31 January 2021

In line with the WA Government's measures to protect the community from the possible spread of COVID-19, RSPCA WA has made some changes to our operations to ensure we can continue to provide animal protection services to the community, and continue to treat the animals in our care.

Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram for regular updates.

Follow these links to the information you are looking for:

Inspectorate Operations

Adoptions

Dog Training and Puppy Kindy

RSPCA's Reloved boutiques and RSPCA Op Shops

COVID-19 and Your Pets

General Information and Recommended Links

 

Inspectorate

The RSPCA WA Cruelty Hotline remains open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to take your calls about legitimate, urgent animal cruelty and animal welfare concerns in your community. Call 1300 278 358 to make a report, or you can make a report online. 

RSPCA Inspectors will follow-up on major incidents and critical cases during the next 5 days. Inspectors are equipped with PPE to protect themselves and members of the community with whom they might come into contact. 

Please do not be offended if Inspectors do not shake your hand when introducing themselves. This is one of the common sense measures they are taking to protect your health and theirs.

If you have concerns about lost or stray animals, or nuisance cats and dogs, please contact your local government rangers. These matters do not fall under the Animal Welfare Act 2002 and as such, RSPCA WA is unable to respond to these types of calls.

Adoptions

Adoptions will be temporarily suspended. Staff will remain on site to care for all the animals currently at the Shelter. The team is also on hand to provide remote assistance to foster carers.

RSPCA WA will continue to operate as the pound for City of Joondalup. If you have lost your dog or cat in these areas, please call 08 9209 9323.

There will be no public access to the site for at least the next 5 days (31 Jan-5 Feb inclusive).

Dog Training

All RSPCA Dog Training and Puppy Kindy classes are temporarily suspended for at least the next 5 days (31 Jan-5 Feb). If your have a class over this period, a representative will be in touch with advice and alternate arrangements.

As the situation with COVID-19 restrictions is uncertain, future Dog Training and Puppy Kindy bookings might be affected. You will be advised of any changes via SMS and/or email prior to your course commencement.

Retail Stores

RSPCA WA Op Shops in Mirrabooka and Bibra Lake, RSPCA's Reloved Stores in North Perth, Subiaco and Fremantle, and the RSPCA retail store at the Animal Care Centre will be closed to the public for at least the next 5 days (31 Jan-5 Feb).

Please DO NOT leave any donations at our Op Shops or Reloved stores over this period. You should not be out and about over this period.

COVID-19 and your pets

There is currently no evidence that domestic animals play a role in the spread of the human novel coronavirus disease COVID-19.

RSPCA’s Knowledgebase website has some great information and FAQs about pet care during COVID-19.

If you’re concerned about your pet’s health, ring your vet to ask for advice. They will be able to work with you to ensure your pet receives the care they need while keeping their staff safe from COVID-19 infection.

Recommendations

• WEAR A MASK! It is WA Government mandate that you MUST wear a mask whenever you are not in your home.
• Wash your hands regularly and especially before and after touching animals, and before eating and drinking (if unable to wash, use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser)
• Try to refrain from touching your face
• Avoid close contact with other people – don’t shake hands or kiss when greeting
• Always sneeze or cough into a tissue and then discard the tissue into a bin

If you or your companion animal show symptoms, quarantine in your house and seek advice from your doctor and veterinarian by telephone.

We are very concerned about the indirect impacts of this pandemic – for example, people losing work or income and struggling to afford pet food and vet care bills.

We’d like to remind pet owners that it’s OK to ask for help. If you’re struggling to care for your pets, please talk to your friends and family, or contact a local shelter, rescue group, or the RSPCA.

How to care for your pets while in lockdown

While we are all in lockdown, you can still take care of your pets. They are likely to be welcome company while you are restricted to your home. 

Some ideas for mental stimulation for your pets:

• Use Kongs when feeding your dog
• Hide treats in your house and yard
• Make frozen treats for them
• Keep plenty of different toys that you can rotate
• Play games with them such as fetch
• Do some basic training with them. (What better opportunity to make sure they know all the basics, like sit, stay, lie down and come?) 

 

General Information and Recommended Links

It is important to know the facts. A lot of information that is being distributed on social media is unreliable, simply not correct, or might not relate to the situation in your community. If you find yourself overwhelmed with conflicting information from different sources, take a break from social media for a while and rely on information from trusted sources – reliable news services, and the WA Government Health Authorities.

You can also find more reliable information here:

RSPCA Australia 

WA Dept of Health

How you can help

RSPCA WA relies on generous donations and community support for around 90% of what it costs to carry out our animal protection work.

While COVID-19 is having an impact on many aspects of our lives, sadly, animal cruelty has not stopped. We will still need your support to help fight cruelty: We still need to keep inspectors on the roads; we still need to provide medical treatment and care for animals suffering cruelty and neglect; and we still need to provide shelter for animals in need.

You can help by donating to our latest appeal or setting up an automatic monthly donation. You can also call 08 9209 9311 to speak to our donor care team who can assist you make a donation over the phone.

Thank you for your support.