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RSPCA report on animal outcomes from our shelters, care and adoption centres

2012-13

The RSPCA is Australia’s oldest, largest and most trusted animal welfare organisation. With this privileged

position comes great responsibility. This year we received 126,673 animals in our 39 animal shelters,

across the country.

We are pleased to report that over the past 10 years we have adopted out, reunited with their owners and

released into the wild 715,147 animals, including 423,611 dogs/puppies and 230,641 cats/kittens.

Adoption and reclaim rates nationally have been steadily climbing each year and significant improvements

in the outcomes for cats and dogs (including kittens and puppies) have been achieved. This can be

attributed to the introduction of new approaches and programs to increase the number of animals adopted

and reunited with their owners. This includes:

Extensive promotion of the wonderful animals we have available for adoption through

www.adoptapet.com.au, social media, local events and traditional media.

Increasing community awareness and support for adopting animals from shelters and rescue

groups through programs such as Happy Endings.

Additional proactive and creative adoption initiatives including the Big Love promotion for large

dogs, Valentine’s Day promotions, promotions focusing on senior animals and cats including

adopting a mum and kitten or two kittens together, new adoption centres in shopping precincts

and pet retail adoption partners.

Working with rescue groups to extend the reach of adoption initiatives.

Providing services to reunite lost pets with their owners.

Provision of community and shelter based desexing schemes to reduce the number of unplanned

pregnancies and unwanted animals including initiatives targeting owners of pets experiencing

financial hardship.

Expansion of foster care networks to cater for greater numbers of animals. Animals cared for in

foster homes include pregnant animals, those with young litters, orphaned kittens and puppies,

seniors, those with special needs, those recovering from surgery, those needing to build their

confidence or requiring behavioural training in a home setting and those that don’t cope well in a

shelter environment.

Dedicated behavioural trainers that put in place behavioural modification and management plans

for animals requiring specialist support and who provide post adoption behavioural classes.

Improvements in clinical veterinary care including isolation facilities and processes, in shelter

disease management and surgical rehabilitation.

Adoption follow up with new owners to ensure pets are settling into their new homes and owners

are provided with additional information and referral to appropriate telephone or on-site support

services.

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Community information, awareness raising and education targeting responsible pet ownership

and working with local councils, strata committees and landlords to encourage support for pet

ownership.

Monitoring current research and investment in Australian-based research in order to ensure

evidence based approaches to animal welfare.

Passionate staff and volunteers who work tirelessly for the animals in their care.

All animals

In 2012-13 the RSPCA cared for 126,673 animals - dogs(49,189), cats (49,236), horses (267), livestock

(3,406), small pets such as mice, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, fish and ferrets (7,228 ) and wildlife such as

wombats, kangaroos, possums and reptiles (17,347) (see Figure 1).

This was a small decrease (3.7%) from 2011-12 when we received 131,525 animals.

Footnotes:

Dogs 38.8%

Cats 38.9%

Horses 0.2%

Livestock 2.7%

Small pets 5.7%

Wildlife 13.7%

Figure 1: Total animals received 2012-13

Total animals received 126,673

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The total number of animals coming into the care of the RSPCA can be influenced by many factors including the number of local

council animal management (pound) contracts the RSPCA holds in any one year.

From 2011/12, there is a drop in the reported number of dogs and cats received by RSPCA NSW due to NSW Government reporting

requirements. RSPCA NSW data does not include animals that are being cared for as part of a local council animal management

contract. NSW local council animal management data can be viewed at

http://www.dlg.nsw.gov.au/dlg/dlghome/dlg_InformationIndex.asp?mi=&ml=1&areaindex=CA&index=321#Home

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Dogs

The RSPCA received 49,189 dogs in 2012-13.

We achieved the highest adoption/reunited with owners rate so far with 70.3% of dogs being adopted or

reunited with their owners (see figures 2, 3 and 4).

