After so many people saying that they were upset and disgusted with the conditions that the Sheffield Council dogs and kennel staff were subjected to - I am please to report some brilliant changes

I have been to the kennels today to collect some dogs. The workmen are in and working away at getting the heating repaired and the electrics fixed.

Since the RSPCA left a few months ago - I think the changes were proposed to the council - that the conditions were terrible that the staff had to work under, and that we were ashamed that our stray and lost dogs were having to endure those old terrible conditons.

So - by making those requests and complaints - the Council have listened and improvements are under-way.

I have also spoken to their manager at Environmental Services and asked if they will display street signs - directing people to the kennels and maybe putting up some decent signs on the front of the big blue painted wall - that shows that this is where the kennels are. They are looking into it and hopefully they will be going ahead.

We produce a brilliant poster which we have sent out to 120 vets throughout South Yorkshire and Derbyshire (paid for by Rain Rescue and donated by a volunteer), and the council are also looking at promoting advertising of the kennels to let the public know where the kennels are in the hope that we can find homes for those lost dogs.

Anyway - just wanted to highlight the good work - as well as the bad. No doubt we wll still be on at them requesting something - but its good to know we are moving forward.

That is absolutely brilliant news, it will be a lot better in there for animals and humans alike :D and be great if the sign posts go up too as people seem to get quite confused as to where the kennels are, well done SCC for making much needed improvements :thumbsup:

That is good news. Glad to hear things are moving forwards with the pounds Rainrescue.

Thats fantastic news! Just shows you, that you can make a difference. Well done to everyone who expressed concern over the conditions there.

Rainrescue ,,,,, I put this information on a thread last week after I had been down with some bedding the workmen have been in the last twice that I have been down working on improvements. (however the "poster" edited the thread and removed my comments)

I was told that this work could not be done till the RSPCA left the site, which I believe was late last year so the Council must have been planning this for some time, not sure that our rants on here have been altogether justified !!!!. Knowing how long it takes to get someone in to carry out improvements they seem to have been "On the ball" this time.

Such good news for the dogs and the staff, that changes and improvements are being made at last. Let's hope they keep up the work!

Great news makes me sleep so much better:)

Rainrescue ,,,,, I put this information on a thread last week after I had been down with some bedding the workmen have been in the last twice that I have been down working on improvements. (however the "poster" edited the thread and removed my comments)

I was told that this work could not be done till the RSPCA left the site, which I believe was late last year so the Council must have been planning this for some time, not sure that our rants on here have been altogether justified !!!!. Knowing how long it takes to get someone in to carry out improvements they seem to have been "On the ball" this time.


The RSPCA left the site several years ago under compulsory purchase order.

It's really good news that the Council have responded in a positive way to the concerns that have been expressed. Well done to all that applied pressure and worked hard for changes.

Well done Sheffield City Council for acknowledging those concerns. It is a real bonus for the image of the Council to be seen to be doing it's best for the City's stray problem, under extremely difficult circumstances.

Perhaps we could all focus on indiscriminate breeding? I'm sure there are a lot of people that read the threads on this forum, that turn a blind eye to certain things. If you know someone in your neighbourhood that makes money out of breeding dogs, shop them to whichever organisation is appropriate. If they're on certain government benefits, the DWP could be interested and the Fraud Line guarantees anonimity.

Anyone making a living out of breeding dogs, might also be answerable to the Inland Revenue.

The small things like a phone call could make a world of difference not just to the dogs, but your council and tax bills at the end of the day!

Fishpole,,,,The RSPCA only left the site just before christmas 2008, they have been on site since they closed the shelter, and using the main office block as a "clinic" and for a base for their staff until the new shelter opened about mid November.

Breeding of dogs is a seperate issue to this thread but as you bring it up, it is my belief that all dog & cat breeders should be licensed (by someone) so that checks can be made to see that the animals they are "using" are looked after properly, the Kennel Club should be more forthcoming on this as they make a huge ammount of income from registering puppies, they could have a huge impact on this problem if they wished by informing the authorities and other agencies about regular dog breeders that are registering pups with them.

