Going on holiday? Leave the dog at home.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/6-MEAL-DAY-AUTOMATIC-PET-FEEDER-FOR-CAT-DOG-HOLIDAY-AUTO-DISPENCER-BOWL-/151444142932?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Kitchen_Steamers_Cookers_PP&var=&hash=item2342c63b54

Cause here is a new revelation in dog care - a bowl that feeds the dog for you!

So, what about an automatic dog walker, or an automatic pet fusser?

What a joke - as if all that a dog needs is food.

I've seen stuff like that before, when I was looking for supplies for Snuffles. I'll probably get something similar for him, just in case I'll be late home one day, so that he still gets his evening meal on time. But he's not a dog. No dog should be left alone for that long - even two days is too long!

I've seen these as well. You get some you can send a message from your phone and it feeds the dog. Only case I can see it being helpful is maybe if you work odd hours?

The only thing i think that it would be useful for is if for example you have an elderly dog who needs medication at certain times and you are away for the day or working, but i would never use it to feed - no dog needs fed at a certain time every day.

I think Dempsey would just bite through it anyway!

I'd also be a bit concerned about bacteria growth - it would encourage owners to just leave their dog to it, without checking the bowl at all. Plus, it wouldn't take long for a smart dog to realise that there's still food inside the feeder.

Mine would also destroy it.

Exactly! Imagine explaining to a vet that your dog has plastic blockages and a perforated gut lining, because you were too lazy to feed him yourself!

Eleanor wrote:Exactly! Imagine explaining to a vet that your dog has plastic blockages and a perforated gut lining, because you were too lazy to feed him yourself!

I don't think that would go down at all well with our vets!

Caryll wrote:So, what about an automatic dog walker, or an automatic pet fusser?

What a joke - as if all that a  dog needs is food.

Couldn't agree more!
Law here is..... you cannot leave any animal be it a guinea pig, mouse, cat or dog for more than 24 hrs without a human watering & feeding it.

After 24hrs & 1 min they can remove the animal.

This could be ok for during the day to deliver lunch, but certainly no substitute for responsible ownership.

That's a good law Tracy.

Don't you have a similar law there? Surely you must?

We have many laws for animals here. & they are enforced. It would not be uncommon for a neighbour to call the ranger here if an animal seems unattended for any period. They will come, jump fences, check on the animal, they will even fill an empty water bowl in summer for them, check if they are provided shade, food, etc. If there is no fresh water receptacle provided they will just take the animal! They would normally leave a calling card to contact them & explain yourself unless the animal was in distress, then you get a card & missing animals. If you don't respond the following day...they would come back & charge you.

Although we have laws in place that protect animals, they are vague & will only be enforced by the R$PCA. But even their powers are limited & they have to be accompanied by the police (I believe) if they want to remove an animal.

Our laws are mainly covered by the Five Freedoms and the Five Welfare Needs. Failure to provide for any of these, within reason, allows the RSPCA to confiscate the animals, as long as they have permission from law enforcement to do so.

This could potentially come under all of the Freedoms and Welfare Needs. Although the Needs regarding food and water may not technically apply, if the automatic feeder works properly. The owner would probably receive a severe warning for that one, rather than prosecution.

Ludicrous, or what?

To be honest, I don't blame the RSPCA. They're not law enforcement, so it isn't within their power to take dogs without permission from the police. They can only work with what they have. And really, the Five Freedoms and Five Welfare Needs cover most, if not all, of the issues affecting neglected animals. I just think they should be given the power to actually do something, rather than constantly having to look at guidelines and rulebooks before they act.

The RSPCA here does not need a cop to seize animals here. They can come on the property if an animal is suspected of suffering neglect or they need to check on the welfare of an animal. The RSPCA cannot arrest you. So they can bring cops if there is a danger of you offending them.

If an animal is in obvious distress or suffering from proven neglect, they can to ahead and seize the animals. The UK and AU RSPCA are actually very similar. They only time they can't just go ahead and take the animals is if they 'suspect' that an animal may be being neglected. There has to be proof.

If the homeowner is present, they need to ask permission to gain entry, unless they have already been made aware of a neglected/abused animal, in which case they'll have permission to seize it.

Even if the rspa was law enforcement they wouldn't help the animals in need. Sorry i am very anti RSPCA. Any dealing i have had has been bad and in my opinion they are only after money and fame. Animals are exploited for that.

I'm afraid I think along the same lines as Hayley. Not all R$PCA are bad, not by any means. But the organisation seems to be more to do with publicity and money making than animal welfare.

That's fair enough! I know there are very mixed opinions about the RSPCA, but I recently got to know a woman on my course, who was the branch manager for the RSPCA. It was very nice and eye-opening to hear things from her point of view. We did politely disagree on a couple of points, such as neutering, but that's bound to happen.

I asked about the whole 'money, money, money' reputation that the RSPCA has and, surprisingly enough, she partly agreed. The pen-pushers, way up in the business, are the ones who care about all of the money and ultimately make the decisions. However, the people who actually get their hands dirty in their work, helping the animals, care much more about welfare.

Hayley wrote:Even if the rspa was law enforcement they wouldn't help the animals in need. Sorry i am very anti RSPCA. Any dealing i have had has been bad and in my opinion they are only after money and fame. Animals are exploited for that.

I must say that here, they do take animal welfare very seriously.

Not all RSPCA workers are bad. I accept that.

But many are, and really can't be bothered with seemingly 'unimportant' reports of animals being mistreated in some way.

A recent report on the UK RSPCA showed that only about 45% of donations actually go directly to animal welfare cases. The rest goes on administration.

We have the same problem here with donations but they do follow up pr sieze if needed here.

I would not want them on my door, even for a false accusation, for fear of them taking my dogs. You get one warning here, (maybe 2) then,  bye bye dogs till you show they are incorrect.