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October 4, 2011

Topics: Appeals /Campaigns /Events /Fundraising /Latest /Volunteer

A day in the life of Wellington SPCA

So much goes on here at Wellington SPCA that it’s hard to keep up with all the action. We thought it might be useful to see a snapshot about what a typical day is like in our Newtown centre. Of course, this is only a few snippets, and so there’s lots more going on than just what’s covered here, but here’s some of our happenings.

7am: Staff begin arriving for the day.

8am: In the cat run, the caregivers are saying good morning to all the cats and kittens, making sure they’re all present and healthy. Soon our general animal care volunteers will come in to clean and refresh litter trays, provide food and water, and wash the runs down thoroughly.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are the centre’s surgery days, so clients who have made appointments start dropping off their animals for desexing. Desexing your pet is the kindest thing you can do – it saves unwanted litters being born. We always encourage all animal owners to get their pets desexed.

8.30am: Renee in our fundraising team starts writing up a case study on an animal we’ve helped, like China the dog, to include in an appeal.

“It’s always horrible reliving an abused animal’s backstory, but knowing that they get such amazing outcomes through our work, with the support of the public, makes it worthwhile,” says Renee.

9am: The inspectors are often trying to catch up on paperwork from visits they’d made the day before. Sometimes however they have already started their new visits.

Inspectors respond to allegations of animal cruelty and neglect and have the legal power to remove animals from their owners. Working on follow-up to complaint cases involves lots of phone calls, preparing prosecution files, liaising with vet staff, laying information with the court and serving summons on offenders. The inspectors also are constantly pushing the desexing message and often work with members of the community to get animals desexed.

The first vet round of the day is carried out by an an animal caregiver and a vet, checking every animal in the centre. Every animal in a cage is looked at by the vet, while the puppies and cats in the cat run are in an open area, so they are pulled aside if there are any concerns. All staff and volunteers keep an eye on all the animals all day, and if there are any issues, they can be flagged at any time for extra attention from the vet.

9.30am: Our Humane Educator Jennifer Rizzi visits a local kindergarten. She teaches the children how to care for their animals, and talks to them about our work. Then they get to meet some of our very special Wellington SPCA pets.

“It’s really important that we start children off in life with a respect for animals, so that they will continue to care for them as they grow older,” says Jennifer.

10am: Staff try to have morning tea with volunteers occasionally, to get to know them better and learn about their strengths and skills. It’s an ideal time to answer questions about the work we do, and talk about ways we can get the best use out of the volunteers (and make sure that they’re enjoying their work too!).

When there’s quiet time, feline caregiver Rachel uploads profiles of animals to our adoption section on the website. As well as pictures and names and ages of the animals, we try to include as much information about them as we can – like whether they get on well with other cats or if they’d be better off in a home by themselves. As well as the official adoption profile, volunteers also make Facebook profiles for some of the animals that they’ve worked with the most, or who have been in our centres for too long, like Ginger Jo or Buffy and Puku, who we want to home together.

Rachel with Puku, one of our special cats looking for a new home

10:30am: Chrissy, one of our volunteers, comes in to help us out in the office. She gets all the super fun jobs, like filing, data entry and stuffing envelopes for mail campaigns.

“It’s not glamorous, but I do it because I love the puppies,” she laughs.

11am: In the cat run, while volunteers restock litter trays and finish up cleaning, caregivers administer any medications or treatments such as wormer, flea treatment and stitch removal.

11.30am: Inspectors receive yet another phone call about unwanted cats on a property.

The expectation often is that we’re here act as pest control for cats for people, but actually, we’re here for the welfare of the animal. If the animal is sick, injured, very young or at risk of any abuse, we’ll bring them in to the centre. However, if they’re perfectly healthy, we’ll go through a process to see if we can reunite them with their owners. If they’re wild and don’t have an owner, we’ll try to avoid bringing them in to the shelter as this causes undue stress and suffering. Working in with the community, making the animals safe, and using such options as TNR (Trap, neuter, return) whereby the animal will be trapped, neutered and returned back to the exact area where it came from.

These cats are not generally able to be rehomed, so this is the best outcome for them, and as they are desexed, it helps to stem the flow of unwanted animals. Unfortunately many of the people in the community don’t quite understand why we’re not keen to come and pick up a perfectly healthy animal.

