Britain's pet charity to fund Gozo SPCA's neutering programme
The Gozo SPCA has signed up as a Welfare Associate with The Blue Cross. The two organisations are now working together to set up a neutering programme for pets in Gozo, which is being substantially funded by The Blue Cross.
The Blue Cross is famous as Britain's pet charity, helping thousands of sick and homeless pets and horses across the UK every year.
Originally known as Our Dumb Friends' League, the charity was established in 1897 by a group of animal lovers to care for working horses on the streets of London.
Today, the Blue Cross runs 11 animal adoption centres that take in and find new homes for thousands of homeless and unwanted pets every year. Three equine centres provide rehabilitation, re-homing and retirement for over a hundred horses and ponies every year.
Blue Cross veterinary services include four animal hospitals, welfare vet clinics around the country and a Veterinary Care Fund that offers grants to help the pets of people who cannot afford private vets' fees.
Additionally, The Blue Cross supports a number of Welfare Associates; organisations whose aims are similar to their own. Now they are delighted to welcome Gozo SPCA as the eighth small animal associate and the third overseas associate, the SPCA said yesterday.
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Mark Thorogood
Aug 7th 2008, 07:52
Mr Farrugia - are you aware of the potential damage your comments could have ? Blue Cross have made a very generous offer of assistance to Gozo SPCA, not least financial. Rather than thanking them, you throw it back in their faces, and tell them its going to be wasted money. The Goverment money is to pay for the neutering of stray animals. The Blue Cross is helping to pay for the neutering of owned animals, hence the word "pet" in the first line of the article. There is nothing "odd" about this as you claim. This was how Gozo SPCA asked Blue Cross to help.
The reason why 50% of the Government money in 2008 is being allocated to neutering is because the animal organisations requested it. Not the Government, and certainly not the vets. The organisations reqested it as they believe this was the most appropriate way of alleviating the problem of stray animals. The other 50% is going to the organisations to help improve the facilities at their centres. All of this was made clear last year when the Govenment allocated the money
Roger Flett
Aug 6th 2008, 20:51
I am the Treasurer of Gozo SPCA, and yes Franco you are correct that the Government is funding neutering for stray and feral animals on Gozo and Malta. We have so far neutered over 100 stray animals under this scheme on Gozo alone. However our press release was unfortunately edited so much that the main message was largely lost. The Blue Cross funding is to neuter owned animals, which is the only cause of our stray problem, and these animals are excluded from the Government scheme.
I might also ask Franco, since you have such strong views, do you dedicate 70% of your time free of charge to the welfare of stray animals as I do? Forgive me if I find your comments offensive. The simple answer to why there is so much emphasis on neutering, is that stray animals are unwanted pets, from unwanted offspring, that are dumped by callous owners who care not for the consequences. Were it not for these strays there would be little need for animal welfare organisations. Your solution is to apply a band aid plaster, but would just perpetuate the problem in the long run.
Hilary Rogers
Aug 6th 2008, 20:15
Dear Mr Farrugia,
I am a volunteer at Gozo SPCA. Although I live and work full time in Malta, I dedicate my Saturday mornings to the abandoned puppies, kittens, dogs and cats cared for at the tiny, inadequate centre in Victoria. The animals in our care are not feral - they are either the unwanted offspring of someone's un-neutered pet, or have been dumped unloved and uncared for by their owner. If we can encourage owners to neuter their animals, not let them out unsupervised on the street (as is so often the case in reported "stray" cases) and generally foster a culture of education ( Gozo SPCA regularly visit schools with dogs in our care - as was suggested by a reader of The Times), then at least that would be a start. The Blue Cross initiative has given us funding to promote the neutering of dogs and cats in Gozo - this is a long-term, much needed project in addition to the goverment's neutering programme.
Mr Farrugia, if you could contact SPCA Gozo ( http://www.spca-gozo.org ) via the email address on the website, I would be more than happy to tell you more about the campaign.
betty berry
Aug 6th 2008, 19:40
Mr Farrugia could have had the courtesy to contact Gozo SPCA before rushing into ill-judged comments on line. We are extremely proud that The Blue Cross have recognised our worth in animal welfare in Gozo by making us a Welfare Associate. The association being entered into with The Blue Cross has nothing to do with the National Neutering Campaign, which is only for funding the neutering of strays and shelter animals.
Both organisations recognise that the problem of stray animals in Malta and Gozo are created by people abandoning unwanted pets and frequently these are the puppies and kittens from unplanned matings - this is the problem we must and will address.
Mr. Farrugia can rest assured that The Blue Cross are not just throwing money at Gozo SPCA; together we are planning a long term future to educate and promote the neutering of owned pets.
Meanwhile Gozo SPCA volunteers are out there catching feral and colony cats and getting them to the vet for neutering through the National Neutering Campaign. This is skillful work on the part of both volunteers and the veterinarian. Does Mr. Farrugia expect the vet to do this for nothing?
Franco Farrugia
Aug 6th 2008, 10:41
What about our own neutering programme? Isn't SPCA -Gozo receiving money from local funds? A considerable sum of money has been budgeted 'for animal well-being' - oddly enough, most of this sum has been dedicated to the neutering programme taking place on the Maltese Islands (read: to veterinarians!). So, I suppose that SPCA-Gozo does not need funds from abroad for neutering!!!!
Why is there so much money being dedicated to neutering. Many of the volunteers who are involved in animal-welfare are up in arms, because they feel, rightly, that far too much money is going to veterinarians' pockets and little money directly being channeled to the sanctuaries themselves.
Perhaps, someone can explain to me what is really going on. I suspect that those in authority who are responsible for animals ... are not really animal-lovers and thus are unsuitable for the job.