‘SPCAs are not simply there to home cats and dogs or reunite lost pets with their owners,’ said Cheryl.
‘As noble as this is, it is a drop in the ocean to what an SPCA should be achieving.
‘Our mandate is the prevention of cruelty to animals and our qualified inspectors enforce the Animal Protection Act when investigating and attending to complaints.
‘The nuisance inspectors enforce the municipal bylaws when investigating complaints of barking or animals roaming the streets and causing chaos – these are animals that DO have owners.
‘SPCA staff must be ‘out there’, educating the public in the correct treatment of animals, and must be proactive, not reactive.
‘A society should actively be going out, seeking out cruelty and not simply waiting for it to knock at the SPCA door.
‘Handouts will not keep an SPCA alive. It will help for a day or maybe a week.
‘SPCA management committees must work from an annual business plan and budget to ensure the most effective manner in protecting those entrusted to our care, and they need to consider where monies should be most wisely spent.
‘Funds must be raised toward proactive anti-cruelty campaigns and sterilisation programmes.
‘The municipal grant/funding is used to transport, house, feed, treat (in case of injury or sickness) while the animal is still in the required pound period of seven days.
‘It is therefore imperative that we ensure our inspectorate division is effective in combatting cruelty.
‘Sterilisation programmes are imperative for our cause. It will drastically reduce the influx of animals brought into our facility as a long-term solution.’
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