54%

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Figure 2: Dogs adopted and reclaimed of total received 2008-2013

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Reclaimed 36.5% Adopted

33.8%

In care 5.4%

Transferred 2.7%

Euthanased 21.1%

Other 0.5%

Figure 3: Outcomes for dogs 2012-13

Total dogs received 49,189

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Many more owners reclaim lost dogs from the RSPCA than they do lost cats (17,956, 36.5% of dogs

compared to 2,243, 4.6% of cats). The increased use of microchip identification of dogs supports reuniting

lost dogs with their owner.

This increase in adoption/reuniting with owners is the result of our proactive tracing services, promotional,

care and rehabilitation activities leading to a decrease in euthanasia.

Sadly 10,355 (21.1%) of dogs/puppies were still humanely euthanased (see figure 5). We remain focused

on adopting all animals that are suitable for adoption.

The majority of dogs are euthanased (65.9%) because of severe behavioural issues including aggression and

severe anxiety that the RSPCA is not able to or has not been able to treat through behavioural modification

programs. Such issues can compromise the dog’s welfare and quality of life and can be a safety risk to

adults and children.

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ogs

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Figure 4: Outcomes for dogs selected years 1998-2013

Adopt/reclaim Currently in care Transfer Other Euthanased

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Infectious 4.4%

Medical 22.5%

Behavioural 65.9%

Legal 3.0%

Other 4.2%

Figure 5: Reasons for euthanasia of dogs 2012-13

Total dogs euthanased 10,355

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Cats

More cats/kittens have been adopted by the RSPCA and reclaimed by their owners this year than in any

previous year (25,160, 51.1%) reflecting the success of new adoption approaches and programs (see figures

6, 7 and 8).

There has been an increase of 2,505 in the number of cats/kittens adopted by the RSPCA and reclaimed by

their owners this year when compared to 2011-12.

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Figure 6: Cats adopted and reclaimed of total received 2008-2013

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Reclaimed 4.6%

Adopted 46.5%

In care 5.8%

Transferred 2.3%

Euthanased 39.5%

Other 1.3%

Figure 7: Outcomes for cats 2012-13

Total cats received 49,236

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Figure 8: Outcomes for cats selected years 1998-2013

Adopt/reclaim Currently in care Transfer Other Euthanased

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This increase in adoptions has resulted in the lowest euthanasia rate to date. Unfortunately, 39.5%

(19,464) cats/kittens were still humanely euthanased (see figure 9) .

With the increasing uptake of microchip identification for cats, we are hopeful to see an increase in the

number of lost cats that are reunited with their owners over the coming years.

Infectious 28.7%

Medical 15.7%

Behavioural 21.4%

Feral 21.6%

Other 12.6%

Figure 9: Reasons for euthanasia of cats 2012-13

Total cats euthanased 19,464

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Wildlife

The number of wildlife presented to the RSPCA has doubled since 1998/99 (8,310 in 1998/99 to 17,347 in

2012/13).

Usually wildlife (native and introduced) are presented to the RSPCA by members of the community and

private veterinary clinics because they have been injured or orphaned. RSPCA ACT and RSPCA QLD operate

specialist wildlife clinics and receive, treat, rehabilitate and re-release the majority of the wildlife.

In 2012-13 the RSPCA re-released 11% (1,946) of wildlife received following treatment and rehabilitation.

Unfortunately, many of the injuries can cause significant pain and suffering and/or compromise survival in

the wild and the RSPCA plays an important role relieving this suffering through humane euthanasia. In

2012-13, 56% of all wildlife received was humanely euthanased (see figure 10).

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Figure 10: Outcomes for wildlife selected years 1998-2013

Release Currently in care Transfer Other Euthanased

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TRENDS BY STATE

Dog adoption and reclaim by owner rates by state are shown in figure 11 and explained briefly below.

