How Can I Subscribe to Your Newsletter?

If you wish to be added to our Newsletter List, then just email us with your email address and full name. We'll add you as soon as we get your email and send you a copy of our latest Newsletter. Thanks for your interest! The RAWR Team

I'd like to open a rescue centre - how do I start?

It's always great to hear from other people active in animal welfare and we always want to help! Before starting your own centre I'd recommend volunteering for an existing organisation. Animal welfare is costly and time consuming and funding is extremely difficult to get, particularly in this economic climate. I'd look online for local centres - Irish Animals is a good place to start. If you can't find an organisation online close to you, keep in mind it's entirely likely there are already individuals working independantly in your area who aren't online, so it's worth asking around. Check vets, boarding kennels and catteries, etc as people working with animals are likely to know about people rescuing them.

If you can find and join a group who's already in business you'll learn loads that will be useful when you do start your own organisation (having run my own business I wish I'd volunteered and/or worked in the field before I started as it would have saved me a lot of time and money). You'll need to know about fundraising, animal health and illness, business management, rehoming, etc. And having a group of committed individuals to help is a must. It's very easy to get burnt out, so look after yourself (and your fellow volunteers) too!! We've been full on volunteering in animal welfare for 7 years now and, a couple of years ago, came to the conclusion, in the case of cats, that rescuing doesn't make any long term difference to any creature apart from those we rescue. Every year the number of animals in distress remained the same, despite our efforts. And we realised that addressing the overpopulation problem (by Trap Neuter Return (TNR)) is a long term solution to feline suffering - if we aim to neuter every cat in West Cork, the overpopulation will be arrested, there will be fewer cats competing for resources and there will be enough homes for those that need rescued. Alley Cat Allies in the US have loads of info on TNR if you're interested - and it's the sort of thing an individual can get going on their own - though it's always easier to be involved with a group of dedicated individuals! And it's important to set up good relations with your local vets, regardless of which approach you take. Vets fees are probably the biggest expenditure for animal welfare groups (apart from salaries, but not many charities can afford salaries in the first place). Another group you might be interested in is ANVIL Ireland - their focus is getting Irish Legislation up to scratch for animals - especially with the current changes in legislation being considered. If you're a student, your college/university may have an animal welfare group - and, if it doesn't, you could start one up. If there's a veterinary department it's worth approaching them to see if they'd support a TNR programme run by the college - there's a few colleges in the US that do that with great success. Hope this is useful. And good luck! Do keep in touch and let us know how you get on. And if you get a webpage for your rescue/TNR efforts, let us know and we'll put up a link to your site. In fact, you don't need to have a rescue centre to start a website - we started just by writing our rescuees' stories (see this link).

What Does It Take To Do Rescue?

Author Unknown

Your rescue "kit" should include:

A heart of gold to accept those creatures that don't measure up as "perfect" in the eyes of the rest of the world.

The people skills of a salesperson....to convince those that are looking for perfection that they will find it in a rescue dog if they are willing to look a little deeper.

A heart of steel to be able to say no when there just isn't any more room for just one more dog.

Strong arms and cases of tissues for holding those that die, because sometimes you're too late to save them.

The knowledge that you cannot save them all.

The ability to smile and speak rationally when the 10th person for the day says "I don't want this stupid dog anymore...take him or I am gonna shoot him."

Some medical knowledge...or your rescue vet bill will be bigger than the national debt.

The fine art of fund raising....so your vet bill can be reduced to just under the size of the national debt.

Patience for: breeders who don't care, won't help, turn their backs and say it's not their problem.

Patience for: dogs that were incorrectly placed and come to rescue with so much excess baggage that you think they will never be adoptable.

Patience for owners who want a quick fix.

Patience for: a world that no longer looks at life as a gift nor living creatures as nothing short of miracles.

A sense of humor....because sometimes a smile on your face is the only way to hide the agony and turmoil in your heart.

A partner with housekeeping skills that are so outstanding that they could be highlighted in Good Housekeeping Magazine....so you can devote your time to all the rescues and be secure in the knowledge that the local Board of Health will not condemn your house.

Personal dogs that will tolerate the never ending stream of four legged orphans, waifs and street urchins that will start arriving the moment you say ... "I have room."

Children that like being the "token" child to socialize every dog that comes thru the door....being able to say "good with kids" is a real selling point.

Magician skills so you can change anything that comes thru the door, from black tri male to long tail and brown eyes, into blue merle female, good with kids, housebroke, crate trained and obedience trained.

The ability to face the paperwork head-on and deal with it....or someone you can send it to and say..."Here, do something with this mess!"

Grooming skills for those ugly ducklings waiting for their chance to be a swan.....with a little help from you.

I could go on but you probably get the picture.... None of us have all of these things but we all know that the business of rescue is a team effort. Each of us contribute what we can as a team member. Some of us cannot handle the dogs...but...there are other things that must be done.

