The RSPCA - There for you 24/7

Young pet, there's a place you can go.

I said, young pet, when you're short on your dough.

You can go there, and I'm sure you will find

Many ways to get in good health !

It's good to go to the R-S-P-C-A

It's good to go to the R-S-P-C-A

You can get yourself clean, you can have a good meal,

You can do whatever you feel ... !

Yes OK OK, put your Village People feather headresses and workmen's belts away and stop tying yourselves up in knots trying to bend your bodies into an R and an S shape for the chorus. Despite the silly start, this is in fact a serious post.

I'm sure most of you know what the RSPCA (The Royal Society for  the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is all about but just in case you don't, here are some interesting, not to mention very impressive, facts and figures. "The RSPCA has been caring for sick, abandoned and injured animals since 1824. Today the RSPCA receives an emergency call every 30 seconds – which is more than 1.25 million phone calls a year. Every day the RSPCA responds to around 1,000 incidents a day, rescuing, caring for and re-homing animals that have been trapped, abandoned or hurt whether it’s 2pm or 2am. What’s more, the RSPCA is funded entirely by voluntary donations."

TV shows like Pet Rescue and Animal Hospital really gave an insight into the great and often gruelling work that the RSPCA officers carry out on a daily basis, rescuing animals that get into trouble or have been sadly neglected by their owners. Well, if you love these kinds of programmes, you'll be over the moon to learn about the RSPCA Frontline twitter account (@RSPCA_Frontline), where you can follow RSPCA Inspector Tony Woodley while he is on call. It's a fascinating and at times heartbreaking glimpse into the RSPCA's work. Just a few of his latest tweets have been :

#rspca WW: SNAKE. NECK TRAPPED IN GREEN NETTING GOING ROUND GOOSEBERRY BUSHES. SEEMS VERY ALERT. CALLER UNABLE TO RELEASE

#rspca SSW: GULL. ON FLAT ROOF SURROUNDED BY 4 WALL. 10FT SQ. BIRD NOT GOT ENOUGH ROOM TO TAKE OFF. KEEPS FLYING INTO WALLS.

#rspca WW: DUCK. CHILDREN SEEN KICKING DUCK ON ROAD YSTRDAY EVENING. CALLER RESCUED. DON’T THINK IS INJURED. DOESN'T KNOW WHO CHILDREN WERE

#rspca SSW: CAT. PULLING FUR OUT. BLEEDING FROM MOUTH & NOSE. OWNER TOLD CALLER IT'S NORMAL & WAS UNCONCERNED ABOUT THE BLOOD

Ooh it's more exciting than watching a soap opera !

A 24-hour Tweetathon is being hosted on the twitter account to raise awareness of the relentless work that the RSPCA Frontline team undertake to help animals around the clock. There will be 24 blog posts (including this one) in 24 hours throughout the Tweetathon event, emulating a day in the life of a Frontline Inspector, with the hope that this will raise the profile of the RSPCA on Twitter and also generate much-needed donations. (That means you ! Get your credit card out !)

They really do need your money. The RSPCA’s duties extend beyond the rescue of animals that have been abandoned or abused – they are there to care for animals whatever the situation, and have helped many grateful owners be reunited with their pets – whatever hour of the day or night. They even have dedicated vets and clinics throughout the country that offer affordable (or even free, in some cases) treatments - see http://www.rspca.org.uk/in-action/whatwedo/vetcare for more details. As a charity, this is a wonderful service and can only be sustained through donations.

The RSPCA also dedicate much of their site to providing no nonsense and comprehensive advice on looking after animals in order to prevent accidents or injury - get yourself all clued up at http://www.rspca.org.uk/allaboutanimals/pets/general/-/article/CAD_GeneralPetCare.

The RSPCA offer emergency call-out support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. As a pet owner and an animal lover, that's hugely reassuring. When our dog Vicky decided to have her puppies at 4am, it was very reassuring to know that, if she got into trouble, there was somebody on hand at the end of the phone with advice.

Join in with the 24-hour Tweetathon @RSPCA_Frontline from 10am on 3rd August and help spread the word !

for more information :

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