RSPCA ACT - The number of incoming dogs has remained constant over the last 3 years but with more

animals now having some form of identification (microchipping is compulsory in the ACT), we have seen a

10% increase in the number of dogs being reclaimed by their owners. Our adoptions have also increased by

10% from the number adopted in the previous year. Our team of 3 behaviour trainers do a great job in

delivering modification and training programs for the dogs in our care to get them ready for adoption.

RSPCA Darwin Regional Branch - In 2012 Darwin Regional Branch worked with the Northern Territory

Animal Welfare Branch to house and assist with the eventual rehoming where possible of seized animals

under the Animal Welfare Act. This was mainly dogs. We are working hard to improve our adoption and

reclaim rates and have added additional kennel space dedicated to NT Government animal cruelty cases,

freeing up other kennels to increase our capacity to accept and adopt more dogs.

RSPCA NSW -In recent years NSW has steadily grown its foster care and in-shelter rehabilitation options

leading to better outcomes for more animals. This combined with a growing interaction with Petbarn and

two care centres has assisted in rehoming more than 2000 animals in the last 2 years alone. Last year has

seen expanded engagement with rescue groups and a move to developing regional partnerships to increase

the number of pathways available for rehoming.

RSPCA QLD – Programs such as Four Paws Forward helped dogs to cope better in the shelter and teach

them the good manners that appeal to prospective adopters and keep them with their new families. More

dogs received a second chance through improvements in medical rehabilitation, including orthopaedic

surgery. Additionally, we transferred animals between our care and adoption centres to relocate them to

areas providing a greater chance of rehoming, and worked with rescue groups to rehome even more

animals. Additions to our Pet D Tect service helped improve the reclaim rate.

RSPCA SA –The expansion of a number of proactive initiatives has continued to drive adoption and reclaim

rates, including foster care, working with councils on reclaim programs and a dedicated transport service

transferring animals between shelters, working with rescue groups and the recruitment of additional

veterinary and behavioural staff.

RSPCA TAS – The Launceston Centre has the Council Pound contract, so is the only RSPCA Centre to take

stray dogs. Since the introduction of legislation requiring dogs over 6 months to be microchipped, the

numbers of dogs being brought into the Centre has reduced, as Council rangers can scan in the field and

return dogs to owners. A higher percentage of dogs brought to the shelter by both rangers or members of

the public have microchips and therefore spend less time in the shelter. Owner surrender numbers also

reduced, which in return affects adoption numbers.

RSPCA VIC – Our dedicated team have a strong commitment to providing RSPCA animals with a second

chance through expanded rehabilitation programs for the sick and injured, fostering animals via our 250

volunteer carers, reuniting lost animals with their owners and rehoming through adoption programs. We

have a strong focus on preventative strategies to reduce the number of animals needing to come into our

care (for example, desexing programs for dogs owned by people who are experiencing financial hardship)

and we have a number of adoption programs and promotions all designed to give more animals a second

chance. These adoption programs include Happy Endings which positively highlights the benefits of

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adopting from shelters, waiving the adoption fees for senior dogs (7 years and over) and providing

discounted veterinary fees for their lifetime.

RSPCA WA - 68% of dogs were adopted or reclaimed in WA in 2012/13. The proactive regulatory work of

the WA Inspectorate team has involved a significant number of large animal seizures and a proportion of

these animals remain in the shelter under constant veterinary care. This has restricted our ability to accept

dogs surrendered by their owner, which then reduces our rehoming and reclaim results for the year.

Despite the difficult welfare issues we are managing, the dog euthanasia rate has remained relatively

constant in recent years.

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Figure 11: Dogs adopted and reclaimed from RSPCA 2008-2013

ACT Darwin NSW QLD SA TAS VIC WA

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Cat adoption and reclaim by owner rates by state are shown in figure 12 and explained briefly below.

