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Animal Rescue Shelter needs your help
#1
Hi animal lovers, 

I work at an animal shelter, we are no-kill and really care about animal well being. Some people who apply for a dog/cat are complete idiots and thinks this is about them when it's about the animals, we don't care if you don't like us, we don't think your 3 and half apartment is suitable for a large breed dog. Anyway It came to my attention that those nice people wrote us a bunch of bad reviews to get our google rating down. Stuff like we let puppies outside overnight with no food or water...We are all animal lovers, we care a great deal about our animals we want their best interest and make sure they are well taken care of in their future family. Normal people have great experience at our shelter the other half wants a free dog and yell at our staff and write b***s***....in the ends it hurts the animals more than anyone.

I'm asking you to please help me reverse this. If you could take 2 minutes and google

SPCA of Western Quebec

And give us a good rating, me and my furry friends will be forever grateful. 

A puppy is saved every good rating we get.

Thanks a bunch everyone!  Blush [Image: index.1.jpg]
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#2
I hope we can help you. Do tell us more about your rescue shelter.

One thing we need to know is the name of your shelter. Can you give us a link to your web site?
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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#3
Animalrescue, why did you not give a link to your own website, rather than asking us to do a Google search? That in itself seems strange.

If I am honest, I find the rather judgemental and confrontational style of your first post on this forum rather strange, too. We are all animal lovers here, so why phrases such as "...we don't care if you don't like us" and mention of "b***s***" and so on. It is forum etiquette to introduce yourself properly. You haven't given your name. Are you an employee, a volunteer, or the local charity manager? For how long have had this role?

The sarcasm of your comment that "those nice people wrote us a bunch of bad reviews to get our google rating down" doesn't impress, either. Are you claiming that such a large number of different people conspired to give you bad reviews? Why would they all want to do that? You are a charity, after all.

You have asked people on this forum to give your local charity a positive Google review, but can we do that, without having visited it first? To give a review without knowing anything at first hand about how you operate would be unethical. As I live in France, I am not in position to visit your shelter personally. Only those living within a reasonable distance of your facility would be in a position to do so.

I did, however, do the Google search you suggested and looked at the Google reviews. The proportion of negative reviews seems alarmingly high - and I have seen a lot of reviews of animal charities over the years....

I have also visited quite a few animal refuges over the years, but some of the practices mentioned in the reviews for your shelter seem odd.

Not all the complaints seem to be apparently disgruntled people who have been refused a pet. Other more serious complaints listed include:

The fact that some animals have been put down, despite your claim to be "no kill" (there are several such separate claims - including from the former caretaker of a pet);
People are not allowed to see the pets directly in their living quarters (Why not? Most shelters are open to the public to view all over);
Instead, people are required to look through a file of photos and to choose just one animal to see. (A very unusual procedure).

The bad reviews seem to come not just from people who have been refused a pet. Some are from former employees, and other people who have visited your refuge.

I wish you well in your work saving animals, but I am left wondering whether your request for positive reviews on Google without our seeing your refuge, without even introducing yourself properly, without even giving your own website directly, is an attempt to manipulate your Google review stars.
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#4
LPC and Catherine said some things you (or the particular shelter) should maybe listen to?

Are you a volunteer at the SPCA shelter (Quebec)? I can understand your concern, but negative reviews are usually not given lightly. And not usually by people who 'just have it in for that shelter'. But often for reasonable complaints and reasons. LPC mentioned a few (above) which I would not much like either.

I commend your interest in the animals' welfare, health and happiness. That, surely, is the most important thing here. Better google ratings will not do much good if readers are directed to peoples' complaints!
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#5
2.8 out of 5 and with 74 reviews. That's not something to ignore. Your post is very aggressive from the beginning. If you really care about the animals always strive for better. If the place is run down like comments say then the place needs to be cleaned up. I've worked at multiple shelters and the best ones are the transparent ones. You ask for positive feedback we can't give because we know nothing about your shelter. From comments neither do the people in your community who you are suppose to be serving. You can't claim no kill shelter and then I find multiple people who have commented otherwise.

https://www.google.com/search?q=SPCA+of+...106586f5,1,

"zumzy
Local Guide
5 months ago-
The place looks run down."

