Peter Devlin
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Welcome Welcome to the Scottish SPCA Annual Review 2015 and onwards. The Scottish SPCA is Scotland’s animal welfare charity. We rescue animals in danger, find pets new homes, investigate abuse and prevent cruelty through our free Prevention through Education programme for Scottish schools.
Cover photo by Peter Devlin
Colin Seddon
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Contents 4 Introduction
18 Raising funds
8
19 Volunteering
Saving lives and finding animals new homes
20 Raising awareness
10 Investing in our centres
22 How our funds were raised
12 More wild animals saved than ever before
23 How our funds were used
14 Our frontline 16 Prevention through education
24 Looking ahead 26 Board of Directors
Annual Review 2015 and onwards 03
• Introduction 2015 has been another very successful year for the Scottish SPCA. We’ve broken more records in reaching school children through our education programme and caring for animals and we’ve also completed the huge transformation of our Glasgow centre and put in “We are here to place a new ten help animals and year strategic plan. prevent cruelty We now have and, looking back more people over the past on the frontline decade, what we helping animals have achieved and than at any time in how much more the Society’s history we are doing to and we have more help animals today than doubled is truly amazing.“ the number of inspectors and animal rescue officers on the road helping hundreds of animals a day. With this success, it’s worthwhile taking a moment to reflect on how far we have come
in a relatively short period of time. The Society has been through some dark times and in 2003 was on the brink of financial disaster, making a loss of £3 million with an income of only £6 million. In contrast, during the last nine years we have raised more money than in the previous 167 years the Society has existed. In 2003, we helped around 30,000 animals, spoke to less than 19,000 children through our education programme and almost 25% of calls to our animal helpline did not get through. The contrast to 2015, and improvements that have been achieved, can truly be called spectacular. In 2015, we helped over 80,000 animals, which is 50,000 more than in 2003. We also spoke to over 320,000 children, a staggering 300,000 more than in 2003. Our education programme continues to encourage children to be kind
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We completed the refurbishment of our Glasgow centre in 2015 and this now has 150 kennel spaces and a brand new state of the art veterinary hospital.
Peter Devlin
Annual Review 2015 and onwards 05
to animals, preventing future cruelty cases. Despite many call centres still believing that having 20% lost calls is acceptable, we have managed to answer 99% of calls to our animal helpline, which is a fantastic achievement as answering these calls and
hospital. All of these major projects have been delivered on time and within budget through sound financial management. We have achieved a tremendous amount but in putting together our ten year strategic plan it’s clear that, sadly, there are still tens of thousands of animals to help and
In 2015:
•
We helped over
Animal helpline
animals
of calls answered
80,000
99%
responding to them quickly can be a matter of life and death. In 2003 the Society was looking at closing most of its centres, but over the past few years we have undertaken our largest ever capital expenditure programme, investing over £15 million to create new centres and upgrade our existing centres. We completed the refurbishment of our Glasgow centre in 2015 and this now has 150 kennel spaces and a brand new state of the art veterinary
Educated over
320,000 children
we still have more to do. We’ve identified a number of major issues the Society will have to deal with over the next ten years and we’ll talk about a number of those later on in this Annual Review when we look to the future. We are here to help animals and prevent cruelty and, looking back over the past decade, what we have achieved and how much more we are doing to help animals today is truly amazing. This has been accomplished working hand in hand with our supporters, staff
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Peter Devlin
and volunteers. It is together that we have achieved so much. But we still have a long way to go and while we can take pride in our successes in 2015, it’s the future that is important – helping more animals in desperate need. The challenges ahead will create huge pressures on our resources and frontline staff. We are responding to more calls for help and caring for more and more animals every year, which means more mouths to feed and rising veterinary care costs.
We will continue to invest in education, our dedicated and committed staff, expand and build new rescue and rehoming centres and further develop successful partnerships and relationships to promote animal welfare. We have achieved so much already, and together we can achieve even more in the future. Thank you for your support.