RSPCA ACT - We have seen a 9% decrease in the number of cats arriving at our centre. This continues a

declining trend that has been occurring over the last few years. We believe this is the result of legislation

introduced in 2010 requiring the compulsory desexing of cats by 12 weeks of age. Our kitten foster

program continues to improve each year. As soon as kittens, that are not old enough to be desexed arrive

at our centre, they are veterinary checked and sent straight out to foster. This has helped reduce disease

outbreaks, overcrowding and improves the socialisation of kittens and delivers better outcomes for all of

our kittens.

RSPCA Darwin Regional Branch – With the help of our invaluable volunteers Darwin Regional Branch has

been able to focus on the fostering of cats and kittens this year and this, together with new infectious

disease assessment and management procedures and community education initiatives, has led to the

increase in our cat adoption rate.

RSPCA NSW – We have invested considerable time and energy into the expansion of the foster care

resources available for cats. This has resulted in the development of new training and support material

and ongoing recruitment over the last 2 -3 years. More kittens than ever before are being rehomed.

RSPCA NSW has also implemented changes within its shelters to improve cat management focusing on

cleaning regimes and processes to minimise stress and the disease transmission.

RSPCA QLD – Adult cat adoptions increased by 21%. We trialled a range of adoption campaigns, particularly

when our centres were at capacity. The Act Now. Cat Now campaign achieved a 45% increase in cat

adoptions over the three months during which adult cats were heavily discounted. Our Community

Outreach program expanded, finding homes for animals at our off-site adoption centres, including Petbarn,

with eight of their stores now rehoming RSPCA animals. Within the shelter environment, improvements to

veterinary protocols assisted in rehoming more cats. For example, we treated and recovered more cases of

Feline Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) and ringworm.

RSPCA SA – The expansion of a number of proactive initiatives has continued to drive adoption and reclaim

rates. This includes foster care, working with councils on reclaim programs and dedicated transport service

transferring animals between shelters as well as working with rescue groups and the recruitment of

additional veterinary and behavioural staff, and reduced adoption pricing of adult cats.

RSPCA TAS - Reclaim rates on cats remain low in Tasmania. The effect of cat management legislation in

2012 means all three centres are receiving more ‘stray’ cats and members of the public are trapping and

surrendering more cats and kittens including feral cats. We are also seeing increases in the number of cats

and kittens being seized by our Inspectors.

RSPCA VIC – Tragically, cats have remained one of societies disadvantaged companion animals impacted by

a broad range of welfare issues. One of our strategic priorities is to improve the value of cats and their

welfare outcomes. To support these goals we have implemented preventative programs including free cat

desexing and microchipping for low income earners which have, over a three year period, contributed to a

26% reduction in the number of cats coming into the care of our shelters. We have continued to introduce

innovative cat adoption promotions including cat fee adoption waivers, adopting kittens in pairs, our senior

cat adoptions and ongoing expansion of our volunteer foster carers are all contributing to improved

outcomes.

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RSPCA WA – Our rehoming results have decreased in recent times. This has occurred due to the proactive

regulatory work of the Inspectorate team which has involved a significant number of animal seizures which

remain under constant veterinary care. Whilst these animals remain in our care, we are restricted in our

ability to take in animals without welfare concerns. The euthanasia rate has remained relatively constant in

recent years.

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Figure 12: Cats adopted and reclaimed from RSPCA 2008-2013

ACT Darwin NSW QLD SA TAS VIC WA

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Cruelty complaints

The RSPCA’s 98 Inspectors are authorised by the various State/Territory Governments to enforce animal

welfare legislation (except in the NT where enforcement is the sole responsibility of the Territory

Government).

In 2012-13, RSPCA Inspectors investigated 49,861 complaints of cruelty reported by members of the public,

the majority of which were in relation to dog, cat and horse welfare. This is an increase of 4,144 (9.1%)

from the previous year. In addition, RSPCA Inspectors revisited 7,664 complaints/incidents.

This year the RSPCA laid 1,040 charges and finalised 358 prosecutions of which 343 were successful. The

majority of prosecutions were in relation to dog welfare.