Some only want to work with the dogs.....so leave the paperwork to those that like it. No matter what your situation is....it is your willingness to help that is important.

I've come across animals living in dreadful conditions - who can help?

The ISPCA is the first point of call for animal cruelty. Here's an extract from their webpages:

The ISPCA has 5 full-time Animal Welfare Inspectors at present. The Inspectors respond to allegations of cruelty and reports of sick and injured animals in a total of 12 counties.The ISPCA Animal Welfare Inspectorate provides an extremely valuable service around the country. Our operations assist animals, members of the public and statutory bodies. ISPCA Inspectors often filter and dilute the work of Gardai and other enforcement agencies such as DAFF by initially investigating allegations of breaches of legislation and determining whether the involvement of other agencies is required. On the vast majority of occasions our officers find a solution to any problems by working with the owner of the animal(s) involved.

The public have become more aware of animal welfare and intolerant of what they perceive to be cruelty or neglect. Consequently, the volume of calls to the ISPCA has increased and continues to rise. At present, the small numbers of Inspectors we have are stretched beyond their limits and we are unable to provide a full-time presence in many areas.

In order to ensure that reports and queries from members of the public are disseminated appropriately the ISPCA operates a “National Animal Helpline 1890 515 515” at our Head Office in Keenagh, Co. Longford.

If you discover an animal in distress or want to report a case of suspected cruelty please call our National Cruelty Helpline Locall 1890 515 515.

However, animal cruelty is illegal. Your local Garda should also be informed.

Related Links
Irish Society for the Provention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA)

I've rescued a dog/cat/rabbit/other animal and need to find a home for it. Can RAWR help me?

Of course we can help you! And congratulations for joining the ranks of the thousands of people in Ireland who rescue and rehome animals in need!

If you email us we can send you a poster we use for advertising animals looking for a home - you can add your animal's photo and details and put them up in local vets, pet shops, charity shops, supermarkets, etc. We can also put an ad up online for you at the following sites:

• RAWR! - us!
• Irish Animals - Irish animals an excellent site all round. They have several pages: one for felines in the whole of Ireland; same for dogs; and one for cats and dogs in each county. The ad will appear on both relevant pages.
• West Cork Animal Welfare Group (WCAWG) - an excellent rescue centre in Rosscarbery, Co Cork.

If you check the sites out you'll get a rough idea of the text and pictures needed. You need to include your contact number, and can include your email address if you want. All you need to do is email us the photo, text and your contact details. And do check out How to Find Homes for Pets. It's an American link but has lots of useful advice relevant to Irish rehoming including how to screen callers wanting to adopt your rescue animal (do beware of unscrupulous callers). Lastly, it goes without saying we'd recommend neutering your rescue animal, if it's not already neutered. And we'd advise taking it to a vet for a medical check and vaccinations. Fair play to you for looking after the poor mite - so many wouldn't. And good luck!

Where can I get my dog/cat/rabbit/other animal neutered in my locality?

If you feel uncomfortable about neutering your companion animals please check our Neutering pages to find out why it's so important to neuter.

The top ten reasons to have your pet spayed or neutered were killed in shelters last year.

Finding a Vet

The online Golden Pages seems to have a fairly comprehensive listing of veterinary surgeons, eg.:

• Cork: (144 vets)
• Mallow: (5 vets)
• Bantry: (2 vets)

Note, however, that it isn't completely comprehensive - there's more than 2 vets in Bantry and surrounds, for example. So, do check your hardcopy Golden Pages too!

Personally, I'd ask friends and neighbours to recommend a vet, rather than just picking one from the internet listings.

Also note that you'll need to make an appointment with the vet for companion animal neutering - don't just turn up! The vet will let you know how to prepare your animal for the visit and care for them afterwards - for example, they mustn't eat anything for 12 hours before surgery.

Fees

For dogs, there is a subsidised neutering scheme available for low-income families through the Dog's Trust. They're currently updating their website, so for the moment, you can get more info at their neutering hotline number - 1890 946 336. By ringing the number you can find out if you qualify, and also what vets are participating in the scheme. And if your vet isn't already part of the scheme, you could always ask them to join it! You should only be charged €20 for the neuter.

For cats normal vets fees are: €60 - €75 for a male; €70 -€100 for a female. Until recently we tended to neuter kittens at 6 months of age. But we've found that cats are getting their first pregnancy younger in recent years and have started neutering at 4 to 5 months.

Some vets will allow you to pay in installments if you've not got the full fee to hand. If you're worried about finding the fee it's well worth asking an installment plan is possible!

Keep in mind the fees for neutering are a comparatively small amount when compared to the cost of caring for litter after litter of kittens or puppies - or the moral cost of neglecting or killing them. And it is worth checking with local vets if they are involved in a subsidised neutering scheme. Unfortunately not many are - but with your encouragement more might join!

Related Links
RAWR's Neutering pages
Golden Pages
Dog's Trust