Izzy. A familiar story.

Izzy (and her little family)

The RSPCA WA is being questioned by the state government regarding their processes for choosing which pets are treated and which pets are killed…
The WA Government has raised fears the RSPCA is destroying pets that could be kept alive.

Documents obtained by The Sunday Times reveal Agriculture Department boss Rob Delane was told of a case last year where medical histories did not support the destruction of some pets.
“It is unclear whether the RSPCA had sufficient grounds to destroy these animals,” a briefing note for Mr Delane dated May 2013 said

The notes prepared for Mr Delane warn the RSCPA’s processes were “inadequate”.
Even RSPCA staff seemed to have little faith in the ‘system’;

Revelations of the documents come as a former RSPCA regional inspector, who asked not to be named, also expressed concerns about the treatment of animals by the organisation.

The inspector, who resigned last year, said she would regularly try to rehome animals in country areas rather than bring them to the Perth shelter because she feared they would be put down.
“I wouldn’t take my animals up there,” she said.
“Some puppies would get put down at eight weeks and they would say they had behavioural problems,” she said……

The RSPCA remain unapologetic:
RSPCA state chief executive David van Ooren said no disciplinary action had been taken and the allegations in the report had not been substantiated.
An RSPCA spokesman said there were “very clear” and “well-developed” policies relating to the euthanasia of animals.

So how does this “well developed” policy work in practice?
Izzy was a breeding dog seized by the RSPCA under an alleged breach of WA’s animal protection laws. She entered the care of the RSPCA in March 2012. She was only a baby herself (probably less that two years old) but she was heavily pregnant.

Izzy was placed with foster carer, Cath (an experienced human midwife and dog lover) and her husband (a senior vet) so she couldn’t have been in more compassionate, capable hands. It was a new start to a happier life.
Izzy gave birth to four healthy babies; Rueben, Sukey, Polly and Morris

Izzy was ‘typical’ of many neglected dogs; sad, skittish and scared. She was terribly and heartbreakingly under socialised. The family worked hard to make her life peaceful, to give her good food and comfort, and to let her know everything was going to be ok. And under their care, Izzy showed she was a loving and competent mum –  working hard to clean and feed her pups, growing them into cute little fat bellies.
Cath’s family worked hard to make sure these pups were getting all they needed to grow into healthy, happy dogs. Her daughter delighted in helping ‘socialise’ these babies and they learned to walk and eat solid food.
Not surprisingly, the family fell in love with these guys and considered adopting one themselves, but found that even as volunteers, the RSPCA adoption fees were prohibitive;
“We were going to keep one, but despite the fact I was volunteering my time to look after Izzy when she was pregnant and now raise a litter of puppies for them – they still want to charge me $700 for a puppy!!

Cath kept Izzy, Rueben, Sukey, Polly and Morris for a total of 4 weeks, before taking them back to the RSPCA for their scheduled check up. Cath assumed that she would drop them off in the morning, and pick them up in the afternoon, to continue her fostering.
“They simply wouldn’t give them back after I dropped them all in for a check over. I rang every day asking what was happening and when could I go back and get them. They kept fobbing me off. It was only after I asked for a meeting with the CEO and they realised I wasn’t going away that I was told they were already dead.

I had Izzy behaving and responding to us beautifully after a while. But they killed her and all of her pups. They didn’t indicate to me at all that they were at risk – they did it all without telling me.
My husband is a senior vet. We never saw the pups do anything strange behaviourally. Izzy was timid, but she was really coming good. And those pups were fine.”

Izzy and her pups were given a ‘behavioural assessment’ at the RSPCA kennel facility. All five failed.
Next, as is the procedure, each of these young dogs were held. Their leg was shaved. A syringe of poison was drawn. And then one by one they were injected until their lively, waggling bodies went limp and they were dead.

All under the RSPCA’s “well developed” policies.
The community has the expectation that animals entering RSPCA care will be given every chance to be rehabilitated. Pet lovers give tens of millions of dollars in donations every year believing that they are supporting life affirming processes. I don’t know a single rescue group who, if called, wouldn’t have found a place for these guys. But they didn’t survive being ‘sheltered’ by the RSPCA.

Izzy deserved a second chance. Her babies deserved a first one.

Our shelters should not be this way. They do not have to be. The killing has got to stop.