Animals left to die at roadside

28th May 2006

Animal welfare officers are appealing for help to snare callous owners who abandoned eight guinea pigs and three rabbits to die.

One of the guinea pigs had to be put to sleep at the scene after RSPCA officers found it had a severe back injury, a rabbit had an ulcerated eye, and all eight guinea pigs had mite infestations.

Now officers from the organisation are appealing for help to catch those responsible for the abandonment after the animals were found in boxes at Fanshaw Road, Eckington.

Dave McAdam, RSPCA officer, who collected the animals and will investigate the abandonment, said: "To dump any animal is illegal and unacceptable. Whoever did this gave no thought to the animals' safety and could face prison if found guilty of abandonment in a manner likely to cause suffering. I would urge any witnesses or anyone with information about this incident to come forward as soon as possible."

The animals were found in two boxes dumped in bushes without food or water and only a small amount of bedding.

They received veterinary treatment and are being cared for at the RSPCA's Chesterfield branch where they will be made ready for rehoming.

Anyone found guilty of abandoning an animal in circumstances likely to cause suffering could face a maximum six months in prison and a £5,000 fine.

Anyone with information about the abandonment should call the RSPCA in confidence on 0870 55 55 999.

Please contact the RSPCA Chesterfield RSPCA on 0870 770 5071 if you are interested in rehoming any of the animals which were abandoned.

**Since this article was published all the guinea pigs have been re-homed. However the animal centre often has guinea pigs looking for good homes.**

Animal centres special delivery

9th March 2006

A pet food manufacturer has taken the lead to give dogs at the RSPCA Chesterfield branch a real treat.

The James Wellbeloved firm has donated £1,000 worth of pet treats to the Chesterfield centre.

The company, which manufactures hypo-allergenic pet food, has supported the RSPCA for nearly three years - donating dog food on a monthly basis and sponsoring the RSPCA magazine and van.

Richard Woodward, RSPCA centre manager, said: "We were delighted to receive the treats as they will help make our dogs' lives a little bit better. We put them in toys and it keeps the dogs busy and less stressed when they're in kennels.

"We are very appreciative of all donations and want to thank the public for donating dog food in our collection boxes in supermarkets too."

Seocnd lap of honour

2nd March 2006

A teenager is hoping to score a purr-fect double after being nominated for a second top award.

Rebecca Kennel (19), an animal care assistant with the Chesterfield RSPCA, has been short listed for The Real Success Apprenticeship Personal Awards 2006 in the category Personal Achiever.

Organised by the Learning and Skills Council, the awards are held to showcase outstanding apprentices and employers who are successfully using apprenticeships to improve their business performance.

Rebecca, of Kinder Road, Inkersall, said: "I am pleased I have been nominated, but I'm a bit nervous.

"I love working with animals and have four dogs, seven cats, two rats, a ferret, cockatiel and two fish at home.

"As soon as I get home it's like work again!"

It is the second award the teen has been nominated for after successfully winning the RSPCA Learning Trainer Award in the summer of last year out of 35 NVQ trainees nominated for the accolade.

She will now travel to Leicester Stadium on March 16 for the regional finals, as one of only three finalists from Derbyshire to be short listed.

The winner will walk away with a trophy, certificate and prize for their efforts.

Rebecca was nominated by her training provider Access Training, based in Nottingham, has to describe what difficulties she had overcome in the workplace and had to have a reference from her employer before making it through to the final.

A national final will also take place on June 15 in London, with £1,500 for the winner and £500 for two runners-up.

Pets on parade

1st January 2005

Caring youngsters were focused on fundraising when they created a charity calender for needy animals. Charlotte Noble (13) and Charlotte Bishop (12) organised raffles, competions and car boots to collect the cash needed to pay for the photographer and print the calender.

They used there own pets to star in the publication, as well as borrowing animals from Chesterfield RSPCA. Cash raised from the sale of the calender, priced at £5 each, will go to the Spital Lane RSPCA centre.

Charlotte Noble said: "It's great to see our pets in print. It looks wonderful and we hope to get lots of money for the centre."

Her cat Peppie stars under October, while Charlotte Bishop's dog Harry appears in July.
The two teenagers came up with the idea after running their school's animal rights group.

£500 tonic for animal centre

1st June 2006

Generous union chiefs have handed over a £500 donation to help needy animals.

Amicus members from Chesterfield have given the cash to the town's RSPCA centre at Spital. The money will go towards running costs at the centre.

Richard Woodwards, centre manager, said: "It's a sizeable amount of money and we are extremely grateful. It's very much appreciated and with £500 we can do a lot."

Anyone who would like to donate to Chesterfield RSPCA can call the centre on 0870 770 5071.