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A Hutch is Not Enough....... 26th June-1st July is Rabbit Awareness Week 2023 The focus is on neutering, protect and prevent.

Rabbits arguably have complex needs and are often challenging to keep happy and healthy without the right know how. Far from a starter pet for young families, bunnies can be boisterous and a burden in the wrong company. Finding the right floppy eared companion and a fabulous environment for your fluffy friend can be a challenge. Your rabbit will need to able to hop at least three times within their hutch. Your pet must also be able to stand on their hind legs comfortably. Bigger is always better, though. You will also need to incorporate a bedroom and a litter tray.

Here are some more timely tips from the national society .

Rabbits need....

Keeping with at least one other friendly rabbit, unless advised otherwise by a vet or qualified animal behaviourist. A good combination is a neutered male and neutered female.
Rabbits are naturally sociable preferring other rabbit company and kept together form a 'pecking order'. Some animals become more dominant than others. Rabbits can develop abnormal behaviours and may suffer if left alone and with nothing to do for long periods.
Neutering is recommended. It arguably reduces the likelihood of fighting in both sexes.
Rabbits require handling gently daily from an early age. Rabbits that are well handled by people from a young age can learn that humans are friends and companions. The national society have found that Rabbits receiving little handling early in life, or roughly handled at any age, may find human contact distressing. This can be expressed as fearfulness, escape behaviour and aggression.
Rabbits living indoors can see humans as important companions. If your rabbit has to be kept alone, you must provide them with companionship by interacting with them daily.
Places to go to get away from companions if they want to. Provide enough resources (e.g. shelter, food, water, hiding places) for every rabbit at all times. It is important to consider that Rabbits can be bullied if they cannot get away from other rabbits they don’t like.
Introducing to new rabbits gradually and under supervision, preferably in a space new to both rabbits.
Rabbits brought up together will usually get along, but if introduced for the first time as adults may fight. Talk to a qualified animal behaviourist if you’re unsure or have problems.
Caring for by a responsible person when you‘re away to meet all their welfare needs.
Constant supervision when they are with another animal or person who may deliberately or accidentally harm or frighten them or with a cat or dog, even if you know they are good friends.
Rabbits will usually be scared of cats and dogs because they are natural predators, but if introduced carefully early in life can develop friendships. Vaccinations. Ask your vet as Rabbits need vaccinations to protect against myxomatosis, Rabbit (Viral) Haemorrhagic Disease (R(V)HD) and a new strain of R(V)HD - R(V)HD2 - all of which are often fatal and cause intense suffering to rabbits.
Secretary Georgina said "There have been an alarming number of calls locally and nationally about concerns for rabbit welfare. We know more could and should be done for these undervalued pets. We hope to offer a neutering scheme in the future, paws crossed"

Barking Mad Fun In the Sun...

Local dog lovers enjoyed fun in the sun with Goole and District RSPCA Dog Show on Saturday 10th June at West Park Goole. Dog behaviour demonstrations from Protec-K9 entertained the crowd alongside the ever popular dog show classes from Prettiest Eyes to Sit and Wait . A few families also enjoyed a browse around the stalls, soaking up the atmosphere for a good cause. Sponsored by Rase Vets Goole, the event raised £1,168 on the day with a few more donations to come in.

Secretary Georgina said "Whether you held a stall, topped up a dog bowl, donated, judged a class, got your paws on a prize or just sat and enjoyed the barking mad fun, thank you for your support. We are so grateful to all our volunteers who worked so hard to ensure this event was safe, enjoyable and successful. With our cat pens full due to the cost of living crisis and a Dog Action Day planned for Saturday 9th September, we appreciate every single penny from the show"

The results of the Dog Show are as follows

Best Child Handler
1st Lexi with 'Daisey'
2nd Ava with 'Toffee'
3rd Freya with 'Mable'
Cutest Pup
1. Amy with 'Maggie'
2. Kirsty with 'Robbie'
3. Roger with 'Luna'
Prettiest Bitch
1. Kay with 'Ruby'
2. Andy with 'Mabel'
3. Julie with 'Melon'
Most Handsome Dog
1. Joe with 'Woody'
2. Lauren with 'Chibs'
3. Vicky with 'Johnny Cash'
Waggiest Tail
1. Andy with 'Mabel'
2. Monica with 'Shakespeare'
3. Leila with 'Fifi'
Prettiest Eyes
1. Andy and Jacqueline with 'Valentino'
2. Karina with 'Kiri'
3. Mr Musgrave with 'Misty'
Sit and Wait
1. Mr Musgrave with 'Misty'
2. Izzy with 'Rosie'
3. John with 'Hallie'
Best Groomed Dog
1. Hollie with 'Ernie'
2. Frankie with 'Ollie'
3. Tyler with 'Bailey'
Senior Dog
1. Edwina with 'Rosie'
2. Mr Musgrave with 'Misty'
3. Scott with 'Oscar'
Fun Run
1. Jade with 'Fudge'
2. Gladys Edwards with 'Cracker'
3. Kath with 'Toto'

Pictured is Best in Show 2023 Winner was Mr Musgrave with Misty pictured with Nikki from the RSPCA. Photo credit - Anne Webb

A Pawsome Result....