Harry Haworth Chairman
Stuart Earley Chief Executive
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Found homes for
6,189 Peter Devlin
rescued animals
Kai was one of 6,189 rescue pets and 1,756 dogs we rehomed in 2015
lives and finding •Saving animals new homes In 2015 we rehomed an incredible 6,189 rescued animals. This included finding loving new homes for: cats • 2,304 1,756 dogs • 474 rabbits • 630 rodents • 80 snakes • 64 equines • 881 birds and other animals • We were also able to reunite 1,268 animals with their delighted owners.
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The Scottish SPCA does not put healthy animals to sleep. This is a policy we are extremely proud of. Unfortunately, many of the animals who arrive in our care have been abused and neglected or are sick and injured and have been denied the veterinary care they need. It’s heartbreaking but sometimes the kindest and only choice is to relieve their suffering. Sadly, 1,263 animals had to be put to sleep in our rehoming centres on veterinary advice and 157 were unable to survive.
For several months Kai, a sharpei cross, was the most famous dog in Scotland, perhaps even the world! Abandoned at Ayr train station with a suitcase full of his belongings, the similarities to Paddington Bear’s story were obvious - and animal lovers
Demus
Kai had surgery on his eyes while in our care
everywhere took him to their hearts. Hundreds of people from around the world wanted to help Kai after he became a global news sensation. But it was Ian Russell, from Newton Mearns in East Renfrewshire, who gave Kai a loving new home and the pair couldn’t be happier!
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Photos: Peter Devlin
Invested around
£4 million in redeveloping our Glasgow centre
•Investing in our centres At the Scottish SPCA we do everything we can to make each animal’s stay as comfortable as possible, which is why we believe investing in our centres and facilities is so important. In 2015 we completed our ambitious project to redevelop our centre in Glasgow. We have significantly increased our capacity to take in and find new homes for dogs, cats and other animals. The extremely high number of animals coming into our care had
been stretching our resources to their absolute limit, which is why this £4 million investment was vital and our extended centre means we are able to help up to 3,000 abused, abandoned and injured animals in Glasgow every year. Our single story kennel blocks have been replaced with twotiered blocks, allowing us to care for 150 dogs at any one time instead of 99, while our cattery units have increased from 28 to 48. We have also invested significantly
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in our veterinary clinic, which will help our team of vets perform routine and life-saving procedures and operations. The redevelopment of our Glasgow
centre is a huge accomplishment as thousands of animals will reap the benefits of our new and improved facilities in years to come.
“Results showed that stress levels decreased significantly after listening to classical music�
Demus
Classical music has a calming effect on dogs
Last year the results of a research study we conducted with the University of Glasgow were also published which showed that classical music has a calming effect on dogs. As a result we are now in the process of having speakers installed in our kennels across Scotland to improve the welfare of the dogs in our care. The research involved testing 50 dogs at our centre in Dumbarton. Results showed that stress levels decreased significantly after listening to classical music and dogs spent
less time standing and barking when it was played. We are also analysing the findings of our other research study which looks at the effects of different genres of music. These findings are very encouraging and speakers have already been installed at our centre in Edinburgh so music can be played into the kennels, which is having a positive impact on our canine residents. We would like to thank all our wonderful supporters who have made these projects possible.
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Took in
8,252 wildlife casualties
ďƒš Released
Colin Seddon
4,651
wildlife casualties
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More wild animals saved than ever before In 2015 we took in a record 8,252 wildlife casualties. We were also able to return 4,651 back to their natural habitats another new record. This is testament to the expertise and dedication of the team at our National Wildlife Rescue Centre, who frequently provide round the clock care for orphaned animals. We take in almost every kind
of wild animal found in Scotland, including birds, seals, otters, deer, hedgehogs and badgers. Sadly, many wildlife casualties arrive in our care with severe injuries or illnesses and either cannot be returned to the wild or die due to their conditions. Last year, 1,520 wild animals had to be put to sleep in our care and 1,992 were unable to survive.
