The WET NOSE Animal Rescue Centre Mission is to…
The Wet Nose Animal Rescue Centre is a registered ‘right to life’ animal sanctuary that is involved in the rehabilitation and re-homing of abused, unwanted and neglected animals.
Our Vision is…
- to rehabilitate and re-home abandoned neglected and unwanted animals;
- to support owners in distress and offer a personal service to owners and animals alike;
- to educate the public, especially children and to eradicate ignorance about animals;
- to facilitate the adoption of animals into caring homes;
- to ensure that every animal has a caring and loving home;
- to actively promote sterilisation programmes as an animal population control measure; and
- to have every animal identifiable by a tag and as an alternative a microchip.
ANIMALS IN ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORT
WET NOSE opposes…
- the use of animals in any sport which is contrary to the nature of the animal;
- the use of animals in sports where animals are pitted against animals or humans;
- the use of any animal as entertainment for humans, such as circuses and live animals put on display in shopping centres; and
- the giving of live animals as prizes for whatever reason.
WET NOSE accepts…
that live animals may from time to time be used in films, television and theatre productions, but they must be treated in such a way that it causes no suffering or indignity to the animal. No animal may be portrayed in a manner derogatory to its species or breed.
WILDLIFE AND CONSERVATION
WET NOSE opposes…
the catching and killing of wild animals unless it is absolutely necessary for the welfare of the animal or they are posing a threat to the safety of humans and believe they may only be killed when all efforts to relocate them have been exhausted; and
any form of hunting of wild animals and actively opposes the practice of ‘canned’ hunting.
DEFINITIONS
- Abuse: Includes physical abuse as well as treating the animal in an undignified way and/or depriving the animal of adequate shelter, food and water.
- Animal: Includes all sentient creatures male or female.
- Mutilation: Includes any physical alteration of an animal, e.g. tail docking, ear clipping etc.
- Neglect: Includes not receiving appropriate medical attention, food, water and shelter.
- Suffering: Includes injury, illness, fear, stress and behavioural distress.
REHOMING
WET NOSE believes…
- that every animal deserves a loving and caring home and will do everything in its powers to find each and every animal in its care a home;
- that some are there because there owners no longer want them and have asked Wet Nose to find another home for them. Others are cared for at Wet Nose because their owners hurt, mistreated or abandoned them;
- that Wet Nose looks after all these animals and makes sure that they are comfortable and well fed. When the animals are strong and healthy, new homes are found for them. These animals are never sold, people, who give them good homes, adopt these animals by making a donation towards their upkeep, sterilisation, vaccinations and medical treatment. Even after the adoption and re-homing of a Wet Nose animal, this animal remains the property of Wet Nose and may not be sold or given to another person without the prior consent and approval of Wet Nose Animal Rescue Centre. Should the person adopting the animals be unable to keep the animal anymore, the animal has to be given back to Wet Nose Animal Rescue Centre with all the proper documentation.
WET NOSE will…
- carefully screen prospective foster animal owners before allowing an adoption to take place;
- inspect the property where the animal is to be homed to ensure that it is adequate for the specific breed;
- not allow any adult animal to be adopted before it has been sterilised and will ensure that all puppies and kittens adopted from WET NOSE are sterilised when it reaches the appropriate age;
- assist the new foster owners with the introduction of the animal into their home should they have other animals and where otherwise necessary;
- advise the new foster owners on the feeding and care of the animal;
- follow up on adoptions by doing a post-adoption inspection of the animal in its new environment one month after the adoption; and
- pregnant animals: depending on the merits of the situation should a pregnant female animal be adopted by a foster owner, an Annexure relating to these cases will be completed detailing the rules and regulations together with the adoption/re-homing form. The animal(s) born from this female will remain the property of Wet Nose and will be returned back to Wet Nose who will then re-home the animal according to the Wet Nose procedures and sterilise the female when the animal(s) are the age of eight weeks. This will only be done in cases where the female animal’s life could be endangered should termination of the pregnancy be considered by a qualified veterinarian.
OTHER ANIMALS
WET NOSE believes…
that where animals are used in farming, those animals should be treated with the same respects and cares as any other animal.
WET NOSE accepts…
that the practice of slaughtering animals for food will continue, but advocates that such slaughtering must be done in as humane a fashion as possible and only in registered slaughterhouses.
WET NOSE totally opposes…
the slaughter of animals for any ritualistic purpose.
ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION
WET NOSE is totally opposed to…
the use of animals in experimentation, but accepts that in certain cases this may happen but believes that any animal used in experimentation may not be exposed to any suffering, unnecessary repetition or procedures where alternatives already exist.
WET NOSE supports…
the phasing out of animal experimentation through the development of new procedures and techniques to completely replace the use of animals in experimentation.
WET NOSE believes that…
- all animals have a right to life; this means the right to a decent life, protected from cruelty, abuse, neglect, mutilation and suffering; and
- that it is the duty of humans to provide for the welfare of animals.
WET NOSE opposes…
the destruction of healthy animals, but accepts that there may be valid cases where euthanasia is the most humane option. These cases may include terminal diseases, animals that represent a danger to humans and/or other animals, suffering, animals unsuitable for re-homing or animals suffering from behavioural distress and insists that such destruction may only be done by methods which have proved to be painless and must be administered by a veterinarian; and
the mass destruction of animals as a population control measure.
WET NOSE is dedicated to…
helping the less advantaged communities care for their animals.
SPECIFIC POLICIES ON: COMPANION ANIMALS
WET NOSE believes that companion animals…
- may only be kept by humans that are totally committed to the welfare of the animals;
- must always have adequate shelter, food, water care and exercise;
- may not be kept chained for any reason and may not be kept locked in a cage;
- may not be mutilated for any reason other than a medical one and the procedure must then be performed by a veterinarian; and
- that the sterilisation of companion animals are vital to the control of the animal population and advocates that this sterilisation happens as early as possible unless there are medical reasons to the contrary.
WET NOSE actively promotes…
- a blacklist book of possible dog speculators and suppliers. No such person will have the opportunity to adopt or care for a Wet Nose animal and Wet Nose has the right to exchange such information to any other welfare organisations to help protect our animals; and
- the licensing and regulation of breeders to ensure humane breeding and the eradication of ‘backyard breeding’ and ‘puppy farms’.
WET NOSE is totally opposed to…
adopting animals out to Security Companies to be used as guard dogs, but accepts that animals are used in Security Companies, Police Force and Prison Services and that the animals must be well cared for in all aspects. Should a guard dog enter the care of Wet Nose, it may be placed out to only the Prison and Police Services on condition that full inspections are done on this animal at any given time and our own discretion. This practice will only be enforced by a meeting of the Board of Directors being in agreement that this is the best option for the animal before euthanasia of the animal is considered; and
the tail docking, ear cropping and de-clawing and devoicing of animals.
FORMS RELATING TO THE ABOVEMENTIONED POLICIES
Dog adoptions - Refer to Dog Re-homing Application Form and Policy
Dogs given as gifts - Refer to Dog Gift Form and Policy
Cat adoptions - Refer to Cat Re-homing Application Form and Policy
Cats given as gifts - Refer to Cat Gift Form and Policy
Dog/Cat sterilisations - Refer to Sterilisation Vouchers Form and Policy
Debit orders and what Wet Nose Animal Rescue Centre is all about - Refer to the Stop Order Application / Debit Order Application Form and Policy
Vaccinations - Refer to the Vaccination Record Card and Policy
Annexure A - Refer to Annexure A |
