Charities Blog

Giving Something Back

Helping Pets This Holiday Season

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If you love animals, consider giving to a pet or animal charity this holiday season. In your community alone, there are various organizations who need your help. If you live in the UK, a good place to start looking is at Pet Charities website. This comprehensive site has listings of most animal charities in the UK, with contact details.

Here are some ideas that will give brighten up a pet’s life:

1. Animal Rescues and Shelters

These places are always in need of food, blankets, medicine, toys and other supplies. Visit or call your local one and ask what necessities they need most. Also consider putting your time to volunteer, act as a foster home, or better yet, adopt a pet yourself.

2. Animal Welfare Groups

Large organizations like the RSPCA (Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), The American Humane Society or the ASPCA are great places to start off finding ways you can help. Their websites are incredibly comprehensive and organized, and have a lot of facts and information and well as the latest news, programs and interesting stories.

You can even get your children involved by taking them to these sites and asing them how they would like to help. If finding a new family pet is in the picture, take your child to the American Humane Society’s website where they’ll find Clifford The Big Red Dog‘s Adopt a Dog Month.

Older kids can also give part of their allowance each month, or raise funds through selling their old toys, clothes or even having an old fashioned lemonade stand in the yard.
Through their sites, you can create direct debit accounts to give monthly donations, or even shop in their store for some great products which go to a worthy cause.

In the RSPCA shop site for instance, the Holiday Collection is out and worth a look. Here’ll you’ll find a wonderful one-stop-shop for a lot of your holiday needs. Fantastic Christmas cards with adorable illustrations of animals, wrapping paper, card holders, advent calendars, Christmas crackers, chocolate, even decorations for the home and much, much more.

There is also a massive selection of toys and personalised gifts for everyone in the family including pets of course!), as well as many other lovely home, garden and leisure items.

[tags]pets,animal cruelty,christmas,holidays,animal welfare,aspca,rspca[/tags]

The RSPCA Needs Volunteers in Peterborough

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Just a couple of posts ago, when talking about how we can give to pet charities this upcoming holiday season, I mentioned the RSPCA, The Royal Society For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals .

The UK charity has been working tirelessly and passionately to promote kindness and prevent cruelty to animals since 1824. It was the first society for the protection of animals in the world, spearheaded by MP Richard Martin, known as “Humanity Dick”. By 1840, the society’s work was held in such high regard that Queen Victoria gave permission to use the word “Royal” to its title.

Well, the RSPCA is now looking for volunteers who will be filling three key roles in the organization. The jobs will be for the Peterborough and District Branch.

The first position involves someone who will help with welfare assistance three times a week every afternoon. The role involves talking to the public, liaising with vets and doing basic administration work.

The second vacancy is for a rehoming co-ordinator for someone with 15 to 20 hours to spare each week.

The branch is also looking for someone to oversee the collection box operation.

Branch manager Diana Robinson said:

“Volunteers are vital to our success. However, we need to fill these positions as soon as possible.”

If you can help, call 01733 248116, or e-mail rspca. [email protected]

[tags]Animal charity,RSPCA,Peterborough,Volunteer jobs,job vacancy[/tags]

Animal Charities Cheer New Laws On Commercial Pet Fairs

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In the UK, animal rights charities such as the RSPCA and the Pet Care Trust have long been fighting the legality of animals sold during Commercial Pet Fairs. There was great concern that the welfare of animals bought and sold at such temporary events were compromised.

However, a new bill that has just been passed not only bans the sale of animals, but also allows animal lovers to run and participate in these pet fairs without the need for a license.

David Bowles, Head of External Affairs at the RSPCA commented:

“We are delighted that the Government is going to follow the judicial review on pet fairs that concluded that such events are currently illegal under existing legislation and to ensure that new legislation maintains the position that it is illegal to sell animals at temporary commercial events, under the Animal Welfare Bill.

“The RSPCA has attended many commercial pet fairs and has had long standing concerns about the welfare of the animals which are bought and sold in such circumstances.”

“Today’s announcement heralds an important decision on welfare grounds to continue to ban commercial pet fairs in England, and that is very good news for the welfare of the diverse variety of animals now kept in captivity. We would urge the Assembly of Wales to do the same.

“The consultation announced today will also provide the opportunity to clarify what is meant by permitted fairs where animals are not sold in the course of a business. All animals that are bought and sold at temporary fairs are subject to the same welfare needs, and the RSPCA will be seeking to ensure that those needs are recognised in law.”

[tags]charities,animals,rspca,pets,animal welfare,animal protection,laws[/tags]