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Caillen, an adorable pine marten, was found orphaned at an industrial site in Nigg. He was hand-reared in our care and was released back to his natural habitat when he was old enough to fend for himself.
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•
Our frontline The Scottish SPCA is unique among animal welfare organisations and charities in the UK in being a reporting agency to the Crown Office. This means our inspectors are authorised to enforce the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. In 2015 our investigations led to:
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57 bans on keeping animals, including 9 life bans
• • •
58 fines, totalling £29,545
5 jail sentences
In 2015:
• •
Our animal helpline received 241,403 calls Our inspectors and animal rescue officers attended a record 80,944 incidents including investigations, rescues, abandonments and callouts
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21 Community Payback Orders
Tyson had a horrifically large, deep cut on his head when we rescued him.
Tyson had a horrifically large, deep cut on his head when we rescued him. He had a skull fracture and tissue damage, which was causing him a great deal of pain. Although it was not possible to establish the cause of Tyson’s
injuries, it was clear his owner should have ensured he received immediate veterinary treatment. His owner was jailed for six months and banned from owning animals for ten years.
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Peter Devlin
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Prevention through Education Last year our groundbreaking free Prevention through Education programme for Scottish schools reached a record 320,267 children and we are making a real difference. In the last five years we have seen a 382% increase in the number of calls where children have alerted us to animals in need of our help, which saved
injured wildlife and uncovered cases of neglect. Our ongoing collaborative research project with the University of Edinburgh has been evaluating the impact our Prevention through Education programme has on children’s knowledge and attitudes towards animal cruelty. The key findings are hugely encouraging and highlight the
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“Children were engaged for the whole talk! Thoroughly enjoyable” St. Bridget’s PS, Glasgow City
importance of teaching animal welfare education to primary school children for early prevention of animal cruelty. Our Prevention through Education programme is effectively increasing knowledge, positive attitudes and children’s belief that animals have feelings. It also ensures that they understand what animal cruelty is and that it is unacceptable. While animal welfare is always our concern and priority, we strongly believe our programme also benefits
society at large as the evidence linking aggression towards animals at an early age and violence towards humans later in life is well documented. Our next step will now be to look at how we can embrace technology and create interactive computer games to help us get key animal welfare messages across in the classroom and ensure we continue to deliver a current and engaging programme to primary school pupils across Scotland.
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•
Raising funds In 2015 it cost ÂŁ14.2 million to run the Scottish SPCA and we would like to thank everyone who supported us and helped save so many lives. As we receive no government or lottery funding, every pound and penny raised is vital and
we hugely appreciate all of the support we receive. Last year our membership reached 52,000 and we would like to thank each and every person who donated and raised funds to help us continue our vital work.
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• Volunteering
Our volunteers play a key role by giving up their time to help look after the animals in our care and raising funds to support our work.
We truly appreciate the dedication and efforts of all these amazing people.
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Colin Seddon
“Our story about several owls which were rescued after crash landing on oil rigs made news headlines around the world last year!”
• Raising awareness
In 2015 we continued to raise awareness of the Society’s wonderful and varied work and we:
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Appeared in 7,289 media items
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Launched our brand new fully responsive website
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Increased our Facebook and Twitter followers to more than 200,000
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Featured in the STV series Animal 999
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Won the Charity Champions Award for Animal Charity of the Year
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We launched an information appeal after Minnie the puppy was left to die in a cardboard box and her story touched the hearts of thousands of animal lovers. It was a miracle
Peter Devlin
Minnie was left to die in a cardboard box.
Minnie survived and we were later delighted to share the news that she had been given a loving new home by the Scottish SPCA officer who rescued her.