12pm: Members of the public often come in during their lunchtimes to meet animals they might adopt. We try to get all the members of a household along so they can see if they and the animal will get along. Caregivers will talk to potential adopters about their lifestyle and home situation to make sure the new member of the family will fit right in.

12.30pm: The sound of senior inspector Ben’s voice fills our office as he sends out an email containing a link to his most recent appearance on Good Morning. We use the slots to talk about the work we do, and to push especially timely messages we want to get out into the public. As it’s Spring, right now we’re talking about what to do with baby birds.

1pm: Suzanne, our fundraising manager, meets with volunteers up in Kapiti to coordinate collectors for our annual Paws Appeal street collection. It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year, so it’s vital we get enough collectors onboard. If you can help us out by collecting on November 11 or 12, please email Suzanne!

We need your help collecting in our street appeal, but you don't have to wear a costume - unless you really want to!

3pm: Joanna, our Marketing and Communications Officer, is prowling around with her camera, looking to snap a picture for the Gratuitous Cute of the Day album on our Facebook site.

“We like to remind people about how many animals we have here who are looking for homes,” she says “and we’ve found this to be a particularly popular part of Facebook. It’s almost as if people like cute animals or something…”

She gets pictures of some of the puppy run volunteers giving the puppies a bath.

Ned gets a bath

3.30pm: Ben is able to close a file about some cattle a member of the public was concerned about, when he gets confirmation that they are being looked after and a feeding plan is in place.

“We encourage the public to report any potential welfare issues they might see, but it’s always nice to be able to wrap something up knowing that the animals in question are doing fine,” he says.

4pm: In the cat run, final checks for the day are done on all kitties, and a round of wet food for each cat to munch on throughout the night is put out.

Some more dog-walking volunteers come in, and Piglet and Marco Polo get excited knowing they’ll get some proper exercise. Dog walkers teach them to walk politely on a lead, to stop at curbs and sit quietly while traffic, people and other dogs pass by. This training makes it much easier to find homes for the dogs.

Scot's College students walking some of our dogs

4pm: The afternoon vet round is completed, all the animals have plans underway for treatment if needed, and one little pigeon is released after being very sick a mere 26 hours earlier.

4.30pm: The adoptions team of volunteers starts loading up a vehicle for an offsite adoption the next day. Signs have been placed around the area earlier in the week so that locals will know about the adoption, and it will be advertised on Facebook and Twitter as well. We run offsite adoptions for people who can’t make it out to our centres in Newtown and Wellington. Cats that go to offsite adoptions are coming from foster homes. They may have had diseases before (a “disease” can be as simple as a sneeze), but are all healthy now, and looking for new forever homes. Fosterers help us out with the process, as they are the ones who know the cats’ temperaments the best.

5pm: Jennifer welcomes a group of excited kids who are here for a birthday party. The office erupts with giggles when we hear one child ask “So are the bunnies going to massage us, or are we going to massage the bunnies?”. For the record, the kids massage the bunnies, although it would be tempting to let bunnies hop all over your back!

A happy bunny and massager.

6pm: Some of our more experienced volunteers arrive to take volunteer orientation for this fortnight. We run the orientations every two weeks to welcome potential new volunteers, and let them know what they’re in for. As well as a presentation, they also get a shelter tour, and some emergency and basic health and safety information. They get caught up on some of the details of working in the shelter, such as scratches from over-enthusiastic kittens, and the realities of poo.

6.30pm: Ritchie attends a callout to rescue some ducklings who have fallen down a stormwater drain.

7pm: With all the animals settled in for the night, the humans have all left the centre. One inspector will be on call and ready for any animal emergency. Tomorrow will bring lots more work, and we wouldn’t be able to do it without our volunteers and donators.

September 1, 2011

Topics: Campaigns

What to do with baby birds

Each year we receives hundreds of calls from members of the public who are concerned for baby and young birds that they find. In the majority of cases these animals are not in need of any extra care, and in fact have a much better chance of surviving to adult hood if left in their own environment. To help you decide what to do if you find a bird you are concerned about, we’ve compiled a list of 10 key points concerning baby and young birds.

