Chortle Chook Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 The weekend before last I went to the open day at the Oxford Animal Sanctuary and was really very upset by the conditions the dogs there are living in. They don't really have kennels but are living in a series of wooden shacks (the nearest thing I can think of is 'chicken coops') that have no runs and are very dark. As it was the open day the 'kennels' were all clean but the concrete floors were soaking wet and there was very little bedding - mostly just torn up newspaper. I've since been told by someone who volunteered there, that the lack of poo was a one off and that normally it is pretty dirty. Certainly I saw a 'store' of cat baskets one of which was full of turds. Most of the dogs, it seems, are there for years and years, sometimes their life. This is no great surprise as on every pen is a label saying how horrible the dog is. I saw a poor lurcher and greyhound there (Dexter and Zippy) and it seems they were picked up as strays at under a year old. They are now roughly 9 (Their issue is that they need to be homed together in a home that has no current dogs - but that should not be insurmountable) The dogs are given 2 walks on the lead each week but never get a run so they are mega furstrated with dogs doing the ‘wall of death’ and a doby walking round and round in endless circles So any dog would develope behvioural problems over the many years, even if they did not have any to start with. I've done some further investigating and it seems that the main problems with the charity are organisational (ie. there is none). There seem to be no procedures and perfectly good home offers are turned down because the prospective owner might be away for a couple of hours a day, when other people are allowed to take a dog without a home check or even any questions being asked.The record keeping is also abysmal e.g. a friend of mine was interested in a JR and was told that he “may be on ½ a rimadyl per day”, they’re not sure if his inoculations are up to date but suspect not….(ie. He’s not just due a booster his inoculations have probably expired…). Also one person we talked to on the phone about Dexter and Zippy said she had workded there for 6 years during which time the two dogs has always been there, but she was not sure if they were neutered or not Dexter is a boy (Zippy a girl) so for him, at least, it should be obvious. About another dog, the way the manager talked about him, we were wondering if she had got the right dog. According to her, he was blind (he wasn’t) and snappy and some of the girls were afraid to take him for walks, as he is “very naughty”. However my firend played with him for 10 minutes and gave him some dog treats, which he took nicely from her without snapping. He liked being stroked and when the lead got tangled round his feet, he allowed her to pick his paws up to get the lead out without any problems. He was obviously a delightful little dog and Oxford were just trying to find excuses not to home him. To add to it all, today I received an invite to their AGM (as I've been giving them a monthly Direct Debit) that had absolutely no title, and it was left to me to work out that it was for the Oxford Animal Charity and not another charity that I support. Sorry for the length of this rant but I've been really very upset by it all Have I just got it all out of proportion? After all, most animal charities are struggling with poor funding and high numbers especially of staffies. Would the alternative of being PTS be worse, or better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Most charities are struggling at the moment sadly. We have a local rescue that received several complaints over the years. The person that ran kept the animals in very poor conditions and things did not improve despite repeated checks etc. They were recently taken to court and was banned from keeping animals. He has appealed several times and failed. If you are worried it would be worth either seeing if they need more help in order to improve things or take it further if you feel strongly that the animals would be better off elsewhere or PTS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 After looking at what I assume is their website (googled the name you gave and was the first one in the list) I would say they have wanted to help too many animals - 107 cats for rehoming and 75 dogs! Looks like they need people to volunteer to dog walk. As you are already donating might it be a good idea to go along to their agm to see what is being done or proposed? It would upset me too to see animals looking in this way. I don't know what else to suggest, but good luck in what you decide to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I volunteered for them briefly last year. I remember being quite excited about helping out, but I gave up after three or four visits. For a start, although we had agreed a set day and time at which I would go and help, whenever I arrived everyone was always surprised to see me, at a loss as to what I should do, and I even felt it annoyed some of the people there to see me and have to find me something to do. Some of the people there were lovely, but generally speaking, it didn't give me the feeling it was a place trying to rehome animals, more a place that was hoarding them... After trying to think of what I should do, whoever was in charge at the time inevitably asked me to walk two little dogs for half an hour, then help clean out the rabbits. The lady in charge of the rabbits was nice enough, but I got puzzled at how the rabbits' hutches were thoroughly emptied and cleaned every single day. I could have understood if they had got particularly dirty, or if a rabbit had been adopted and there was a clean out for the next rabbit, but I spent my entire time sweeping out hay and shavings that was still perfectly cleaned, and it made me wonder, for a sanctuary like that, how cost efficient (or rather inefficient) that must have been. I agree it's nice to have the rabbits cleaned, but I have three rabbit hutches at home, and while we keep them clean, I certainly don't give them a full clean every single day, and wouldn't throw out hay and shavings if the floor of the hutch was free of waste and in perfectly good condition. Also, they had a couple of people there whose sole job was to clean the rabbits, so while I helped, I felt all it achieved was give those two ladies longer breaks for tea and cigarettes... it didn't make any difference to the animals. When I had read their site and spoken to them originally, I had the feeling they would welcome the help, and were happy for any donation of any kind as they struggled, but the lack of organisation regarding their volunteers and the waste of resources in the rabbit section made me feel they didn't really care. I didn't like the look of the place... it felt like some badly kept camp, many dogs looking manic (I only ever walked two, so can't comment on the state of the other dogs or their runs), the two I walked were mostly kept in a room that was apparently a store room, and there were other animals there, like a horse, a pony and several sheep, that I understand were just rescued but not for rehoming... I didn't like any of it, I had hoped I'd be making a small difference in small ways, but the only difference was the heavy, depressed feeling I had when there, so I decided I'd be better off spending that time with my own pets... