RSPCA Chesterfield & North Derbyshire Branch

Give a dog a home call by charity boss

A chesterfield animal charity is urging prospective pet owners to give Staffordshire Bull Terriers a second look.

Centres across the country are overrun with Staffies and at the Chesterfield & North Derbyshire branch the breed makes up a third of their dogs.

Branch Manager Rachel Gray said they had 15 abandoned Staffies as well as cross breeds waiting for new homes. She added: "Some members of the public are put off by this type of dog and a lot do end up in kennels. Unfortunately some do end up with irresponsible people which does not help. It's such a shame as if they are will the right owner they make lovely, loyal pets and are so affectionate."

Staffies have come under fire in recent years for being vicious and tough. But Rachel said that the label was unfair and that they can be just as good a pet as any other family dog.

The dogs waiting for new homes at Chesterfield's RSPCA have come from a range of backgrounds, and they range in age from 8 months to 7 years.

Rachel added: "We urge people to come down and be open minded about the type of dog they want and look out for the personality of a dog that's right for them."

To contact the RSPCA on Spital Lane please call 01246 273358 or visit our dog re-homing pages.

Call for homes for unwanted birds

Bird lovers are being called on to support the RSPCA as the charity faces an influx of unwanted pets.

The Chesterfield and North Derbyshire branch, on Spital Lane, has an usually high number of abandoned and stray birds in its care.

Homes are being sought for 24 birds including 14 budgerigars, 3 cockatiels, a love bird, a zebra finch, hens and a cockerel.

RSPCA manager Gary Taylor said: "I think a lot of people don't realise we take in birds but at the moment we do have an usually high amount. The feedback we are getting from head officer is that we are seeing a rise in the number of abandoned birds. This could be down to the economic climate or people taking on birds without realising how they need to be cared for."

The 14 budgerigars were seized from a home where they had been living in un-suitable conditions. They all get on together and would be suitable for an aviary.

One of the cockatiels was a stray found in Chesterfield being mobbed by crows and the other 2 (a pair of males) were handed over to the charity after their owner went into a care home.

The love bird was a stray found feeding on a bird table and the zebra finch was also a stray.

The hens and cockerels were handed over after their owner could no longer cope with them.

Gary said "They are all fit and healthy and given the right homes will make good pets".

** Since this news article was published in the Derbyshire Times all the birds have now been re-homed.  We would like to thank the Derbyshire Times and their readers for such an amazing responce to this appeal. **

Re-homing call as Chesterfield faces a stray cat crisis

Chesterfield is facing a stray cat crisis - as charities struggle to cope with the number of unwanted moggies.

The town's animal centres are facing unprecedented numbers of felines in their care.

RSPCA Chesterfield and North Derbyshire branch currently has 56 cats waiting to be re-homed and some are with foster carers. The branch is full to capacity so it can only take in cats which are classed as an emergency.

So far this year they have dealt with 244 cats - and 137 of those were strays.

Animal Care Manager, Gary Taylor said: "There has been a big increase in animals being abandoned. The stray cat situation has gone absolutely crazy and the amount we are taking in is a real problem.

"We are also seeing a lot of strays that are pregnant and injured cats which is a real drain on the branch."

Diane Mottram, of Spire Vets in Chesterfield, said they had also seen an increase in unwanted pets and strays.

She added: "We do have quite a few being brought in to us.

"We check for microchips and then try to locate the owner. We do keep a few here if the charity's can't take them and try and re-home them but we are not a re-homing service."

Diane said the rise could be due to the cost of keeping pets and some owners can no longer afford to keep their cats and are giving them up.

She added— that some owners can not afford vet bills and many cats are falling pregnant and having large number of kittens, because their owner failed to neuter them.

To find out about re-homing cats call the RSPCA Chesterfield & North Derbyshire Branch on 01246 273358.

Copyright - Derbyshire Times

RSPCA needs new homes for large number of rabbits and guinea pigs

The RSPCA is desperately trying to find new homes for a large number of animals which were removed from a property in Derbyshire following an investigation.

The 77 animals, which were predominately rabbits and guinea pigs, along with three geese and five fowl, were removed on Monday 27 June.

The owner has signed the animals over to the care of the RSPCA, and they are currently being kept at the RSPCA Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Branch where new homes are being sought for them.

As this is an ongoing investigation the RSPCA is unable to release any details of the location or the circumstances in which the animals were removed.

Gary Taylor, manager of the Chesterfield Animal Centre, said: "This is an extremely large number of animals to admit in one go and we really hope we can find new homes for them as quickly as possible.

"There are lots of rabbits and guinea pigs and they are friendly and used to being handled.

"Taking in such a large number of animals in one go, does put an added pressure on the branch, which relies solely on donations from the local community. We just hope people will come forward and help us to help these animals by offering them loving new homes."

Anyone interested in offering new homes to the animals is urged to call 01246 273358.

The appeal for new homes for the rabbits coincides with a national campaign launched by the RSPCA called 'Hay Fever,' which highlights the fact many owners do not know what food is best for their rabbits.

Rabbits have long been one of the UK's favourite pets, with owners falling for their cute appearance and believing the common misconception they are easy to look after.

However despite their popularity, a study commissioned by the RSPCA at the University of Bristol1 shows a lack of grass and hay in their diet is among the most important welfare issues affecting rabbits in the UK.

"The RSPCA is trying to give rabbits Hay Fever! But not in a bad way - we want all pet rabbits to be eating hay as their main food," said Rachel Roxburgh, RSPCA companion animal scientist.

"People also think their rabbits should eat carrots because that's what Bugs Bunny does... but he's a cartoon - real rabbits don't talk, and they shouldn't be eating carrots too often either," she added.

'Hay Fever' marks the start of an ongoing campaign for the RSPCA on key welfare issues facing pet rabbits. The overall campaign is called 'What bugs a bunny?'

It is hoped in the long term this campaign will help improve the welfare of one of Britain's most popular pets and encourage owners to learn more about these complex and interesting animals.

For more information about the campaign log onto www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaigns/companion/rabbits