If you find an injured bird i.e. it is bleeding or has a broken wing please place it in a dark box and transport it to the nearest vet clinic or SPCA where it will be taken from you at no cost.
Most New Zealand garden birds have chicks that fledge (leave the nest) before they can fly. Just because a bird is on the ground and is unable to fly, does not mean it is injured.
If you are concerned for a baby bird, try to determine if it is a nestling or a fledgling. The easiest way to tell is that nestlings will have very few feathers and be unable to perch on your finger. Fledglings will be mostly fully feathered and be able to perch on a finger.
Nestlings need to be placed back in the nest, as this the only chance they have of surviving. Try to hunt for the nest in nearby trees or bushes. If you cannot locate the nest you can make a temporary nest out of an ice cream container, and place some soft bedding material in this along with the nestling. Secure it to a nearby tree and the parent birds will most likely return and continue to care for the chick.
Fledglings that are uninjured are supposed to be on the ground before they can fly. The parent birds will be in the local vicinity finding food for themselves and their chicks. It is best to leave these fledglings alone and let the parents handle the situation. The only time you should move a fledgling is if its location is potentially hazardous i.e. a busy footpath or carpark. In this case place the chick somewhere close by that is more suitable, like a bushy area with some vegetation cover.
Birds have a very poor sense of smell. If you have handled a baby bird, don’t fear; the parents will not reject it because of this.
But what about cats? Yes, cats can and do catch birds, which has, and will always be the case. Wellington SPCA is not in a position to prevent this happening and we recommend that if you own a cat and know there are baby birds in your yard, to keep your cats inside when possible. The chick will have fledged and be out of danger in a few days. As a last resort you can take a chick from a very open exposed position and relocate it somewhere with more cover nearby.
Baby birds have a very high mortality rate in an animal shelter. In fact any unnatural environment is more likely to kill the bird than do it any good. The best chance of survival for the baby bird is to be left in its own environment.
What about ducklings? The same general rules apply for ducklings as for garden birds. If the parents are around it is best to do nothing. If you are absolutely sure the bird is lost from its parent you can place it in a box with a covered hot water bottle or similar, and take it to your nearest vet clinic or SPCA free of charge. The biggest killer of ducklings is the cold. They are not waterproof and should not be kept around any sizeable water source without their mother. If holding to transport it is imperative the duckling is kept warm.
What about feeding? It is not recommended that you attempt to foster and care for a baby bird unless you know what is involved. Young birds need to be fed every 15 to 20 minutes from sunrise to sunset. Most people are not able to provide this much time and effort in raising young birds.

March 9, 2011

Topics: Campaigns /Latest

Can you give us your time?

[Show as slideshow]

Volunteer staff are the lifeblood of Wellington SPCA.

Without the dedication and commitment of heaps of wonderful people who give us their time week after week, month after month, much of what we achieve would not be possible.

And we’re in desperate need of many more people who can spare a few hours a week helping to care for our animals. We particularly need people who can make a long-term commitment (over 6 months or more).

Below are some of the volunteer roles that we urgently need to fill.

If you can help us, please complete this application form. Email it to acst@wellingtonspca.org.nz with ‘Volunteer Application’ in the subject line or print it out and send it to Volunteer Applications, Wellington SPCA, PO Box 7069, Newtown, Wellington 6021.

Please make sure you also include a copy of your CV if the job description asks for it. Once we receive your application we will get in contact with you and may invite you in for an interview.

Thank you!

January 17, 2011

Topics: Campaigns /Latest

Dogs die in hot cars

For most of us, the warm summer sun means jandals, holidays, barbeques and the beach.

But for dogs it can mean something far more sinister.

So far this summer, there have been a least 10 dogs reported to have died or suffered severe heat stress after being left in a car.

On a hot day the inside of a car heats up very quickly – a potentially life-threatening situation for any dog inside. Even with the windows slightly open, a car parked in the shade on a 30°C day will heat up to 39°C in 10 minutes. In 30 minutes, the temperature will hit 49°C and on hotter days it will go even higher.

