Brainwave or daft idea?

How about a Staffie amnesty?
How about some lovely charity pays a bounty for Staffies and Staffie types brought in for neutering?
That could be money or it could be goods...
Whatever the incentive it has to be more attractive than all the hassle of having a litter and trying to sell the pups.
Ipods for Gonads?
Pay to spay?
Use the money it costs to kennel and kill these poor dogs that didn't ask to be born and stop this breeding mess.
Or maybe those owners who use the spay system could be given a reward card of some kind - something like a deduction off their council tax? Something tangible? 
I hate the phrase, but is it time for some blue sky thinking on this one?
How do you stop poor people seeing their Staffie as a breeding machine? Undeclared earnings from a litter make a huge difference to people on the breadline at the moment with zero long term consequence.
We can either reward them for spaying or penalise them afterwards?
Which is better - contraception by incentivised neutering or population control by euthanasia?
And maybe McDonalds could give vouchers for free chipping, too?
Burger and chips.
Time for more coffee.

Comments

Kate Price said…
as long as it doesn't backfire and people deliberately get a new staffie just to get the benefits!
Beverley Cuddy said…
But the more that are spayed the fewer there'll be in the next generation...perhaps?
cambstreasurer said…
Brilliant! But I think I'd want to try to make it a bit less blatantly a bribe because so much of the problem is that these are kids who have been taught that everything is someone else's responsibility.

Maybe free microchipping/vaccination/training classes for owners who sign up to get their bitch puppies spayed when they're old enough.

I would like to get more of these puppies trained and properly socialised so that they're less likely to be surrendered when they get older.

If the owners could be given some pride in the achievement of training their dogs it would be an alternative to the status of having a nasty dog.

I'm thinking of the kind of thing that the splendidly named Bad Rap rescue and education group does in the US.
Anonymous said…
It would still only reach those who have an incling of what owning a dog entails. Dogs are too often thought of a commodity - if that one gets taken in by the dog wardens, no problem, I'll just get another one. I agree that breeding of these dogs must stop. Rescues should increase the price of adoption and get the dogs neutered themselves. At least then there's no chance of using a rescue dog for breeding purposes. Whatever the promise made in the contract of adoption, there is no power to remove the dog afterwards if the spaying is not carried through. It's not just the pride of having a nasty dog but the ignorance as to what is good and bad behaviour in a dog.
Julia said…
Beverley. I think I replied to the RSPCA that I think a good idea would be to properly license breeders and then have compulsory, free neutering for all dogs except those from licensed breeders.

But there is another issue. The RSPCA might find more homes for staffies if they let existing staffy owners adopt another staffy. When Jez, my RSPCA rescue staffy, was 17 months old I wanted to rescue a 2nd staffy. I was told it was against their policy. And in fact I needed the local managers 'special permission' to have a 2nd dog from them at all as I already had a staffy. Now that is just nonsense. Jez is a gentle, dog-friendly little girl who is not aggressive at all. Ironically, I am now having problems with the unsocialised Springer that they allowed me to have.

And come to think of it, when I adopted Jez as a 13 week old puppy they really tried to put us off having a staffy. I was told they were dog aggressive and warned about their locking jaws (as though they bite and lock their jaws all the time!). It was only after a week when I couldn't get Jez out of my head that I went back for her.

So come on RSPCA, get your facts straight and stop trying to stop people adopting staffies when they want to.
Anonymous said…
That's just ridiculous Julia. I'd want to see their policy in writing and reasons for it. They are renowned for cutting their nose to spite their face. I know someone who was disuaded from getting a cat from there because she worked - which was why she never even contemplated a dog. Do they only want housewives or the unemployed who can also claim their vets bills and get numerous amounts of dogs. I digress I know, but cats protection saw no problem with her application and the rspca lost an adopter. As I say, get them to prove their policy.
Julia said…
In reply to Anonymous, yes, I know it's ridiculous - that's why I wanted to highlight it. It's possible it's just our local branch that has this policy but whatever the reason they did not want me to have another staffy (or any bull breed). What I was actually told was that it was their policy not to rehome a dog if the people adopting already had one of the bull breeds.
Anonymous said…
Anything to help would be good but some people will always have the wrong dogs for the wrong reasons and the incentives for breeding a saleable litter are far greater than a free ipod for neutering.

My ex neighbours crossed their rottie with their staffie and produced fourteen pups last summer - all kept in the yard and kitchen with no vet care for the bitch, no special feeding or whelping care no socialisation for the pups until they were advertised in the free mag at eight weeks for £150 each.

A trail of all sorts arrived at their door - no home vetting, no questions asked, not known to anyone as far as I know but pups viewed, money handed over, deal done and hey presto 14 X 150 = £2100

It broke my heart to see these dear kind lovely tempered gorgeous pups treated like another easy sale commodity

But when it comes to easy money - No competion!

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