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Have you ever volunteered for an animal charity? 🐒🐳

Rose Cruickshank Staff Performance Marketing Manager at CharityJob Posted 5 years ago

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Good morning Charity Connect!
In 2017, 127 unwanted dogs were handed into The Dog's Trust before 2nd January.
Have you ever volunteered for animal welfare? I'm currently working on CharityJob's Season For Change campaign and this week, we're shining a light on animal cruelty and the ways you can get involved to combat it ✊
Tell me about what you got up to and the charity you did it for. I'd love to know! 
🐩🐈🐅🦍🐳🐖🐒🦈
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A CharityConnect User

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at 5 years ago

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Hello Rosa
How Timely I should catch you request.  I am a volunteer of 14 years standing at the Mayhew.  When I started I was looking for a role to get me back to a working routine, and I thought animals would be a good fit as I suffer with extreme social anxiety.
I have worked in all areas of admin at the Home, on reception - which does shine a light on some aspects of the cruelty animals can be subject to, and in the cattery.  My focus is on cats, and whilst working there I began making catnip stuffed toys, which have been a big seller at the Home, and were featured in the Christmas catalogue for some years.
I have diversified into making kitten habitat toys: pirate ships, buses, all sorts from cardboard for enrichment.  I have also created animal portraits of animals looking for homes.
As a volunteer one has to remain mindful that the efforts we make are for the animals, so one has sometimes to be more relaxed on issues than you would if it were your workplace.
Through my involvement at the Mayhew I had the confidence to apply for my salaried post at the vet clinic, which has been my best paid job to date.  I have worked here for 2 and a half years.
I am very passionate about animals and animal rights, and I feel that I make a real contribution: many adopters from the Home use this vet so there is a lovely continuity that I am able to be a part of. 
Volunteers can have a huge effect on traumatised animals in care at the Home: the socialisation team are quite simply angels.  Seeing animals blossom and recover and go on to have happier lives in new homes is so gratifying, and, I feel, teaches us humans a lot about forgiveness, acceptance and unconditional love.
"Time spent with a cat is never wasted" someone said

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David King

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Secretary/Trustee at BK'SHEROES 5 years ago

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Hi Rose,
I am not a volunteer but actually employed part time as an animal care assistant at our local RSPCA re homing centre.
We have a number of hugely helpful volunteers who all assist in a range of tasks from exercising and socialising some of our dogs to helping clean, maintain the never ending laundry and grooming spending time with the animals.We also have volunteers working in our shops.
I don't know if you or others are aware but each RSPCA re-homing centre, although under the umbrella and guidelines of central RSPCA, is its own independant charity and responsible for its own funding etc.
As with all charities, times are hard and demands ever increasing. I am sure with a little thought and time our volunteer policy could be so much more effective.Maybe a volunteer "Volunteer co-ordinator' to access and maintain a larger and more diverse help force which in turn would relieve the pressure on the animal care staff to ensure the animals are receiving the best care possible whilst spending their hopefully short time at the centres.After all, it's all about the animals:)
Dave King  

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Rose Cruickshank

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Performance Marketing Manager at CharityJob 5 years ago

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David King   Ah, I didn't know that the RSPCA had its own re-homing centre funded under a different independent charity! Thank you for sharing the kind of work that volunteers at RSPCA get up to. It all sounds really accessible and doable 😊

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Ollie Leggett

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Managing Director at IE Brand & IE Digital 5 years ago