"Talena Atfield
a year ago-
This is NOT a no-kill shelter, we brought in a cat under the pretense that this was a no-kill shelter, and paid a fee of $60 for her care. When we called to inquire about her progress we were told she had been sent to the SPCA in Gatineau, which euthanizes animals routinely. We are not able to locate her now. We are devastated that we paid an agency that operated under the pretense of a no-kill shelter and took our donation under this false pretense, only to send her to be euthanized. We will never bring an animal here again, and we will certainly be telling everyone we know that this is not a no-kill shelter."


"Melanie Kajfasz
Local Guide
a year ago-
(Translated by Google) This is NOT a no kill shelter !!!!
They kill the animals. The owner privileges the animals that can bring him back. Do not encourage this place that is no longer affiliated with the SPCA !!"
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#6
Hopefully we can help you about this kind of problem,. Please send us the website of the shelter. ?
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#7
You all did a better search than I did. I couldn't find the reviews last night. There are a lot of negative reviews and they do have a consistent claim about it not being a no kill shelter. I will see if I can find anything out. I can ask someone at the shelter where I volunteer. Of course I need to connect with someone who would know something. That might take time.

You are right that we can't actually write a review for a shelter we haven't seen.  I am the only one close enough and I am still too far away for a visit. I am concerned that the shelter is no longer affiliated with the SPCA. If that is true then they have no right to use the name.
I am worried about the adoption fees. They seem very high. I looked up the adoption fees here in Toronto and none were that high. An older dog is much cheaper($80.00), but even a young purebred dog was only $350.00. Many dogs were $200.00, but they were already neutered and vaccinated so you are paying for that in the fee. So an adoption fee of $600 or even $800.00
makes the shelter seem more like a money making place. 
Perhaps the fees could be explained to us.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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#8
Hmm...this person seems to be doing the rounds of forums, trying to beg good reviews for Google:
See http://boards.4chan.org/an/thread/244366...-some-help

The language there includes the F word. He didn't put it on the forum here - perhaps he didn't want it auto-censored by the software.

What troubles me more, after a second look at the reviews, is that there are a few with five stars - but no comments at all. That suggests that his campaign to get five star reviews by just asking for them may be persuading some gullible people to give good reviews without knowing the place. I am more inclined to believe the reviews which have detailed comments than five stars with no comment at all.

I found the website which he didn't cite in his first post. Here it is:
http://www.aylmer-hull-spca.qc.ca/main_e.html

Quote from that website:
"We are not affiliated with any other SPCA's."

As that that is the case, I agree with Catherine: why are they using the name, if not affiliated?

Even more bizarrely, there appear to be two SPCAs in Gatineau! Here is the Facebook of the other:
https://www.facebook.com/SPCAOutaouais.

The latter appears to be the official one. I searched on the website of the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, which lists official SPCAs (as well as other members of the Federation). Here is the page:
http://www.cfhs.ca/find_a_member

If one clicks on Quebec area, the other SPCA is listed, but not the one mentioned by the original poster on this forum. So it appears to be completely independent.

I hadn't looked at their high adoption fees, Catherine. All shelters charge fees, partly to cover expenses and partly to discourage animals being bought for a low price by dubious people. But it is indeed strange that this shelter chooses to charge much, much more than others.

All in all, extreme caution is advised.
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#9
The adoption fees are extremely high. They pretend to be an SPCA shelter by using their name. People surrender animals to them thinking they are the SPCA. They expect them to be adopted, but they are actually sold at a high price. This isn't a shelter, it is more of a "puppy mill" that sells second hand dogs. If a dog is returned it  is sold again.  If this is what is happening they don't deserve good reviews. The negative reviews are the true reviews. 

It is suspicious that they are asking multiple sites to give them good reviews. 

Quote:A puppy is saved every good rating we get.
When you think of it, this claim is ridiculous.  There is no connection between puppies being saved and good reviews. There may be an issue of donations dropping off as people question the place.
[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]
Catherine

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