University of Queensland/RSPCA $25,000 scholarship to improve marketing of rehomable animals

“UQ Business School honours student Christilene du Plessis has been awarded a $25,000 RSPCA Qld Scholarship to help in the search for an ethical way to find homes for Queensland shelter animals. Read more here

The one-off scholarship, financed by the Petcare Information Advisory Service (PIAS), will fund Ms du Plessis’ market research as part of RSPCA Qld’s one-year trial selling refuge animals through commercial pet shops…”

DRP Comment:

The scholarship money is provided by the Pet Care Advisory Service to the University of Qld…… which is doing the overview of the rehoming of RSPCA pets within pet supply stores.

This Pet Care Advisory Service seems to be funded by Mars.  Interesting they’ve handed over money which will directly benefit shelter dogs.  

http://www.petnet.com.au/about.asp

Yuur thoughts?

RSPCA Queensland tries new approach to increase rehoming for cats and dogs

Courier News: “THE Queensland branch of the RSPCA has broken ranks with the organisation interstate by selling refuge animals in commercial pet shops.

Cats and dogs from RSPCA shelters go on sale today at Petbarn in Lawnton, just north of Brisbane, and the RSPCA’s World for Pets Superstore at Springwood in Logan City, south of Brisbane.

If the trial is successful, other Petbarns and pet shops across the state will be offered RSPCA animals…..”

Read more………

DRP comment: the article speaks about the RSPCA ‘selling’ animals, but we consider this an innacurate label to a trial designed to rehome more rescued animals AND replace traditional pet shop sourced puppies and kittens. RSPCA Queensland CEO Mark Townend told us:

“I picked 4 pet shops that I were believed were “good” examples of pet shops and then sent our Scientific Officer out to inspect the premises with an extensive checklist. The pet shop owners were aware of why we were doing the Inspection and were very open to us.  At this point we started with just one of those pet shops.

I really believe it can make a differences by getting undesexed animals from unknown sources out of petshops and replace them with desexed RSPCA animals that need a home.

This has been done completely independently of PIAA.”

We say: “Well done RSPCA Queensland”

Tell us what you think! We’re interested in your views!