A day in the life of a dog in the RSPCA

[Littlebee76]

Does anyone know what a day is like for an RSPCA dog in kennels?

Do they get regular fusses & walks etc? Are they left without human company for hours?

I've just rescued an RSPCA dog and she's settled in amazingly but just curious to know what her daily routine was before she came to our home.

It depends on the individual centre. All the local branches are basically franchises, they use the RSPCA name but get no funding from the main charity and there's a huge variation in what they're like.

I'm sure some branches are great but some are absolutely awful.

How did the branch seem when you visited? DDog1 came from an RSPCA centre and it was glaringly obvious from our first visit (even as completely novice dog owners) that it was not one of the good ones.

The staff seemed really good actually, probably better than centres ive been to before.
I'm just wondering how often she got fussed or walked. She's constantly wanting affection from me and follows me everywhere!

The one we rescued our puppy from was like the prison from 'silence of the lambs'.

She had rope tied round her neck for a collar.

I have volunteered at one, and also do now in the US. For all animals, the ideal is that they get a visit (cat) and walk (dog) at least once a day.

The feeders give them a fuss, as do the people who clean out their kennels. All volunteers seem to have favourites, and the long-termers get more attention than the cute little puppy/kitten that we know will go to a home very quickly. When the long-termers do get a home, there is a massive celebration and everyone is just so happy for them.

The volunteers are really there for two reasons:
1 - to stop the animal feeling too lonely and stressed about the shelter
and 2 - to socialise them and make them more adoptable.

I think its great your girls has settled in so fast. I swear, the behaviour of the dogs when they leave with their new owners is so different. You can almost see them smiling.

So no, not in my experience (although each one is different).

Human interaction at least a few times a day, with feeding and cleaning and socialising.

That's right what you say, my dog really does smile! I just want to make sure I'm doing all I can to give her the happiest life.

you've already done her a huge favour by adopting her :)

all pets need is love, attention, exercise and food. Oh and a comfy bed to take over completely!

I think that's the one thing she's missing as we won't let her jump in the sofa and she's constantly wanting too. She's quite a big lab tho so not very practical :(

That's lovely, Labs are your friend for life. Obviously we need a picture now though, so we can admire her 🐕

Here she is, isn't she lovely!

Love her beautiful smile 😊

She is beautiful. So sweet. I

Isn't she cute! That grin.

This may seem a bit sad...as a teenager my mother adopted a rescue pup who was very anxious. He would wittle if he couldn't see dm and constantly had to be near her. She slept in an old t-shirt for a couple of nights and then gave it to pup as a kind of security blanket. It worked with him. But he would carry it everywhere with him. (It was the cutest thing) when he became less anxious we were able to just use it at night and eventually it was just left in his bed as part of his bedding.

Superman I've heard of doing similar things before, the poor little pup being so anxious - makes you shudder to think why the pup was like that and what it had already experienced in its young life :(

My dog just constantly wants human contact, she can be left and seems to settle really well but when we are here she needs the contact. I'm wondering if it's because she hasn't had so much fuss for so long and that's why she's now needy. I just feel like I'm not doing enough!

Oh, she is a beauty! How old is she? Once she settles properly I'm sure she will be fine, that said I've always found with our Labs the closer they are to you the better according to them, especially if you're in the kitchen.

That made me smile mirren, she certainly likes her food!
She's settled really well quickly but I am still noticing little changes daily. It's really sweet how much she seems to love me already - more so than DH but then I am the food giver & walker!

Oh sorry forgot - she's 10

She's gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous

You've done a lovely thing giving her a home.

Aww she is adorable!

Thank you everyone!

Oh my goodness me!! She is the image of my dog and the same age. My Pip would not survive kennels because she is so used to home comforts. I can't kennel her when I go away, she would fret and become ill. So if your girl has had a huge change in her life and now she has you, she is probably just adjusting and needs the security of being near you while she does so.

It could be that your girl had settled in a family and has been rehomed for genuine reasons (owner died maybe?) Just with her being the age she is.

I volunteered for a RSPCA branch and would walk the dogs and socialise the cats.

Every one of them was given cuddles and loves and tummy rubs as well as a huge walk. I had one fat, smiley staffie who would sit on my knee for half an hour

It was very rewarding. The kennels were old and run down but the staff could not be faulted, they worked their arses off for every single animal in their care. They had a dog on "death row" (banned breed, court case etc) and made a bucket list for him. It included "a paddle on the beach" and "a giant pizza on the sofa" They photographed each activity and had a wall dedicated to him. To say they were devastated when he was euthanized, just doesn't cover it. They also had a memory garden for such dogs.

I won't have a bad word said against my local RSPCA branch.

That makes sense briancox, we had thought it might be something like adjusting to change and wanting reassurance. She's slowly getting better and to be honest I don't mind the constant contact but it can be impractical at times when you need to loo!!

The story about the dog that was destroyed got a lump in my throat. But what a lovely thing for the staff to do, it restores your faith in human kindness.