Anger grows at RSPCA raid on Rushall kennels
Anger grows at RSPCA raid on Rushall kennels
Adam Lumley The YamYam 3 Feb 10
The RSPCA is under growing criticism of its treatment of Rushall kennels after it was revealed that three of the dogs taken into their care had been destroyed...
Following a raid on a dog rescue centre in which three dogs were destroyed and 59 others sized, the RSPCA has come under a barrage of angry criticism from animal lovers. The raid, on January 21, saw 50 police officers enter the Rosedene Rescue Centre in Radley Road accompanied by RSPCA officials. The centre has remained closed since then.
Almost 1,500 people have joined an online Facebook campaign to support the centre and to question the tactics of the police and the RSPCA. It is alleged that kennel workers were stopped as they were cleaning the facility and escorted away by the police. It has also been claimed that the RSPCA filmed dogs in half cleaned kennels without food, water or bedding, intending to use the footage as proof of neglect.
Owner of Rosedene, Des Goodall, said:
“As you may understand, we are all absolutely devastated by what has happened. All the volunteers here are passionate about the dogs at Rosedene. We are upset that the Police and RSPCA came to Rosedene at a time when the kennels were undergoing cleaning.
“The staff were unable to finish cleaning kennels and were escorted away so some dogs were without blankets and adequate water.”
The three destroyed dogs, Stocking, Diesel and Clarke, were described as “unmanageable” by the RSPCA, but volunteer Sean Hughes denies that the dogs were aggressive and branded the RSPCA as “unjust and cruel”.
Mr Johnson said:
“I have worked as a volunteer for nearly four years now. I was very shocked and disgusted to hear that the RSPCA had raided and closed down the kennels with three dogs being put to sleep as being deemed too aggressive to handle.
“I regularly walked two of those dogs, Stocking and Diesel. They were not aggressive at all.
“The raid took place before the staff had started their chores of cleaning, feeding and watering the dogs, and that is how the RSPCA filmed the dogs, to give a very untrue image of how they were kept.
“If they had gone down an hour or so later, it would have been a completely different picture.
“What the RSPCA is doing is so unjust and cruel.”
In a separate incident, involving two cats who became stuck in a tree in Brunswick Park in Wednesbury, Sandwell Councillor Elaine Costigan blasted the RSPCA as being “so rude that I never want to deal with them again”.
Concerned park users first noticed the stranded cats on Friday and made a number of calls to both the RSPCA and the Fire Service. The Fire Service said that they could only act if there was a request from the RSPCA. Councillor Costigan then became involved and contacted the animal welfare charity.
“The guy on the end of the phone was saying, ‘what do you want us to do? Cats get up trees all the time. They’ll come down’. He just wasn’t listening and was completely dismissive,” she said.
“The response was so rude it made me think I wouldn’t bother next time.
“I’ve never had cause to get involved with the RSPCA before, but if this is how they treat ordinary members of the public who are trying to help, next time I shan’t bother.”
After three days, the cats were finally rescued on Sunday afternoon and both survived their ordeal.
These latest criticisms come at a bad time for the RSPCA. The animal charity was accused of cruelty in August when it destroyed 10 German Sheppard dogs using a bolt gun after their owner had died. It emerged that the RSPCA had killed a total of 65 dogs using captive bolt guns in the first 10 months of 2009. The World Society for the Protection of Animals considers the use of bolt guns as cruel and states that:
'As there is a high risk of mis-stunning through inadequate use of the penetrating captive bolt, and hence causing pain and distress, WSPA considers this an unacceptable method for the euthanasia of dogs and cats.'
The RSPCA also have been convicted of perverting the course of justice by presenting bogus evidence in court and campaigners are quick to point out that in the past they have transferred abandoned and neglected dogs to Rosedene when their own facilities could not cope.
This latest damage to the reputation of the charity will almost certainly have an impact on the levels of public donations the RSPCA receives.
Campaigners are calling for the public to donate to local rescue centres rather than the tarnished national organisation and there are fears that more raids will take place on smaller kennels in order to remove the “competition” for charitable donations.
Spokeswoman for the RSPCA, Judith Haw, declined to comment on the closure of Rosedene Rescue Centre.
B'ham Mail 30 Jan Campaign launched in defence of Rosedene Rescue Centre
B'ham Mail 30 Jan Owner hits out at RSPCA raid
Advertiser 28 Jan Dogs removed after RSPCA raid Rosedene kennels
B'ham Mail 23 Jan RSPCA & police raid Rosedene kennels
E&S 23 Jan Animals destroyed as kennels shut
Express & Star 23 Jan Officers take 160 dogs in one year
BBC Black Country 13 Nov 08 Rosedene dogs' home over-run
Dogsblog Rosedene Rescue
B'ham Mail 1 Jan Havoc at B’ham dogs home as owners turf out pets
Express & Star 23 Oct RSPCA halts Walsall dog rescue service
Advertiser 22 Oct Give a Walsall dog a bed this winter
B'ham Post 17 Sep West Midlands' abandoned dogs shame
Express & Star 6 Aug Rising numbers of dogs abandoned in Walsall
RSPCA Staffs, Wolves & District Branch
RSPCA Walsall volunteers & donations
Birmingham Dogs Home Home
RSPCA Walsall
WSPA Home
Rosedene Rescue Centre Facebook Campaign