Looking back: A decade as RSPCA M&S Branch Manager by Susie

When I started as manager at the RSPCA Manchester & Salford branch 10 years ago I could not have imagined what my work could be like 10 years down the line. I'm not sure I could have even imagined still being here 10 years later, but I think that is testament to the fact that this is such a varied and unique job.

In 2008 the RSPCA Manchester & Salford Branch consisted of one charity shop with 2 part time staff and 2 animal rehoming staff. I laugh now, but I didn't even drive back then! Thankfully it was a condition of my employment that I had to learn to drive and within a year I had passed my test. Now in 2018 my job is largely out and about on the road, we have 5 charity shops with 13 retail staff, 3 p/t rehoming staff and an office administrator. The branch now needs over half a million a year to operate, which is no mean feat to achieve as a self-funding charity.

In 2008 we admitted just over 300 cats, dogs and rabbits. We had a handful of foster carers back then and paid to keep our animals in private boarding establishments. By the end of 2018 we will have admitted in the region of 500 cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats and reptiles. We still operate largely out of boarding facilities but have a considerable network of dedicated volunteer foster carers to help us specialise in rehabilitating animals who cannot cope in a ‘kennel’ environment. These days we have carved a name for ourselves for helping animals with complex health and behavioural issues. We love nothing more than helping a cat that requires extensive care to help save a limb, a rabbit gradually adjust to life outside a cage or a lizard struggling to heal from its former life of deprivation.

Shout out to our volunteer cat cuddlers  who brave the elements to make life in a cattery so much more enjoyable for our feline residents!

The striking diversity of the animals the RSPCA Manchester and Salford Branch now admits reflects how we have adapted to best support the needs of the National RSPCA inspectorate to do their job (we are a separately registered charity to the National Society but work closely with them to take in animals they rescue). Our focus is ever more on rabbit admissions, with a monthly vet bill that routinely exceeds £3,000 for just this one species. Then there is the Reptile Project at the Stockport Adoption Centre where we admit a small range of inspector rescued lizards and snakes thanks to Support Adoption for Pets and Pets at Home installing a suite of vivaria in their Stockport store. This is a partnership project with the National RSPCA and we work closely together and financially support the cost of rehabilitating and rehoming these animals. Sadly we see first hand how these poor creatures suffer as a result of ill-advised husbandry, and you wouldn’t believe the number of stray reptiles the inspectors collect once there are a few hot days in summer!

The state of the art RSPCA Stockport Reptile Project at Pets at Home!

Myself and Mr Beardie at our first community Reptile Roadshow welfare event, 2010. Now we have our own Reptile Adoption Centre!

Of course all of this has broadened my knowledge beyond belief. It is an absolute privilege to work with such a wide range of animals under the guidance of experts and a relentlessly committed team of people. It steered me to consolidate my knowledge with a qualification from Bristol University in Companion Animal Welfare and Behaviour in 2014. My savings never did recover after that but I am all the better for the education and continue with CPD to this day.

Over the last 10 years the RSPCA Manchester and Salford Branch has been recognised for its contribution to animal welfare. Highlights include:

-       2008 RSPCA North Region Branch Welfare Award for work in the community

-       2010 RSPCA North Region Branch Welfare Award for work in the community

-       Highest intake of RSPCA inspectorate animals of a branch without an animal centre: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018

-       Highest animal rehoming of a branch without an animal centre 2016, 2017, 2018.

-       2017 our former rehoming co-ordinator Deb Beats was accepted to train as an RSPCA Inspector. We are proud to report she graduated in November 2018 and is now a fully fledged Inspector working in the region.

-       Michelle Flower, our rehoming co-ordinator, won RSPCA Animal Care Assistant (North) for 2018.

Inspector Deb being proudly displayed by volunteer Hannah! Nov. 2018

Michelle (centre) enjoying her novelty prize from the branch following her win! Oct. 2018

I am hugely proud of the RSPCA Manchester & Salford Branch’s achievements. Our team is amazing and everyone seems so connected to what we do. Without everyone’s contribution we simply could not function. Every person’s contribution, passion, love and commitment means that each year we really make a difference to so many individuals. The team are what drive me to keep going, along with the supporters and donors who show us that they care on a regular basis. Like the unfamiliar donor who sends in a cheque, or the adopter who emails an update 5 years after they took their beloved animal home, the adopter who comes back to us for a new companion, or the supporter who sends us an email to say thank you for doing what we do. These things spur me on.

We LOVE to hear from adopters and now (unlike 10 years ago) many go on to have their own Instagram accounts like Barrington Bubbles aka Barry!

Nikita enjoying some of the many donations we receive from our amazing supporters!

When I first wrote this blog I went into detail about how challenging and difficult the job can be and documented some of the most upsetting cases I had seen over the years. But then an encounter occurred that made feel like celebrating rather than dwelling on the sadness that we see. One Saturday recently a potential adopter came to meet a pedigree cat that had been used for breeding purposes. The cat was timid and generally worried about life and needed a very special home. As soon as the cat and the visitor met each other they formed an instant connection and purring commenced for the next 15 minutes! I encouraged the potential adopter to stay as long as she wanted but after 20 minutes she said she had to go because a taxi was running for her outside. It transpired that the lady had been let down with a lift and travelled a good 30 minutes via a taxi to make sure ‘she did not let the cat down just like her previous owner had’. The lady said she knew from the moment she saw her photograph on the website that this was the cat for her. When the time came to leave tears began to well because she did not want to leave her behind. She knew how special this little girl was and what a difference she could make to her life. I was so moved and in an instant the horrors of the week melted away. It’s moments like these that set you up to keeping fighting on.

I am grateful to have been a part of something so special over the last 10 years. I am grateful to the people who have made it so special and for motivating and inspiring me, and above all making me smile when I have felt like I have nothing left to smile about. The next 10 years will likely be much of the same, but one thing is for sure, I’ll still keep admitting more animals than we have space for!