Such a Sweet Show!

The number is staggering...it costs RSPCA NSW just over $39 million to operate in the last financial year.

The Education Team did the maths - yes, we're not just good for animal welfare education! With the New South Wales population last recorded at 7.2 million people, if each person donated just $5.40, all the animals can sleep a little easier knowing that RSPCA NSW would be around to help them in their time of need. But alas, as hard as it is to believe, not everyone loves animals enough to donate so when we say “every dollar counts” we really mean it!

With the festive season upon us, many of those dollars may be spent on pressies for friends and family so the RSPCA NSW Education Team would like to thank two schools who have instead donated funds to their furry friends!

A round of applause to two Year 9 students from Macquarie College who ran a very successful lolly shop as part of their commerce elective. ‘The Sweetest Thing’ operated for just a single day yet it was enough to rake in a lovely $120!

Now a standing ovation for students from Leppington Public School whose Student Representative Council chose RSPCA NSW as a worthy cause for their fundraising activities. They ran a “Have-A-Go-Show” where students were invited to showcase their talents and asked contestants and the audience to donate a little money, collecting a wonderful $103.30!

If you’ve run an equally awesome fundraiser, we would love to hear all the jiucy details! Drop us a line at education@rspcansw.org.au

Fundraising? Ooh, pick me! I'm in! I can do it!



Thank You #3...Vet Nurses!

Who is Batman without Robin?

How can there be Mickey Mouse and no Minnie Mouse?

Where would Superman be without, err...Lois Lane?

Well you get the picture! Right beside every awesome hero is the sidekick that makes sure they continue to be awesome! And this is no different at the RSPCA Veterinary Hospitals where the Vet Nurses play an integral role in the many animal success stories every day, alongside Veterinarians.

While the Veterinarians sometimes get all the glory, the Vet Nurses are the ones who ensure each patient receives the best care during their entire stay in hospital, may they have fur, feathers or scales. The Vet Nurses are happy to get down and dirty, knowing that each cute and cuddly patient says a silent thank you for all the extra care and attention.

So our next 'thank you' card goes to all the RSPCA Vet Nurses who without their tireless efforts, we wouldn't see so many healthy and happy animals in the community!



Thanks Bronwyn and Skye for always being awesome!



Clucky ladies

RPSCA NSW Education reach an audience aging from 3 years to 139 years old! Okay, so it’s RSPCA NSW itself who’s 139 years old but you get the idea, no matter who you are, the Education Team have made it their mission to educate you about all things to do with animal welfare.

And although with age comes wisdom, there is always new animal welfare knowledge to be discovered so it was a great opportunity to enlighten some lovely ladies from Gymea Aged Care Services with a visit from Education Officer, Eva.

It is quickly becoming a running joke with our talks, but yes, RSPCA NSW is always the oldest in the room and it definitely makes the ladies feel oh-so youthful!

We shared stories, both of past animal friends and current RSPCA successes and it became clear that the ladies had a role in educating their family and friends with regards to puppy factories and humane food options.

At the end of the visit, the lovely ladies made a commitment to be a part of RSPCA’s Cupcake Day Event next year – baking only with free range eggs ofcourse! Can’t wait to see you all then!

Find the RSPCA NSW's 'free range' hen!

Thank You #2...Veterinarians!

Ever been faced with a dilemma and had but a few clues to solve it? Well imagine this problem faced by Veterinarians everyday when they encounter animals who are evidently ill yet cannot communicate how they’re feeling!

What a quandary! Oh, the conundrum! Such an enigma!

But never fear, Veterinarians are well prepared for such challenges, especially those at the four RSPCA NSW Veterinary Hospitals who see to private and shelter patients on a daily basis.

The spectrum of cases through the RSPCA NSW doors vary immensely, from assisting RSPCA Inspectors with animals who have been neglected and not received vet treatment to ensuring that pets are desexed to promote longevity and prevent adding to a pet over population problem.

So here it comes, we present the RSPCA NSW Vets with a ‘Thank You’ card from Rosehill Public School to say thank you for all your tireless work helping animals in need.

