The Scottish SPCA has confirmed the reception areas in its rescue centres will open again from today.
The charity’s nine animal rescue and rehoming centres will once again welcome visitors back to their receptions, which will be open from 1pm to 4pm daily, for the first time since early 2020.
Members of the public will be able to chat to the team, drop in donations or get help with filling in their rehoming applications.
However, perhaps the biggest change to come to the way the SSPCA operates will be that members of the public will no longer be able to access the centres and view animals in the same way that they could prior to 2020.
Full centres will not be open to the public as the charity’s animal care teams have noticed a considerable improvement in the temperament and behaviour of animals during the pandemic.
Many of the animals in the Scottish SPCA’s care need dedicated rehabilitative support and animals have been considerably less stressed without the presence of people they don’t know around them.
The Scottish SPCA cared for over 7,000 pets in 2021, with many coming from difficult backgrounds of abuse or neglect, or had never experienced a kennel environment. During the pandemic, with their centres closed to the public, the Society began to see the animal welfare benefits first-hand.
The Society now rehomes animals online and carries out virtual home checks. This has helped to speed up the rehoming process and find homes for thousands of animals. The reception areas will be open every day for people to pop in to discuss rehoming.
Chief executive Kirsteen Campbell said: “When our centres were forced to close due to the pandemic, we saw quite a drastic improvement in the stress levels of many animals. We have sorely missed having members of the public in our centres for the past two years and are excited to welcome people back albeit in a slightly different capacity. Ultimately, this new approach is the best thing for the welfare of the animals we care for.
“Some animals can find it quite overwhelming in a busy centre, especially if many of the faces they see are unknown to them. We’re optimistic our new way of operating will combine the best of both worlds, where animal welfare is prioritised and people can still pop in to discuss rehoming or drop off a donation.”
One such animal was Audrey the Jack Russell, who came into the care of the charity’s Lanarkshire Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre as part of a large group of terriers that had been kept in farm like conditions with little to no handling or human contact. As a result of this, she was extremely nervous and fearful of people and any sudden movements.
It took a long time for the team to gain Audrey's trust and get her used to being on the lead to go for walks or be petted.
The animal care team now has more dedicated time to rehabilitate animals like Audrey. This reduces the amount of time she spends in a kennel environment and frees up space for another animal which needs the Scottish SPCA’s help.
For other animals, the lack of visitors has meant they have been able to have a calmer and less stressful experience in a kennel environment.
Graeme Innes, deputy head of field operations, said, “For many dogs, members of the public walking around can be very exciting and frustrating as they have no way of getting to the people they can see. This can lead to them excessively barking, jumping or spinning and eventually becoming distressed. As people visited throughout the day they’d be stuck in a cycle of this behaviour and find it very difficult to settle."
Receptions in all nine of the Scottish SPCA’s will be open daily from 1pm until 4pm. Anyone looking to adopt can view and apply for all the animals the charity currently has available here: https://bit.ly/3tzEabv
If anyone is unable to apply online for any reason they should visit the centre’s reception during opening hours for assistance with completing the form.
