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Further to our editorial about the recent horrors perpetrated by a woman pretending to run an animal rescue group in North Cork. We appeal to ALL our readers before they deal with anyone, or give an animal or money to anyone who says they run, or represent, a rescue group to do thorough checks. Genuine rescues do not mind visits and are always willing to show people around their sanctuaries. Does the group or organisation claim to be a registered charity ? If so, what is their charity registration number ? (For instance: the ACS is CHY14199). The validity of this number can be checked by contacting the Revenue Commissioners in Nenagh, County Tipperary. Go to the Revenue website and checkout charities_numeric.PDF. Is the group a registered company ? This too can be easily checked by contacting the companies registration office. Here is the link:
If the group is a company their accounts must be fully audited and annually submitted to the CRO.
BUT Note well... the fact that an organisation is a charity (or even a company) does not in anyway or form mean that their standards of animal care are what they should be. 9 years ago a major Cork organisation and registered charity was disaffiliated by the ISPCA. This charity had been, and still is, in operation for over 130 years! Individuals, or small non registered charities can exceed any standards of care and at the end of the day, it is the individuals in charge who will determine how well a charity, or rescue, operates and is run and they set the standards. This being good old Ireland, anyone can set him/her self up as an animal rescue organisation, with the disastrous results you have read about above. Can they provide multiple written references from the vets they are dealing with ? Very important, are other bonafide rescue organisations aware of them and have they had dealings with them? Most reputable rescues maintain lines of communication between them and will help each other and exchange information where they can.
But above all: USE COMMON SENSE !!! If the rescues a person contacts are all full and have waiting lists and are bursting at the seams, alarm bells should start ringing if an individual or group seems to have plenty spaces and offers to take animals in at the drop of a hat. Granted, maybe they can handle real emergencies, but to have spaces for multiple dogs or cats, horses or ponies out of the blue ??? Highly unlikely. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true.
Be especially weary if you are not allowed to visit the property from which the person or rescue operates. If that happens, immediately contact the ISPCA and make your concerns known. Immediately, as speed may saves lives ! If proper checks and follow up visits had been done on this woman, the unimaginable suffering and horrors these defenseless animals underwent could have been avoided.
Sadly, at the end of the day, many people just give an animal away to whoever calls first, "Free to a good home", take no vehicle registration details, do not ask to see an ID, don't ask for an address or phone number, do no checks and just get rid of the animal. Until people show common sense and check, unscrupulous people like the woman who committed these horrors will continue to bamboozle the public and get their hands on defenseless animals. May God help them ! |