Locked in a hot car, a dog can only withstand temperatures of over 40°C for a very short amount of time before suffering irreparable brain damage – or even death. A dog cannot sweat like humans can, and is only able to cool itself down by panting. Dogs also need access to plenty of water and cool, fresh air in order to fully moderate their body temperature. You can read about a recent appalling incident here.

“Our summer temperatures can be merciless, and overheating causes appalling suffering and can lead to an equally appalling death,” says Royal New Zealand SPCA National Chief Inspector, Charles Cadwallader.

There are many reasons why you might take your dog in the car with you – you may think that you’re doing him a favour, giving him company. But the moment you step out of that car, leaving your pet at the mercy of the elements, you risk losing more than just your best mate. In such cases the SPCA will prosecute where appropriate and this may lead to imprisonment for a term up to 3 years, or to a fine up to $75,000, or both.

The message is clear – leave your dog at home. If you have to take your dog out with you, don’t leave him in the car – even on a cloudy day and with the windows open.

If you see a dog in distress locked in a car, please call us immediately on 04 389 8044 or dial 111*. You can help our four-legged friends have a safe summer this year – print out this poster [PDF 942KB] and distribute it around your local community – in shops, libraries, vet clinics.

*First aid for a dog suffering from heat exhaustion is to immerse it in cold water until its body temperature is lowered.

May 20, 2010

Topics: Campaigns /Latest

Cat colony progresses

We recently told you about a new initiative we’ve launched to help tackle the problems of stray cats in some of Wellington’s suburbs.

The ‘Trap-Neuter-Return’ (TNR) programme, which is backed by Wellington City Council, is focusing on some areas of the city where significant stray cat populations have been identified.

Through a process of trapping, desexing and returning the cats to the area, over time, stray cat population numbers can hopefully be greatly reduced.

Although still in its early stages, the project has already made fantastic progress, starting in the suburb of Strathmore. With the help of ‘colony caretakers’ – local residents who will be voluntarily managing the programme in to the future – the TNR team has neutered 19 stray cats in the Ngaitapa Street area. As part of the scheme, ten local cat owners also received free microchipping for their own cats.

Where next?

The TNR programme will now be targeting the Rahui Street area – initially identifying any owned cats and ensuring that they have either been neutered and/or microchipped before neutering as many of the strays as possible.

If you would like to find out more about the TNR programme please contact Jo at Wellington SPCA on 04 389 8044 ext 810 or email her at JoD@wellingtonspca.org.nz. We are particularly keen to hear from people interested in becoming ‘colony caretakers’ and also those who can donate food (especially biscuits) to the programme, to help ensure that the colonies continue to receive adequate food.

We’ll keep you up-to-date with how the programme progresses.

March 17, 2010

Topics: Campaigns /Latest

Sorting out the strays

Wellington SPCA and other animal welfare organisations spend a huge amount of time and effort trying to find homes for the large numbers of cats brought into their centres each year. But these efforts are often thwarted by the vast number of kittens that also end up in their care.

However, these kittens are not the litters of house cats. More often than not, they are the offspring of long-term stray cats - the second cousins of lost or abandoned house cats. These stray cats have adapted to outdoor life and developed colonies that centre around areas where food is plentiful, for example around refuse bins in urban areas, or in rural areas with large numbers of rodents.

These strays are wary of people and frequently go unnoticed - until their numbers increase or a litter of kittens is delivered in someone’s garage or under their porch. Typically, the property owner will then trap the cat and kittens and bring them to an animal welfare centre, where the un-socialised adults will be euthanized and the kittens, where possible, will be socialized and made available for adoption.

While this practice eliminates the visible cats from the territory, it does not solve the problem. Before long, other roaming strays will move in to the area to take advantage of the freed-up food source. They in turn will reproduce and once again, the area will become over-run.

Trap – Neuter – Return

We know that we can’t entirely eliminate stray cats from an area (no matter how many we remove) but, we can greatly reduce their numbers through a managed Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programme.

This programme involves trapping and desexing the stray cats and then returning them to their colony so that they can continue to guard their food source – and so deter new roaming cats from moving into the area.

Through this practice, the very cats that are at the root of the over-population problem, can become the solution to it!

How can you be a part of this?

Wellington SPCA, with the support of Wellington City Council, are in the process of setting up a managed cat colony in the Strathmore area.

