What is the RSPCA's role? The RSPCA have no requirement by law to deal with stray dogs. In fact if they do accept responsibility of a stray dog and do not pass it on to the Local Authority they must retain the dog for 28 days, just the same as a MOP who chooses to retain a stray dog.

Environmental Protection Act 1990 (sections 149-151) established the duty of the local authority to appoint an officer to deal with stray dogs.
Clean Neighbourhood and Environment Act 2005 (section 6 - implemented in April 2008 - made local authorities the sole responder for stray dogs, when before the police and local authorities shared the responsibility

Hello JayT18, thanks for the info.
Pop over to "Introductions" and say hello. It's what we like people do before jumping into an old and controversial thread.

My opinion

If you are talking about the company (lets face it, they are practically a company now) then BAD

If you are talking about the self-funded, independent RSPCA down the road, then GOOD

I believe the main RSPCA is full of corruption. I have read far too many stories of corruption for my liking.... like the independent privately owned rescue who had their local council on their back for years as the council wanted to buy the land.... only to find after finally saying no, that the council had filed a neglect case on them with the RSPCA. The RSPCA demanded (from what I remember rightly) they either sign their land over to the council, or they pay a fine. The land was signed over and the RSPCA did nothing for the rescues animals, and didnt assist with finding them alternative accommodation or new homes....

The RSPCA gets so much money, but not much at all goes back to helping the animals (or staff) at grass roots level.

I deal with the RSPCA in the following ways:

1) I never ever give funds to the main charity
2) I will always give funds / help the local RSPCA rescue
3) I always contact local independant rescues and wildlife charities if I need assistance,

Thankfully, I have never had to deal with the RSPCA over a cruelty case and it must be unbearable to watch an animal suffering while the very few Inspectors the RSCPA have struggle to assist in an appropriate manner and time frame.

Police good or bad? NHS good or bad? BBC good or bad?
When you're talking about a big national organisation it's impossible to have a clear cut answer. The reality shown here is it depends on your personal experience and also on your expectations.
I think the RSPCA does a very poor job of managing expectations and creates problems for itself in not defining its role. For example; the RSPCA is not responsible for stray dogs, that's the local Council's responsibility but wouldn't it be better to explain that rather than give a flat “not us”?
The RSPCA as an organisation can be highhanded but so can a lot of charities. The charity sector as a whole could do with being a bit more, well...charitable!
In the final analysis, however, the RSPCA do great work under difficult circumstances. So...GOOD!

Just to clear up the point on strays. Local Authorities have sole responsibility for strays except for dangerous dogs and dogs worrying livestock where the police retain some responsibilities.
Finders of strays have certain duties under the law. They must either return the dog to its owner (if the owner can be identified) or take it to the local authority in the area where it was found.
Local authorities are obliged to accept dogs 24/7 but may only have one "acceptance point" and if you're in a big Council area that might be quite a drive...so you may not want to go "finding" strays!
If you take a stray to the local authority you can request to look after it. They then have a duty to ensure you are able to look after the dog properly. If the authority allows you to look after the dog you are obliged to keep it for 28 days at your own expense.
After 28 days most Councils will allow you to retain custody of the dog but may make stipulations such as a requirement to neuter.
The dog is never legally yours and if anyone is able to prove ownership you must give the dog up.

To answer the OP's question we first need to distinguish between the RSPCA as a national organisation (supposedly) dedicated to preventing cruelty to animals (BAD!!!!!)' and the RSPCA as a network of semi-independent local centres/clinics/kennels (some excellent, some good, some indifferent and some BAD).
As a national organisation, I have little other than contempt for the RSPCA. Any organisation which gave its name and weight to the dreadful DDA deserves no respect from dog people. Any organisation which employed the moronic ex-chief vet Mark Evans with his ridicuous views on pedigree dog showing as a "parade of mutants" deserves no respect; and any organisation which seems to be designed to raise more and more money just for its own sake should throw away its pretensions of being a charity and "come out" as a money-making business.

As a local organisation, we have had some good experiences - despite the "unwritten rule" referred to above, some branches do work with breed rescues. Others have been dreadful -like the inspector who came to our house in late October one year in response to a "cruelty" claim from a jealous neighbour. Having been really snotty and to his obvious displeasure found only healthy and much-loved dogs, he inspected our dog yards and complained that there were leaves in the yard. (Our garden is overhung by a row of eight 60foot high deciduous trees - all busily losing their golden leaves in the autumnal breeze). Up to that point I had been polite, but I had to throw him out then. As he left, he threatened that he would be back - not to check on the dogs, but to check on the leaves!!!!!! We never saw him again!

Mick

I have no time for the RSPCA

WTF????!!!

I also have no time for them (the SSPCA in this case). My friend works for German Shepherd Rescue and she has told me some shocking stories!

and the RSPCA is national as in ENGLAND not britain, they have done loads of fundraising up here before under the guise of helping animals only for the SSPCA up here to have lost out on donations as it went to RSPCA and for people donating to find out they do not even work up here!!

I only have one experience, I phoned about a goose that looked sick on the canal, I went past 3 mornings in a row and it was stood in the same spot, hard to explain but it looked scared to get in the water and was stood kind of funny. I couldn't get to it as it was at the opposite side of the canal (not on the walk way). Phoned them and they said it was probably nesting, it wasn't I've seen them nesting, it was just stood there. The next morning I went past it was dead in the canal
There were 9 geese at one point, there's only 4 now, the others have all died in the last year