 You guys never cease to amaze us!

Thanks Amy for your awesomeness!

Spring has sprung!

The RSPCA NSW Education Team sowed the seeds for animal welfare in the most recent graduates of the School Holiday Program and blossom they did!

With a whopping 48 participants, the Education Team were so proud to see their eager little seedlings absorb all the knowledge and experience from the day and leave as inspired sprouts.

The kids and youths often turn up assuming they’ll spend the day playing with cute puppies and kittens but the world of animal welfare goes way beyond this! Partcipants were faced with the harsh realities of caring for animals in the largest animal shelter in the Southern Hemisphere – that’s right, alot of canines and felines who needed their attention. So we...

...bathed, groomed, trained and fed our way through heaps of lucky animals

...delved into the realm of animal cruelty investigations

...scrubbed our hands until there wasn’t a germ in sight

...positively rewarded smart canines for awesome behaviour

And ensured that we made an animals life that much better – whether it was the Shelter animals, our pets at home or the unseen chickens and pigs on farms far, far away!

School Holiday Program, we shall meet again in the summer!

Treats?!

Way too many in here!



Ready for surgery!





Good sit!



Good things come in small packages

This saying rings so true for one little individual by the name of Mary Alexander.

Long time blog followers may recall RSPCA NSW Education Team’s encounter with Miss Mary last year when she decided, at the ripe old age of 6, to ask for donations to RSPCA NSW instead of presents for her birthday. It was an amazing request by a young individual who just knew that animals needed her help.

Well hold onto your hats bloggers because if you thought that was astounding, Mary has outdone herself this year! She again passed up the opportunity to receive gifts of things and this time invited all of the Year 1 children from her school to a party of enormous proportions! With this came that all too familiar request of gifts in the form of a donation to RSPCA NSW and generously give they did!

Mary raised a whopping $1065!

Education Officer, Eva, couldn’t believe it last year when she heard of Marys’ amazing feat, so you can imagine that she was completely beside herself and totally impressed with Marys’ efforts this time around. Not to say it doesn’t take two wonderful parents to support Miss Mary endeavours but as Gaelene, her mother, reminds us time and time again, the idea was all Marys without a hint of parental influence!

To show Mary how her funds help RSPCA NSW assist the 45,000 animals that come through their doors, Eva along with Jodie, RSPCA Tuggerah Care Centre Manager, took Mary and her family on a tour of our newest adoption facility.

RSPCA NSW and all the animals can’t wait to see what you’ve got planned for your birthday next year Mary!



Jodie, Eva and Mary with one of

the lovely canines awaiting adoption!

 

We heart you too!



Thank You #1...Inspectors!

As RSPCA NSW Educators, we know that the smaller the groups, the more chance we have of engaging in good discussion and maintaining a high level of interaction but imagine a ratio of of 1:226,213. That's the number people in New South Wales to each RSPCA NSW Inspector, with the potential for thousands of cruelty complaints, where each one may require hours, days, weeks of investigation.

Overwhelming isn’t is? Faced with dealing with some of the most severe acts of animal cruelty, RSPCA NSW Inspectors are a resilient bunch. As the main animal law enforcement body in the State, the pressure is definitely on our small team of 32 Inspectors but with the lows come some amazing highs when they come to the aid of an animal in need. And unlike Superman with his keen awareness of damsel in distress, RSPCA NSW relies on the community to keep an eye out and make a report when they think there’s an animal in trouble.

With over 15,000 cruelty complaints made in the last year, it’s amazing to see that many of these are resolved with a conversation and some education around animal welfare and the proper care of our creatures great and small.

So we take the time to say thank you to our heroes: RSPCA NSW Inspectors, members of the community and all you responsible pet owners whose animals will never know what it means to be unwanted, neglected or abused.

Rose Hill Public ‘Thank You’ cards went out to some of our Regional Inspectors and Natalie, one of our Metropolitan Inspectors!

Keep up the awesome work Nat!