Goole and District RSPCA raised £500 for local animals with a collection last week in Morrisons Goole.
Secretary Georgina said "A huge thank you to all our hard working volunteer collectors and everyone who supported us over the three days. Grateful thanks to Morrisons Goole for having us. Every penny will go towards vet bills, ongoing costs for our cats in care and more, it's a welcome boost in these challenging times"

Pawsome Event For Penny Pinched Pooches...

The Goole RSPCA Dog Action Day at The Courtyard Goole on Saturday 12th March lent a paw to those hardest hit by the challenges of coronavirus. The event saw 56 dogs attend, 51 took advantage of a free health check from Rase Vets Goole. 38 got their paws on free flea and worm treatment, 33 neutering vouchers given out thanks to funding from Pets at Home Foundation, 4 dogs ID chipped under the amnesty scheme and 10 chip details updated. Secretary Georgina said "A huge thank you all our hard working volunteers, everyone who attended, The Courtyard and Rase Vets. This event would not have been possible without our timely grant from Pets at Home Foundation so thank you for making this event happen this year"

Purrfectly Special Portraits Supporting Goole RSPCA

We are delighted to team up with local digital artist Dan Read for a very unique, creative, colourful fundraiser. For every pet portrait sold, 10% goes directly to support local animals in the DN14 area. Whether celebrating a best friend or memorialising a lost love, Dan's beautiful pet portraits will honour them in a tasteful piece of bespoke art you will treasure forever.
• Digitally painted from your favourite photos
 • Proofs given upfront with fast turnaround • You only buy if you LOVE your portrait
 • Prices from only £29.95
 • Print sizes up to A1 - 594mm x 841mm
 • Supplied physically or digitally worldwide
 A huge thank you to Dan for this timely fundraising opportunity. To order, head to the website www.danread.co.uk

COVID-19 RESTICTIONS

Please note that, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, we are unable to invite prospective adopters to meet our cats and kittens in person. Instead we are offering a video meeting, eg, via Zoom, where you can meet your prospective pet and also ask the fosterer as many questions as you like.
Hopefully, we will be back to normal working soon.

SPEAKER AVAILABLE

Goole RSPCA have a trained speaker who can visit your school, group, business or club to talk about our work and tell you about some of the character cats and kittens that we have fostered. The talk is suitable for all age groups and lasts around 40 minutes.
There is no charge but a donation will be most welcome. Please contact us for further information.

The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill comes into effect

On 29 June a piece of landmark legislation came into effect. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act was passed in April 2021 and increases the maximum sentencing under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, from six months to five years, for animal fighting and cruelty offences.

The new legislation brings England and Wales in line with Scotland and Northern Ireland,
where five years is already the maximum sentence for those who commit animal abuse offences.

PETS AS PRIZES

Gold medal, Gold trophy, Goldfish? A pet is not a prize or something to be won.

None of the fun at the fair
Fairs can evoke a sense of nostalgia for many, with fairground jingles, sugared doughnuts and arcade game prizes. Sadly, there's no fun at the fair for the animals given away as prizes. While many of us would not accept a dog, cat or rabbit as the result of winning a game - receiving goldfish as prizes have become all too commonplace across England and Wales.

Can you help us make pets as prizes a thing of the past?
Unfortunately, the National Cruelty Helpline regularly receive calls relating to animals being given away as prizes, particularly goldfish - who are often prized off at fairgrounds across England and Wales. These goldfish are often held in unsuitable plastic bags for long durations and taken to homes that aren't adequately prepared to meet their welfare needs. We think you'll agree that while candy floss comes in bags, pets shouldn't.

Life in a bag
Goldfish are easily stressed and very often, fish that are won as prizes suffer miserably from shock, oxygen starvation or die from changes in water temperature, and many will die before their new owners can even get them home.

It's already illegal in Scotland
Currently in England and Wales, it's an offence to give animals away as a prize to anyone under the age of 16, unless accompanied by an adult. This differs from laws in other countries, for example Scotland, where it's an offence in almost all circumstances to give an animal away as a prize to anyone regardless of age.

Prevent pets as prizes
We need supporters like you to take the action and let East Riding of Yorkshire Council know that pets as prizes are a no-win situation.

By taking action, you'll be encouraging your local council to stop this practice on council-owned land, as well as write to their respective Government for wider change.

When it comes to pets as prizes, you win, they lose.