the fault of owners for not keeping their animals under adequate levels of control.
Wayne Pugh Sounds like RSPCA workers may need to undergo temperament tests.
downandout You will find that I mentioned my elderly neighbour being told to pay a hefty vet fee to the Rutherford RSPCA or the dog will belong to the pound, the lady was treated like a criminal for not having the money, can’t you borrow from a friend, can’t you sell something, that was the response to her not having a 1000 dollar fee, while trying to ask for a payment plan, which had risen by the next day when returning with half the money, not only did she borrow the money to pay for the dogs release, the dog developed ringworms and kennel cough 10 days after release, she was told to bring the dog in and the vets would have a look at the dog for another fee, not for free.
It is about time the government stepped in and reviewed this business and their practice. The RSPCA is going to lose a lot of public funding support if this trend continues.
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Aussie Sabbath That’s enough. Close down that animal hell hole, fire the managers who think life is expendable, just get rid of the place. Incompetent and lacking in empathy and compassion for animals. It’s clear that the RSPCA is only out to improve their bottom line, at the cost to the animals that they proclaim to protect.
Zeke Aussie Sabbath It is more humane to kill the animals than to keep them in cages in an animal prison. I’ve not much sympathy for the animal owners. It is their responsibility to look after their pets and to keep both them and the community safe. If the dogs escape then the licenced owner should pay the price or the dogs get put down.
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You’ve Got To Be Joking Zeke If you read the article properly, it stated that the owner was arranging to get the money to pay the fines and had told the RSPCA that. They also were not just letting the dogs get out and roam at will, they had escaped during renovations etc. They may not have had the means to cough up nearly $1000 in fines on the spot, but were doing all the right things to get the animals back, and the despicable person who gave the order to have them put down should be sacked, fined and maybe even locked up for such gross negligence and disrespect for life.
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Azrielle Weller You’ve Got To Be Joking Yeah well life is tough and expensive. No excuse. Getting out means roaming. If they are out for 10 minutes? They are ROAMING. It’s not the RSPCA’s fault they don’t have the funds. Try asking the Vet to hold them till you “get the money” Hard lesson for the owners to learn..Contain your animals
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Andrew Felix Zeke Kill the dogs to punish owners who can’t afford the fee?
$960 isn’t exactly pocket change.
downandout Zeke so hold them to ransom is your answer? Give us the dollars or your dog is dead, great attitude you have there Zeke.
jacki Zeke I would have thought it was more humane to treat these young, friendly dogs as living breathing animals with feelings and give them a chance to find adoptive homes rather than just putting them down because they’re bothering you. But that’s just me. Fact is dogs sometimes get away no matter what you do. That might be the owners fault but hardly the dogs fault now is it? So you advocate it’s more “humane” to punish dogs for getting lost by killing them than keeping them in a kennel/cage (where they have temporary food & shelter) or finding foster homes for them, or giving rescue organisations the opportunity to take them in – until a new home is found. Wow! Would hate to know your thoughts on child welfare……
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SC Zeke You clearly do not own animals.
What happens if someone purposely lets your dogs out of their yard, like many stupid teenages do!
Sure there are some careless animal owners but majority are not. To pay $1000 to get your dogs out of the RSPCA shelter is ridiculous.
And, if you understand how a rescue organisation works you would know that the animals are not kept in cages. -
Aussie Sabbath Zeke It is absolutely unacceptable to dispose of an animal’s life, simply because there is “no room”. Imagine if the council started doing this with homeless humans??
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Azrielle Weller Zeke Agreed. I know its sad, but I’m sorry its owners responsibility to contain their dogs. If the owner had the dogs at work, why pray tell were they in a position to bolt out the front door? Who’s in charge? Owner or dogs. Mine never go near the front door unless I instruct them. I know the RSPCA suck, but usually these cases are from dogs that have ESCAPED. The RSPCA don’t go to a house pick up two dogs, take them to their shelter and say “oh by the way lady we found your dogs” Keep them contained people!!!!!!
ness Aussie Sabbath Absolutely all of us out here who follow and participate in the care of animals know RSPCA is a scam, scamming people of their money and playing on peoples genuine caring for animals this has to be illegal, i also know of animal liberation i think it was that exposed them for having their name on a farm promoting free range when the video footage showed the truth it clearly was not free range and it was cruel to the animals but the RSPCA deny it they said to call them as i wrote to them a few weeks ago so i will do that and mention this as well i wonder who has the capacity to close their doors and fire all staff and managers?