I think you both have raised some brilliant comments on here - can we start a new thread?

Fishpole,,,,The RSPCA only left the site just before christmas 2008, they have been on site since they closed the shelter, and using the main office block as a "clinic" and for a base for their staff until the new shelter opened about mid November.

If this is true, I am horrified by the deception and would have expected anyone contributing to the numerous threads on here to have had the nerve to have posted the facts. There have been council employees and RSPCA staff and volunteers and other volunteer animal lovers all contributing to threads about the state of the pound.

Am I that naive to have missed some sort of conspiracy? How has the questioning of SCC been allowed to progress to the levels it has on this forum, if the RSPCA have retained partial occupancy?

Obviously, I'll just have to monitor this thread awhile.

Breeding of dogs is a seperate issue to this thread but as you bring it up, it is my belief that all dog & cat breeders should be licensed (by someone) so that checks can be made to see that the animals they are "using" are looked after properly, the Kennel Club should be more forthcoming on this as they make a huge ammount of income from registering puppies, they could have a huge impact on this problem if they wished by informing the authorities and other agencies about regular dog breeders that are registering pups with them.

Whilst I agree with you, I'm resigned to admitting that it is a separate issue for the moment.

I can give my understanding of the workings/runnings - however, there has been no deception. It has been, what it has been.

The site at Spring Street has been owned by the RSPCA since the year blob. When the proposal for the new ring road was put forward - this meant that the site was potentially going to be bulldozed. The RSPCA quite rightly - were desperate for new premises. A site was identified (after many years and hard work), that was affordable for the RSPCA to use - and more importantly - would receive approval to be used as a kennel. It almost ticked all the boxes that the RSPCA wanted - one priority was that - people could get to it pretty easily. ie on a bus route - by the motorway or main roads of the whole city.

However, because so many sites had been turned down when planning permission had been requested - delays upon delays upon delays - resulted in the Spring Street kennels having to be closed for main access - before the RSPCA had a new site up and running. Thats why Sheffield was without an RSPCA full running centre for the 2 year gap.

At the same time, the council were looking for a place in which to house the stray dogs. I don't think any boarding kennels wanted the contract - or maybe more rightly - the price wasn't right for the pair of them.

So, the RSPCA were closed down - and the land bought off the RSPCA - giving the Sheffield branch the ready cash to purchase the land and start building the kennels on the new site. This is where I'm a bit wooly and don't know all the facts. However, how it ended up was that

The RSPCA Sheffield site (not the RSPCA Inspectors) continued to use the main block (the building with the murals on it) for the first year after closure. The Sheffield Council 'rented' in some way - the kennels at the back. The kennels were a terrible state - in bad conditions and they needed money spending on them to make them safe and usable - obviously not something they could do until they were really theirs (however, how either he RSPCA or the Council could manage to work in such conditions and get away with Health and Safety conditions I truly don't know). But thats how it was. After the floods last year - the building at the front wasn't fit for the RSPCA office staff to continue working there - and so they vacated the site altogether - leaving the council working at the kennels only - shoe horned into working out of the cattery. A terrible situation - I have seen worse - but not when owned/run by a council.

So as people were complaining about the conditions - they were very true, very needed, and very bad. Everyone said othing could be done - but I would bet if a boarding kennel were trying to operate in that situation and conditions they would (and should) be closed down.

So - as the RSPCA moved out - yes - it was then open and ok for the Council to start making changes to the building and be fit for working conditions for council employees to be working in. I've no idea why they weren't done before - they should have been better - for the staff and the dogs and people who saw it and witnessed it and cared - knew it should.

I truly do believe that by pressure being put on the council that conditions were not acceptable - that accidents would be happening if things didn't improve - made them sit up and listen and ensure that changes were implemented.

I have been down there when there was no electricity at all. I have walked through water full of poo - because the drains didn't work - the building and site is so old. Obviously things couldn't be done because of the ownership of it all - and thats now sorted out.

Hope that long winded answer ties it up for all.