Can anyone call themselves an animal rescue centre?

Question

I know of a local place that calls itself a rescue centre and has a sign saying so.  They ask for donations but it is not a registered charity.  Is this allowed?  They do not seem to have any links with any of the big animal charities but have been known to just take animals off people when they believe they are not being taken care of.  Most of the time they seem to "persaude" the person to give them the animal but have also just taken at least one animal without the owner's permission.  So what is the legal situation of someone taking animals they deem to be neglected or cruelly treated and do they need to be a registered charity to call themselves a rescue centre?

? · Accepted Answer

even the police or SPCA cannot take away an animal from its owner without permission without going to get a court order. A court wouldn't say yes to an unregistered charity, it would get handed over to the RSPCA.

Wendy G · Answer

Sounds to me like they could be breaking the law by committing "Deception" or "Theft" by taking someones pet when they know it has an owner!  In order to take donations legally they need a licence, they should be registered and inspected too.
If I lived near someone like that I would let the police know what they are doing and tell the RSPCA too.
Looks to me like they are just trying to make money out of animals.

ak · Answer

This place sounds really hooky to me. I would be concerned as to 
where these animals that are taken may end up. It could be an idea
to get in touch with your local council, they should be able to 
investigate or do you have a dog warden, most councils have one now.
I am sure that they do have to be registered to do any of the above.
If all else fails I would drop into my local police station to ask them
to look into it, they should be happy to help.
   Good Luck

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Can anyone call themselves an animal rescue centre?

3 Answers