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Hi Rose
It's important to draw a distinction between welfare and cruelty I think, as handing in your dog to a shelter is different to cruelty or neglect. 
As a volunteer with Cats Protection we deal with cat welfare, but any cruelty cases are passed to the RSPCA who have jurisdiction in those cases (CP wouldn't have powers to seize a neglected pet for instance, or to press charges). And I may be wrong but I think most RSPCA inspectors involved in cruelty cases are paid employees, not volunteers. 
In the more general welfare sense if that's of interest, CP do an enormous amount for cats - and people! The welfare team for a local branch are as good with people as they are with animals. They often have to attend difficult situations where sensitivity and diplomacy are key. They go into some of the most deprived areas and offer support to people who, as well as having their own problems to deal with, may be feeding several stray cats (feral, or what we prefer to call community cats). They desperately want to help these cats but doing so can push them beyond breaking point. We often have to liaise with the council and other authorities to get help for the people she meets, above and beyond simply helping the cats. And refer them to RSPCA where appropriate. 
Sometimes a cat may just be needing a new home due to a change of circumstance for the owner, but it can often be more complex than that!
CP offer help in getting owned and stray cats neutered to prevent the population spreading (educating people to dispel myths about allowing every cat to have a litter first), provide cat food and shelters, and take in the cats most in need. The trapping/welfare team are therefore really important volunteers, as are the fosterers who take in cats to care for them until they are ready to be homed. (Some branches have an adoption centre, but many simply foster cats in their own homes or in special cat cabins.) 
Sometimes what's involved is simply to socialise the cat, make sure it's had all its vaccinations and any treatments it needs and then to sort out the paperwork when a suitable adopter is found. In other cases, a fosterer could be bottle feeding and toileting tiny kittens if they don;t have their mother, treating others for illnesses such as cat flu, making daily trips to the branch vet, and much more. 
Those are the main roles that involve direct contact with animals, but behind the scenes are a huge number of roles that help the charity to run smoothly, from the treasurer and publicity officer, to homing officers, fundraisers, charity shop volunteers, administrators, education outreach people (who do play a part in sharing how to look after a cat, educating the public and driving a respectful attitude towards animals, so hopefully having an impact on cruelty in that sense), and much more. So there's a huge variety of ways to get involved that really make a difference, make use of existing skills or develop new ones. 
It's rewarding and a lot of fun!
Hope that's useful 😀
Denise
Cats Protection volunteers - previously Publicity Officer, then Branch Coordinator. Also photographer, occasional fundraiser and administrator!

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Rose Cruickshank

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Performance Marketing Manager at CharityJob 5 years ago

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Denise Atkins   Wow what a wide range of responsibilities! That's wonderful to hear all the many ways Cats Protection supports cat welfare, and the various ways you can volunteer in different departments 😍

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Traci Kirkland

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Head of Charity at Govan Community Project 5 years ago

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I am a director on a voluntary capacity for Birdline UK parrot rescue.  Our volunteers all look after unwanted and mistreated parrots in their homes till new homes can be found for them and we do lots of fundraising over the summer months with our events birds as we are completely unfunded and voluntary. 

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Daniel Rose

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Volunteer focus Animals & Wildlife at Work in IT 5 years ago

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There are major issues in far too many animal welfare organisations. I volunteered for one and still fighting 6 years later for proper prosecutions! It was even part of a national TV program in Wales and has been brought up in parliament. The woman responsible is now running another charity shop and telling people it goes to animals! 
You can read just some of the things which happened; https://danjrose.uk/i-love-charity-resent-charity-commission-like-many-others/
If you're going to advertise for people to volunteer in animal welfare ONLY advertise the big boys which have full procedures and processes. I now volunteer in my local RSPCA and its a world of difference! 
As for volunteering itself, its not as difficult to volunteer with animals as I had presumed; thinking I'd not be able to deal with the emotion of seeing them injured, mistreated etc but actually those animals made you angry and more motivated to work harder and they certainly get special treatment from staff and volunteers.  Don't forget its not just the domestic animal centres you can work with, there are also Wildlife rehabilitation, badger sett monitors and hunt sabs which all make a difference to animal welfare even down to the work of Wildlife Trust to maintain and extend wildlife habitats.
Lots to choose from, but the first step is the hardest! Just go give it a try!  :) 

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Rose Cruickshank

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Performance Marketing Manager at CharityJob 5 years ago

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Daniel Rose   I'm glad that seeing injured animals hasn't prevented you from volunteering but has spurred you on if anything. Thanks for sharing the other ways you can volunteer for other animals in the UK!

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A CharityConnect User

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at 5 years ago

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Hi Rose,
I took on a trusteeship with RSPCA - Warrington, Halton and St Helens.  We aren't the usual bright re-homing centre, but the branch which takes the animal who have been seized from their owners mostly due to cruelty and neglect.  I've always been an animal lover and although time at the branch can be really difficult mentally and emotionally when you see the poor animals and hear their stories, it is also incredibly rewarding.  I like to think of it as an opportunity for me to hopefully use my skills and expertise for a greater good and doing something positive for a cause i care about.  

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Rose Cruickshank

Rose Cruickshank Staff PANEL

Performance Marketing Manager at CharityJob 5 years ago

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Lauren McKechnie   That's brilliant! Being a trustee is a great way to volunteer and have a tangible impact on the cause you're passionate about. I'm glad you've found your experience with the RSPCA so rewarding.

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