Pet Protectors

By Kylie Mitchell

RSPCA Queensland is a non-government, community-based charity dedicated to protecting the welfare of all animals - great and small. But don't be fooled, it's not all about cute and fluffy puppies and kittens waiting for adoption. Like any job it has its good days and bad, ugly and rewarding. I recently caught up with Minnie and Karen, two of the many tirelessly working animal careers and a few other passing friendly faces at the Fairfield RSPCA and had a chat about what it was like to work at the shelter.

Both Minnie and Karen have been working at the RSPCA for over two and a half years, and had a lot to say about what they were working towards achieving within the wider community.

What is it like to work at the RSPCA?

We don't consider it a job; it is more like a big family. We love each other, shock each other and sometimes scare each other, but we are all here for a common cause and look out for one another. No matter what the day has in store there will always be someone there to support you.

What is an average day for you?

Everyday is different, but an average day starts early in the morning with cleaning pens and feeding, moving animals into their designated area for the day including de-sexing. Followed by animal assessment for re-housing, maintenance of the shelter and then in the afternoon it starts all over again with settling the animals in for the night and feeding.

What are some of the strangest animals you have ever had at the shelter?

I wouldn't necessarily say we have had a lot of strange animals brought in, but we do get a lot of native wildlife including birds, possums, the occasional koala and now and then a peacock. A while back we had a snake brought in that had been attacked with a nail gun.

It is easy to imagine what would be the toughest part of your job, but what would you say is the most rewarding?

The best part of the job is to see animals being re-homed and especially seeing the cruelty cases recover and be homed with loving families.

General consensus is that you will usually find a large population of Lesbians working with animals. Is there a large representation of the community working at the shelter?

There is a good representation of the community working at the Fairfield shelter, around half a dozen and others across Queensland. It is a great environment to work within.

What mottos do you live your life by?

M- “ Be the change you want to see”

K - “A greatness of its nation will be judged by how they treat there animals”

I imagine that volunteers would play are huge role in the Shelter. If people want to volunteer how would they go about it?

We are always looking for more volunteers to help out around the shelter from walking the animals to helping out with maintenance. All the information for volunteering can be found on the website on the volunteer's page.

Any parting words of wisdom?

“Don't litter, de-sex”, get your pet micro chipped.

If you would like any information about what the RSPCA does or how to volunteer then go to www.rspcaqld.org.au Of course monetary donations are always appreciated but so are any old blankets, sheets or newspaper. So if you have any other these items lying around the house gathering dust, then drop them off at your local shelter, as they can never have too many.