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43%
0.7%
How our funds were raised
5.6% 6%
11.2%
33.5%
Legacies....................................................................... £6.1m Memberships............................................................. £4.77m Donations.................................................................... £1.59m Investment income................................................. £0.86m Charitable/trading activites.................................. £0.8m Other income............................................................. £0.1m TOTAL £14.22m
These figures have been extracted from the audited financial statements approved by our Board of Directors on 8 April 2016 and signed on their behalf by our Chairman, Harry Haworth. Please write to our head office if you wish to receive a copy of the statements.
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45.1%
2.1% 2.8%
How our funds were used
10.6% 39.4%
Inspectorate................................................................ £6.4m Rescue centres........................................................... £5.6m Generating income................................................... £1.5m Press, publications & campaigns......................... £0.4m Education..................................................................... £0.3m TOTAL £14.2m
Operating surplus £55K Net movement in funds* -£0.6m Net assets £38.8m *After investment movements in the year
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•
Looking ahead Together we have achieved an incredible amount, but looking ahead it’s clear that there will be many more abused, abandoned and injured animals across Scotland that will desperately need our help. In our strategic plan we have identified a number of major issues that we will have to deal with over the next ten years and these include:
• The influx of animals from
Ireland and Eastern Europe from puppy farms The horrific conditions in which dogs are treated in puppy farms is heartbreaking. Until we can stamp this out heartless criminals will continue to breed puppies in terrible disease ridden conditions and bring them to Scotland to sell. Many of these poor puppies die within days because of the way they have been treated and we have to stop this horrific practice.
• Tougher punishments for
people found guilty of cruelty to animals It is a travesty that on average someone convicted of an animal cruelty offence is likely to face
lighter penalties than if they had been caught speeding on a motorway. There are also huge inconsistencies in penalties so our objective will be to seek tougher and consistently tough penalties for the vile criminals that abuse animals.
• The rising cost of veterinary care and pet insurance Every year we see animals being dumped and whilst this is illegal and can never be condoned, the fact that some of these animals are abandoned with food and water and often a toy shows that sometimes people have been driven to despair and don’t know what else to do. Pet insurance can be expensive and if people have no pet insurance expensive
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veterinary bills can be impossible to pay. This leads to beloved family pets being abandoned as a last resort in the hope that the Society and other charities will help. It’s a vicious circle we have to try and break by working with the veterinary profession, insurance industry and other agencies to try and achieve more reasonable pricing structures and/or creating some sort of safety net to help animals.
• Stray dogs
Local authorities and Police Scotland have a statutory responsibility for stray dogs, but both organisations are strapped for resources and sometimes no one is available to help stray dogs other than us. It’s confusing for the public to know who to call and we need to work with the Scottish Government to be able to help these terrified animals more effectively.
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Peter Devlin
• Board of Directors
Mr Harry Haworth (Chairman) Mr Ronnie Soutar (Vice Chairman) Mr Harry Smith (Honorary Treasurer until June 2015) Ms Fiona Davis (Honorary Treasurer since June 2015) Mr Nick Alexander Mr Keith Chandler Ms Susan Johnstone (since June 2015) We would like to Mr Alistair Lawrie (since June 2015) thank our nonexecutive directors, Mr Dan Macdonald who generously Ms Kathy Peebles volunteer their Dr Sheila Rusbridge (until June 2015) advice, guidance Ms Victoria Simpson (since June 2015) and expertise to the Society. Mr Ian Turnbull Mr Stuart Earley (Chief Executive)
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• How you can help • Rehome • Volunteer • Join for £1 a week • Donate
• Leave a gift in your Will • Fundraise at a
collection event Take part in an event
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Call 03000 999 999 Annual Review Visit 2015 scottishspca.org and onwards 27
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Get in touch )
03000 999 999
scottishspca.org @ info@scottishspca.org
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/scottishspca
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@scottishspca
Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Kingseat Road, Halbeath, Dunfermline KY11 8RY Scottish Charity No. SC 006467