SPCA n PAWS Adoption Policy?

[abgraldo]

Dear All,
For so long I thought that the adoption policy is such :-

Services provided by the SPCA are:-
Adoption programme - Members of the public are encouraged to adopt animals from the SPCA. The adoption fee includes de-worming, vaccination and compulsory neutering (sterilization). All potential adopters are interviewed and advised, and should be agreeable to home visits by SPCA staff. The shelter is open to visitors everyday, 9am to 4pm.

PAWS neutering policy as of 12th May 2005
Since 12th May 2005 PAWS Committee has pledged that all PAWS animals must be neutered. PAWS is gradually working towards having ALL animals neutered BEFORE they are released from the shelter. Currently all adult animals, all pure breed animals (cat or dog, of any age) and all pups are now neutered BEFORE being released. At present some mixed breed kittens may still be adopted earlier but when you apply to adopt you must agree to have yours neutered when it is old enough (before it is old enough to add to the huge population of unplanned and unwanted cats!)

I came accross, some in this forum has adopted cats/kitten/dogs/puppy either from SPCA (majority) or PAWS. And some of this animals has been released without being neutered or spayed. I thought, SPCA and PAWS releasing only neutered/spay pet? Or, different2 branch of this practising different2 policies? And, the agreement between PAWS and kitten adopter, are they really bind? What will be the action if the adopter fail to adhere to the agreement?

And, what will be the average of adoption fees for both organisation? Are the fees according to the ages/breed etc?

I hope, whoever had any info or experiences dealing with SPCA and PAWS, enlight me on this, n Im sure many forumers would also like to know.

Thanks.

[Maneki Neko]

I want to start by acknowledging that the staff at SPCA Selangor is doing the best they can to help too many animals with too few resources, and bless them for that. Here was my experience adopting a cat there last year:

I picked out a young adult female, and I spoke with several SPCA staff/volunteers. All assured me repeatedly that the cat had been vaccinated and spayed. They encouraged me to take her to my local vet (Brickfields Vet Clinic) to be tested for FIV and feline leukemia.

Once at the clinic, Dr. Prem asked me what vaccinations, precisely, she had already gotten. I called the SPCA to confirm this, and the lady who took the call told me that my cat had not actually been vaccinated. I asked her, "Well, OK, but she has been spayed, right?" She replied that if a cat is surrendered to the SPCA, and the owner states it has been spayed, the SPCA takes the owner's word for it. And was my cat surrendered in this fashion? No one seemed to know. I got my definite answer when my cat went into heat several weeks later. Thank heaven she's an indoor cat, or I would have been dealing with a litter of unwanted kittens.

Again, I am grateful to the SPCA for the kind work they do under difficult circumstances. My advice to anyone adopting a pet from them is this:
1. Don't assume the pet is vaccinated unless you get an official certificate with a vet's stamp. (You'll need this if you ever want to board the pet, anyway.)
2. If the pet is female, do not assume that she is spayed; keep her indoors until you are certain she's not coming into heat.
3. Treat your adoption fee as a donation toward the SPCA in its efforts to save homeless animals, rather than as payment for a pet already vaccinated and neutered.

[miket]

Originally Posted by Maneki Neko

I want to start by acknowledging that the staff at SPCA Selangor is doing the best they can to help too many animals with too few resources, and bless them for that. Here was my experience adopting a cat there last year:

I picked out a young adult female, and I spoke with several SPCA staff/volunteers. All assured me repeatedly that the cat had been vaccinated and spayed. They encouraged me to take her to my local vet (Brickfields Vet Clinic) to be tested for FIV and feline leukemia.

From Maneki Neko's post, she clearly had a positive experience with SPCA Selangor. Then again, she seem to be a 'cat-person', whereas my experiences relate directly to the dogs at the shelter.

I think everyone should consider carefully when they adopt the dogs at SPCA Selangor. The problem is not so much with the dogs, but the policies and practises of SPCA. I know that many individuals volunteer hoping to do good for animals - but I doubt many who has worked with dogs in a professional capacity would have a positive experience of the shelter. In other words, if you don't know any better, SPCA is god-send. If you do, you pity the poor sods at the shelter and would not encourage the poor polices and practises of SPCA's shelter programme.

To be clear, I am referring to the work of the shelter - not the other sections of the SPCA Selangor.

Here's my beef: Where is the evaluation of the dogs taken in? If there is no evaluation, how does SPCA know the dogs can be re-homed? If there were character/temperament evaluations, some would pass, others fail. For those that fail, why is SPCA keeping them TOGETHER at the shelter - with all the others capable of being re-homed?

More dogs together - all playing and eating and sleeping together may sound nice just like chocolate cake. In reality, dogs in packs are extremely detrimental to both humans and dogs - agression increases, tendency to be anti-social increases, and accidents (of the biting kind) will happen. Check up the meaning and results of keeping FERAL DOGS.

Does this mean dog-lovers should not adopt from SPCA? No, just be very careful and find out as much possible about the dog/pup you are adopting, IF you believe SPCA has the individuals/volunteers/staff that understands dog temperament/character. If you don't think they do, then you are playing 'Russian roulette' - with teeth and paws.

Before anyone becomes indignant that I should be complaining about SPCA, do yourself a favour. STOP. What's stated above is for the benefit of the dogs, not about me.

Every time issues are raised about the SPCA shelter, the stock answer is no resources (time and trainers). Then either make time or get trainers. If not, stop the shelter service. There are other areas that SPCA can contribute to improve animal welfare, raising awareness and animal-cruelty investigations are but two.

But, to keep dogs for months and years in a closed environment, no space for exercise, no time for human-interaction ('hello and goodbye' does not count), no evaluation of whether the dogs are capable of being re-homed ... it all adds up. SPCA Selangor shelter is no sanctuary for unwanted dogs. It's a huge playground for frustrated feral dogs.

So think carefully and ask the right questions.

[miket]

Originally Posted by miket

Before anyone becomes indignant that I should be complaining about SPCA, do yourself a favour. STOP. What's stated above is for the benefit of the dogs, not about me.

...

But, to keep dogs for months and years in a closed environment, no space for exercise, no time for human-interaction ('hello and goodbye' does not count), no evaluation of whether the dogs are capable of being re-homed ... it all adds up. SPCA Selangor shelter is no sanctuary for unwanted dogs. It's a huge playground for frustrated feral dogs.

This is what I mean - fights/attacks in a group of 7 dogs and the multiple owners who LIVE WITH THE DOGS in a communal environment did not see the signs. As a result, one was killed in a savage attack.

See here:
http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm...le/detail/8417

[FurKids]

Yes, all people working with animals must make a concerted effort to learn about and understand each species of the animal (they are all different, do not treat cats like dogs or dogs like cats or even worse, humanise the animal). If anyone wants to do a job, they better do it well or not at all.

When a pack of dogs get stressed and something triggers off a fight, the others will join in the frenzy and very often the junior dogs (if not caged and protected well) get mauled and killed. All pups and their mommies must never be left with a group of dogs but you see this happening in many dog pounds.

This sad fatal maulings also happen a lot in those cruel hired dogcatchers' van who do not give a damn about the animals' pain and suffering, they just keep packing the animals in to get as much blood-soaked $$ flying into pockets as possible. Many poor defenceless puppies simply do not stand a chance in these violent and bloody attacks.