Step One: desex and microchip all owned cats in the targeted area. Wellington SPCA will be offering discounted desexing to residents.

Step two: organize a group of concerned residents that is interested in being a part of the programme. The group will need to be dedicated and passionate about supporting a positive solution to stray cat over-population.

If you would like to would like to get involved with this initiative, or would like to receive more information about managed cat colonies, you are invited to call Jo at Wellington SPCA on (04) 389 8044 ext. 810 or email her at jod@wellingtonspca.org.nz

Thank you.

January 5, 2010

Topics: Animals available for adoption /Appeals /Campaigns /Latest

New Homes for the New Year

Can you give me a home?

Just before Christmas, we made a huge plea to help us find homes for some of the hundreds of kittens in our care and over the holiday period we were delighted that approximately 60 kittens were given new forever homes.

But at the start of 2010, we desperately need to find homes for over 200 kittens still in our care and that’s why we have launched our New Homes for the New Year campaign.

And we have a fantastic offer that will help you start your new lives together! With the generous help of Hill’s Pet Nutrition, if you give a home to a Wellington SPCA kitten during the month of January, we will provide you with a starter kit worth over $45 that includes:

a free bag of kitten food
a litter tray
a bag of eco litter and
a toy!

… all this for an adoption fee of just $195 for one kitten or $295 for a ‘purrfect’ pair. All of our kittens are desexed, microchipped, vaccinated and treated for worms and fleas.

So, why not make 2010 the year you gave a kitten a new start in life?!

Our Newtown centre is open for adoptions every day from 10am to 4pm and until 6.30pm Thursday and Friday. Our Waikanae centre is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am to 12pm.

Please call to make an appointment as priority is given to those who have appointments: Newtown – 04 389 8044, Waikanae – 04 293 4292.

Thank you!

October 5, 2009

Topics: Campaigns /Latest

Prevent Cancer this Summer

Earnest is one of the many cats that has come to Wellington SPCA and needed to have both ears removed due to cancer. This can be prevented if animal owners remember the importance of putting sun block on their animals, just as they do themselves.

Now that we are heading into summer and the weather is warmer, animals are starting to spend more time outside. Pet owners need to start thinking about putting sun block on their animals. Just like humans, all animals need to be protected from the harsh New Zealand sun.

For animals that have pink noses, pink ears or areas of very thin fur, they need to have sun block applied daily to prevent them from getting sunburnt which can lead to cancer. Wellington SPCA recommends Aniwell filta-clear. This is a specially designed treatment solely for animals and can be used up to three times daily if required.

At Wellington SPCA we see a large number of animals with sun damage. These injuries could have been easily prevented with the use of sunblock. Sun damage on an animal can often mean they will need surgery.

We protect ourselves from the dangers of being exposed to the sun, now it is time to take the right step to protect our animals as well. Remember, the sun is damaging all year round, not just in the summer. So please take a positive step and protect your animals from sun damage, use sun block.

September 29, 2009

Topics: Animals available for adoption /Campaigns /Events

Eastbourne Adopt-a-Pet day this Saturday

lottie-in-frame Wellington SPCA is coming to Eastbourne this Saturday (21 November) and bringing along a special group of kittens, cats, dogs, puppies and rabbits currently looking for new homes.

The adopt-a-pet day will be held at Muritai School between 10am and 2pm. Anyone in the area who is interested in adopting a pet should come along and meet the animals we have looking for loving forever homes.

For more information on adopting a pet from Wellington SPCA please look at our adoption pages

September 20, 2009

Topics: Appeals /Campaigns /Events /Latest

Puppy in the Window

puppyinwindow

There will be puppies in the window of BNZ Porirua on Friday 23 October. We are going to town with just a few of the animals we are currently caring for in need of a new home.

Between 12 – 2pm, people who want to meet a few of the adorable pups in need of a good home can pop into BNZ Porirua on Cobham Court for a cuddle and a pat.

Wellington SPCA would like to say a big THANK YOU! to BNZ Porirua for agreeing to clear out their windows and let us use this space to bring puppies to the people!

Any other retailers who would like to offer their window space for a few hours to Wellington SPCA can call Trina on 389 8044 x 816.

puppies-and-jumpers1

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