Mission to stamp out cruelty (From Stroud News and Journal)

Mission to stamp out cruelty

Animal lovers are hoping new laws due to be passed this summer will help stamp out cruelty to pets. Reporter James Davis spent a morning with Stroud RSPCA inspector Phil Mann to get a frontline view of the fight against those who abuse animals.

WHEN Phil agreed to take me into the field to see the day-to-day work of an RSPCA inspector I didn't think he meant it literally.

But before long we were walking through bog and scrub in search of a tethered horse.

I soon realised my miserable looking moccasins and lightweight slacks offered a pathetic barrier to the mud and moist ground.

Each morning, Phil calls a voice message box to pick up his day's jobs. Our first, the tethered horse, doesn't pose a major concern for Phil as it is not illegal to tether a horse unless it causes suffering.

"With things like this it is often just a case of advising people how to keep their animals better. Actually 90 percent of the work I do is advisory," he explains.

After trekking around for half-an-hour I have to admit a small part of me is relieved when we head back to the van, leaving the boggy grass behind when neither horse nor owner is found.

Back at the van notes are taken and we are off to respond to a complaint about a neglected dog that has apparently been left outside with no shelter during a storm.

Phil says despite better awareness nowadays, some people still commit deplorably cruel acts on animals.

"We just had a prosecution in the Forest of Dean for badger baiting," he says.

"It's rare but it still happens and we have a special investigations department to tackle these problems."

One of our jobs is to call in at Stroud Magistrates' Court where a Forest of Dean man is accused of throwing a dog into a quarry.

Another inspector is dealing with the case, which results in the man being jailed.

And Phil is no stranger to such cases of abuse.

"I was once called to a house where there were dead as well as half-living animals and some could barely be identified because they had been eaten by others," he says.

"The owner had gone off the rails and decided to let his animals die."

High profile cases do make the headlines but cruelty often occurs through ignorance or laziness - such as tail docking on certain dog breeds.

"Another classic example is cat or dog flea eczema which is so easy and cheap to treat but people just don't do it," says Phil.

"A lot of people get upset when I arrive at the door but in this job you have to be safe rather than sorry."

Our second stop turns out to be a routine visit and Phil is satisfied the whippet in question is being well kept.

For our final stop of the morning we meet with Stroud District Council's dog warden, Natasha Anderson.

Phil is often required to work with staff from other agencies.

This time, a report of a dog causing a nuisance on the streets of Minchinhampton turns out to be a false alarm.

On some occasions the powers of an inspector are limited but that should change when the new animal welfare bill is introduced.

"The current laws are almost 100 years old," he says.

"The new one will mean we can act before cruelty actually happens."

The bill, which successfully completed its second reading in the House of Commons in January, will mean owners are legally obliged to take proper care of their pets.

Bans on the cosmetic docking of dogs' tails, on wild animals in circuses and on commercial pet fairs were also suggested.

Much of the organisation's re-homing work relies on goodwill, which is partly because the nearest RSPCA headquarters is in Shrewsbury.

The South Cotswolds branch is currently raising money to build an animal home somewhere in south Gloucestershire but until then it relies on the use of a private cattery and kennels.

A lot of smaller animals rescued such as rabbits, gerbils and badgers are looked after temporarily at a farm in Cheltenham.

Occasionally however, the animals rescued are slightly too large for an inspector's white van.

"I knew an inspector who had to home a circus elephant," says Phil.

"A friend of ours in Surrey who happened to be a vet said he could take him and ended up keeping the animal for six months.

"He even had had his own camel too - in fact his garden was a bit of a circus in its own right."

*For any more information on the RSPCA log on to www.rspca-southcotswolds.org.uk