IF someone arrives with a sick or injured animal, does this mean that they will be turned away?
- No, but the person may be billed and then sent to a private veterinarian once the animal has been stabilised.
Are there any exceptions?
- Sterilisation is a long-term solution and the SPCA will always accommodate someone wishing to have their pet sterilised – but you have to be within the SPCA criteria. This doesn’t contradict what has been stated before, because every sterilised animal saves the owner and the SPCA money in the long run. No litters of puppies and kittens can be taken into the SPCA for sterilising. Requests for euthanasia will always be accommodated when an animal is suffering and where keeping it alive would prolong the agony, especially in cases where there simply is no cure.
What about instances heard of by word of mouth, of when people have been turned away from SPCAs?
- This might be seen as playing with words but sending people to a private veterinarian is a form of assistance. Rumours do spread and not everything passed from person to person is truthful. People sometimes exaggerate and blame others when they do not get their own way or a discount or something for nothing.
The SPCA believes caring people will fully understand why it insists that certain people do not receive subsidised veterinary assistance and this includes those who make money from breeding, especially breeding and selling dogs for hunting and fighting. They cannot expect to exploit our kind hearts.
READ: FAQs asked at Toti SPCA daily – Part 1
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