RSPCA raiding a house in Houghton Road accompanied by Police. Polce/RSPCA cameraman recording the incident. Two RSPCA vans, 2 police cars, dogs and big police van in attendance.
Ensuing court case will no doubt provide some much needed revenue for the RSPCA (costs) whilst we pay for the police. Sorry for my cynicism.

As I've said many times before, the RSPCA can't win because of the malicious attacks by the press.

They get criticised for raising money.
They get criticised for not having enough money.

They get criticised for protecting animals.
They get criticised for not protecting animals.

They get criticised for allowing owners to be cruel to animals.
They get criticised for helping to prosecute owners.

They get criticised by the media.
They get criticised if they protect themselves from the media.

They are a very easy target for the media, because they cannot afford to protect themselves - if you really want to know what goes on in the RSPCA, volunteer for a few days, don't listen to the media and malicious gossip.

I don't think they get criticised for not having enough money. They have plenty! In 2014 their income was £120,000,000. About the same as the NSPCC, and a LOT more than the Samaritans.

That is exactly the media twaddle that is malicious against the RSPCA. The RSPCA is MUCH bigger than the random choices of NSPCC or Samaritans - they are also bigger than Big Joes's sweet stall on the market if you want to throw in another random comparison.

From 2014 accounts

1,299,163 telephone calls answered.
159,831 animal cruelty investigations carried out.
82,746 advisory notices handed out.
1,754 cases referred to prosecution department.
2,918 people referred to prosecution department.
1,029 people convicted
2,419 magistrate convictions.

128,209 animals rescued.
16,616 animals released.
81,781 animals neutered.
58,654 animals microchipped.
179,693 animals treated (excluding neutering).

How on earth they achieve all that on a mere £120m is miraculous.

1.3 million phone calls a year is nothing. It works out at about five a minute and could be easily served by a handful of staff.

I can't find out how many people they employ in total. Although some figures are given in the annual report, it is not comprehensive, but I would estimate about a thousand full time if you include part time staff. This works out at £120,000 per employee, although obviously there are lots of other costs to be considered. It's worth comparing this with many successful commercial companies which exist and grow with a turnover, per employee, of less than half of this.

It seems to be well funded compared to many other charities, and what it does given its income is far from miraculous.

Personally, I feel the welfare of people to be of greater importance than animals and support humanitarian causes rather than animal ones.

RSPCA employ about 1600
Samaritans employ about 100

Just put some rough prices against some of those services and multiply them out. It's good value.

You can't compare efficiencies of firms by number of employees alone.

One of the cruel things that the RSPCA does invlolves the destruction of healthy animals. All of their rescued animals are on borrowed time and are killed if not re-homed within a set period.
We took a starling to the Rspca. We had kept it for several week while its wing healed. We had not handled it in any way which would domesticate it.
We tookk it to the Rspce in Nantwich on their firm promise that they would permit it to continues its re-habilitation.
As we checked it in we were informed that the rspca puts loads of starlings down. The woman grabbed it in such a cruel way that she re broke its healing wing (it was deliberate and violent and one could hear the crack as it broke). We expressed extreme displeasure and walked out. That bird would not have lived long at the hands of the Rspca and all it needed was activity in an aviary to complete its recovery.

What else can they do? It is not their choice, they do not want to do that.

People need to stop listening to the malicious media and just use common sense.

Your experience at the wildlife centre was dreadful . Regarding ordinary domestic rescue centres, some of the private ones , have the luxury of not putting anything to sleep, they can say 'no' when they are full and cant handle any more animals. Some of the larger ones, like the RSPCA are expected to take in everything that comes along .(Admittedly they dont always do this, they do pick and choose sometimes), but can you imagine what a rescue would look like if they just kept on taking in ? The place would be overcrowded, diseased , neglected, and probably no different to the state you see animals in in animal hoarders properties.

If you didnt want this to happen, youd have to turn healthy homeable or maybe horribly abused animals away . Ideally youd be able to have enough space, money and staff, to rescue and keep everything that needed it- but thats unrealistic .

I imagine 'demand' varies, so sometimes rescues will have an 'in and out' balance as animals are claimed/rehomed, but often, the only way to cope, is to triage the inmates in a way which means perhaps that after some days 'claiming time' ,as soon as space is desperately needed for new cases, anything unchipped/uncollared which has a chronic or expensive medical condition, is elderly, has very unsociable habits, aggressive tendencies, or is deemed unlikely to be homed because of plain looks, will be euthanized .
Young dogs, nice natured dogs and those very likely to be rehomeable, will usually be left a lot longer in the hope they find new homes.

Shocking and sad , and I feel terrible for the animal loving staff who have to work under such a system, but I dont see any alternative .Overcrowded rescues beyond a certain point, become unacceptable for ALL the occupants, and youre creating cruelty instead of fighting it .

Wonder if the RSPCA could retrospectively sue the British Government for ordering the gassing with vehicle fumes of 1000 dogs on Diego Garcia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEhVNzHI4rQ

No, probably the agents would have some protection within the realms of Crown immunity. Not the nicest way for the poor dogs to go , I agree.

However, looking at the bigger picture,(shamefully,I wasnt even aware of the facts about Diego Garcia ,just a faint memory of the event)--What an ABSOLUTELY scandalous story! The tricks, deceit and lies that happened are just dreadful.

Heres a link to the written story for those who prefer print to video.

http://www.commondreams.org/views/2...ars-fiction-about-american-military-base

What a crock of sh*t politicians are. I know the UK isnt that small, but I think the story might be something to be born in mind if we go it alone and Europe becomes an unmanageable monster .

Aye Venice the UK/England has done a good job of burying its murky past whilst giving out the appearance of a civilised country and taking the moral high ground. It is a form of "controlling the masses"