1sandwichshort I have decided to immediately cease my regular donations to RSPCA and will instruct my attorney to vary my will. I had planned on giving the RSPCA a sizeable percentage of my estate. This story is absolutely shocking; and how two loved pups in good health & with a home to go to were unnecessarily destroyed because of administrative bungling and employee stubbornness is simply unacceptable. The Council & RSPCA can investigate all they want; I think we all know what the result is when company “investigate” themselves. It is quite distressing really.
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Aussie Sabbath 1sandwichshort There are other animal charities that you can donate to and/or leave a bequest to if you still want to be generous. Hunter Animal Rescue, Hunter Valley Cat Haven, Animal Welfare NSW etc. are charities that not for profit (unlike the RSPCA) and they could do with some donations or a bequest of your estate.
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anonymous Aussie Sabbath Cat haven? If a cat is outside, it is feral and should be killed on sight.
Dumbasdogsh1t Wow! $960. Does this accurately reflect the costs involved from the council. The ACCC had a shot at banks over punitive fees that didn’t reflect their expenses, maybe it’s time to bring councils to account.
lee Dumbasdogsh1t Yes councils make the decision on how much fees are per dog and per day. If council were to run the shelter they would euthanise everything, they would be held for the 7 days then put to sleep.
Michelle lee Absolutely not true. Wyong and Muswellbrook shelters have much, much lower kill rates.
Vinny RSPCA?????? Again its the Kill first ask questions later… You did the same thing with Max the pointer… promises to fix the miscommunication you said,…. but that was all spin to get the media off your back. Looks like its still happening and nothing has changed .. RSPCA its about time you lost the contract as you are not suitable to run this shelter…
Carol Cornish Seriously. When is someone of high – very high authority – going to stop the R$PCA from killing? Australia has it all wrong and its time to make the R$PCA accountable for their actions.
It’s no longer about helping all creatures great & small. It’s all about money.Lee Carol Cornish The rspca will stop killing when people stop blooding breeding!!!!!!!
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Lori Cavaco Fire the person who ordered the dogs to be euthanized. I sure hope she doesn’t have any pets. If she does, wonder how she would feel if her pets were put down when it was promised they would not be?
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chuzzlenut Dogs I wouldn’t give them a cent. Some years ago I reported a very distressed horse…it was a very hot day, it was paddocked with no shade or water, and was covered by a canvas blanket. The poor thing’s head was near the ground when I phoned them AND THEY DID NOTHING!!!!.
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acrula chuzzlenut What happened to the horse?
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John From Bolwarra The RSPCA seems more intent on putting animals down than helping them. Last year I took an injured magpie to them, when I rang the next morning I was told it had been put down because of a broken wing. They had my details including phone number and I was prepared to care for this bird even permanently if it was unable to resume normal activities.
I would be very hesitant to put any creature into their tender mercies now. -
Myfanwy The RSPCA at Rutherford and previously when they were at Elemore Vale are notorious for euthanising animals too excessively and without checking if they have owners first, for impounding them unnecessarily and for not checking for microchips (as happened to our dog). It is about time RSPCA Rutherford and to a lesser extent RSPCA NSW were investigated for cruelty and neglect to animals.
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Aussie Sabbath Myfanwy Elermore Vale were a no-kill shelter. Many moons ago, we adopted my cat from there, and my mum was umming and ahhing about adopting her mother too. The lady said that they didn’t kill any animals that had been there “too long”. I only hope that she was telling the truth and that the mother found a good home too.
panlicker Aussie Sabbath and you believe that??? wonder what they did with their ‘nuisance’ animals
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DMA And just to think the councils around the Hunter Valley pay over one million dollars for this “service”. What a joke!
This happens repeatedly with the RSPCA. There’s scandal after scandal. All they want is money even after having $40 million hidden away in investments along with a huge kill rate. They aren’t here for the animals at all as is evident by these latest killings.
Time for them to be investigated for a change. Time for a parliamentary inquiry. -
Crazyivan These days it seems that the RSPCA is far more concerned for the welfare of money instead of animals .
So how long were the dogs held? By the sounds of it they were there for a while if the fees kept “accumulating”. As unfortunate as this situation is, the RSPCA shelter is not a kennel. If there is a history of these dogs getting picked up and delays in fees being paid the hard calls need to be made.
The lesson here is make sure your dogs do not escape from your control.
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Aussie Sabbath Code If she put them on a long leash while at her work, they may not have escaped. But the manager of the pound knew that they were being picked up and yet gave the supervisor the go ahead to kill them anyway. It’s not the first time they’ve stuffed up and killed someone’s much-loved pet.
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rspcaanimalcruelty 