Rescue Adoption Rates Plummeting

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https://thewest.com.au/news/animals/australias-compassion-fatigue-results-in-lowest-pet-adoption-rates-and-forced-euthanasia

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Flamesuit on. I'm prepared for all the excuses as to why rescue makes it all too hard or too expensive.  I've heard them all. 
The rescue sector is buckling under the pressure of endless unwanted animals and the high cost of vetwork and upkeep while in care. Targeted blame on people who have chosen an unpaid and bloody difficult occupation is all too common.  

[Little Gifts]

As a foster carer for a long long time with both RSPCA and a couple of independent groups I think something has to give. RSPCA can't continue to be the funded body and not doing the work. All these independent rescue groups would  not even exist if they were doing the job the general  public thinks they are with all their donations. Its one big scam.

 

The last rescue group I was with is constantly screaming out for foster carers to the degree that it is putting me off them now. I know it is hard but you can't commit to dogs and then guilt  people into taking them. You can't recruit new carers by banging on at the same group of supporters and you can't  keep  bringing in dogs if you have nowhere for them to go. And the risk of bringing in dogs and sending straight to carers is that their behaviours are unknown. There have been several badly matched fosters (we had one that I felt would physically harm me if he stayed any longer) and that doesn't help retain carers either.

 

I've ended up with a foster fail that I did not plan and who is terrified of other dogs. He was so ill at rescue they did their first ever Go Fund Me to cover his vet bills. If I had my way I guess I'd still be fostering as many as I could. And I'd be in the thick of fundraising for them (or other rescues). But I'm not doing either because I'm definately still burnt out after things went south with Craft for Paws. So yeah it's a hard emotional slog that continues endlessly and I'm in my down cycle about it all still...

[tdierikx]

The unspoken fact of the matter is that government has effectively outsourced their responsibility for unwanted/stray animals to a completely unfunded system of private rescues. They are reluctant to change this model, as they refuse to spend the money required to do something constructive about the issue when they know that big hearted volunteers will do it for them. The only way to change this is for rescues to basically stop all operations until government steps up and deals with the issue... but that's not going to happen because no-one wants to see euthanasia rates soar due to space constraints in the few pounds we do have operating nowadays. The government are banking on rescues continuing to do this work for free... so we are caught in a terrible Catch 22 situation if we want the current system to change in any significant way.

 

RSPCA have decided to scale back their shelter business section (in NSW), and to focus more on their inspectorate activities... meanwhile, government refuses to be locked into any significant funding for that part of their business - and until the inspectorate does their job properly and fairly, I wouldn't suggest giving them any more funding either. The NSW government has finally put in some measures to make the inspectorate more accountable for the funds they do receive, but those could still go further, like maybe some KPI's that can be used to measure value for money spent... don't you think?

 

T.

 

 

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@Little Gifts

Overcommitment is a real thing isn't it. 

It's so awful to have to say no. No matter how many times, it never gets any easier.  But saying yes every time is a trap.   

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23 minutes ago, tdierikx said:

we are caught in a terrible Catch 22 situation if we want the current system to change in any significant way.

 

 

Yes! Just this week, the regular proposal from an MOP that if we stopped rescuing quote 'doing the council's job for them', then things would change and rescue wouldn't be needed. A catch 22 as old as Methuselah.