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I can see how this would be very upsetting for you. In answer to your last question, no I don't believe PTS is the worst option in some cases. I don't believe in healthy animals being PTS for no good reason (e.g. animal not wanted any longer) but neither do I agree with animals being kept in rescues for years and years on end, seemingly with little hope of being rehomed. What sort of a life is that? However, where do you draw the line, it's a tough call? I think you need to see if you can take this further, if the animals are distressed and being kept in unsanitary conditions then the kennels needs to take action to improve conditions, or to be closed. That's harsh, but as I say, in some circumstances I don't believe PTS is always the worst option. Rescues are bursting to the seams as it is, and sadly there are just not enough homes for all the dogs that need one I don't see how that is ever going to improve either with puppy farms churning out puppies and backyard breeders looking to make a fast buck. (Sorry, that turned into a bit of a rant) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 It's difficult isn't it but I do feel a number of animal charities seem to try too hard to find a reason not to rehome animal rather than find a way to rehome. And there are times when being PTS might be the kinder option. If a dog is being kept penned up all day in the rescue centre surely someone who can be home part of the day is better than holding on for someone who is home all day long ? Our local animal rescue seems to be well run and we adopted a kitten from them but I have noticed a tendency to be a little censorious with people who leave animals with them or who adopt and find they can't cope. At the moment they have two cats with this as the description on the web site Just look at these two cats - aren't they just gorgeous? Sadly - their previous owner obviously wouldn't agree as they dumped them outside our gate in a pet carrier! The centre was open - but instead they did they cowardly thing of just dumping them at the gate and driving off - what horrible people there are in this world! They are both so very friendly, they deserve a much better home than they had before with such uncaring people tbh I can understand why whoever left the cats didn't want to go in... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 I couldn't agree more; some rescues are run very well while others are in a similar state to the one you describe. Some of them get like that due to a total lack of organisation while others just seem unable to move animals on or even restrict their influx. Sounds like it needs a total overhaul to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted September 18, 2012 Author Share Posted September 18, 2012 If anyone wants to see what Zippy and Dexter look like they are on the The Oxford Animal Sanctuary Website at number 45 and 44 (but needless to say the details about them are all wrong) To get to the correct number click along on the 2nd arrow in the circle at the top. It actually goes along quite fast. (If you click the double arrow then you will be shown all the dogs and you'll be there for a century ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Awww, what lovely dogs, I wonder if the rescue has any foster homes lined up? Lots of the Lurcher Links dogs are in foster homes while they wait for their new families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Oh, so many lovely dogs, but you're right that the rescue seems to be very negative in their description of the dogs. Whilst I would like to be aware of any potential problems a dog may have before adopting (assuming it is true of course) I also would like to know the good points! Lots of the dogs seem to have 'needs training' in their description which sounds quite off putting, but something along the lines of 'X is learning to sit with the aid of a treat and should do well at training classes' would be a lot more appealing to people. Most folks (I hope) are not stupid enough to realise that a rescue dog will need some training/getting to know each other - but it helps to know that the dog is a willing/able learner! It doesn't look like they are showing the true potential of many of the dogs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 I agree, I've seen much more inspiring write-ups before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted September 21, 2012 Author Share Posted September 21, 2012 There is a little happiness to spread . . . though Dexter and Zippy are still there as they did not get on with my friend's dogs When my friends visited, they took with them someone who took a liking to a very old (13+?) terrier (labelled as agressive). She has since returned and taken the little dog home together with his kennel mate and I've had a report that they are very happily exploring her garden after 6 years behind bars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 That's wonderful news to end the week on you've spread a bit of happiness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 That is lovely news! Glad to hear two have found new homes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted September 21, 2012 Share Posted September 21, 2012 Those two little dogs are so lucky! What great news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ziggy Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 That is lovely news... You wouldn't happen to know what they are named would you? I just wonder if they could be the ones I walked a couple of times... Nice to hear good news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 That is lovely news... You wouldn't happen to know what they are named would you? I just wonder if they could be the ones I walked a couple of times... Nice to hear good news The names of the two little dogs are Jack and Barney. I think as they are going a bit in age, they'll be keeping those names too. I had a further email today from the person who took them and she is totally delighted with them. The apparently agressive Barney travelled on her lap in the car to the stables where he had a high old time nosing in all the different corners but was quite happy to come away again when horsey time was up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
