Legalities of setting up an animal charity?

karen2153

Hi,

I have been searching online and am struggling to find anywhere that gives advice about setting up an animal charity.

My aim is to rehome retired greyhounds when their racing days are over but, in order to do that, I will need to fundraise.

Are there any legal implications or can I just go ahead and start raising money for the transport, feeding, veterinary bills etc?

If anyone knows of a useful website or resource that can answer my questions I would be very grateful.

Karen

seamus

I don't know the specifics, but you absolutely cannot just go off raising money. Any money raised will be classed as "income" and there will be tax implications on you personally.

Your best bet is to make an appointment with a local accountant, who can walk you through the basics. At the very least you will need to set up some form of company and get registered charity status. If you let the accountant know from the start that it's about setting up a charity, he might be willing to give you an hour or two of his time, gratis (he can probably write it off somewhere )

EGAR who's on here may also have some insight.

Edit:
This might be useful:
http://www.revenue.ie/en/business/faqs-charities.html

It does however require you to have set up a company beforehand though, so an accountant is really the man for this.

karen2153

Thank you for taking the time to reply.

I have read about the tax implications etc but it does not advise what comes first - the chicken or the egg...

I know with my 'day job' business I had to register with the Revenue before trading.

As you say, the accountant will be my next stop.

Karen

Discodog

Firstly, as the owner of an adorable rescue Greyhound, well done !. I suspect that you will be able to operate as "your name" trading as XYZ Rescue & then register as non profit status for tax.

What has made you decide to focus on Greyhounds ?

Sigma Force

Perhaps have a chat with some other dog rescues first they might be able to give you some practical advice. In the mean time perhaps start small rather than setting up your own instead try fostering greys for another rescue and you'll get a better idea of what's involved.

karen2153

Thank you for your suggestions.

The reason that I am focusing on greyhounds is that we race in a small way, have two on the couch here and four retirees in the kennel.

Trying to find a organisation that will help to re-home without looking down their nose because we race is really hard. The IGB retired greyhounds can't take many so I thought that it is now time to give a littel back and see if I can't help some of the dogs myself.

I will give it a go.

Karen

Discodog

With respect you can hardly blame a rescue from adopting the attitude that, by racing, you are contributing to the problem. Normal dog owners are expected to care for their dogs throughout their lives & not farm them out to a rescue. Why should Greyhound owners be allowed to do differently ?.

The IGB will pay you for each dog that you rehome provided that it is an ex racer. Unfortunately they don't help the 10,000 Greyhounds that are killed every year.

Many of the Greyhound Rescues in Ireland are IGB sponsored & any one of them will take an ex racer & not "look down their noses". The IGB can even give you a list.

ISDW

Discodog wrote: »

With respect you can hardly blame a rescue from adopting the attitude that, by racing, you are contributing to the problem. Normal dog owners are expected to care for their dogs throughout their lives & not farm them out to a rescue. Why should Greyhound owners be allowed to do differently ?.

The IGB will pay you for each dog that you rehome provided that it is an ex racer. Unfortunately they don't help the 10,000 Greyhounds that are killed every year.

Many of the Greyhound Rescues in Ireland are IGB sponsored & any one of them will take an ex racer & not "look down their noses". The IGB can even give you a list.

I think thats unfair. There is good and bad in all things, including greyhound racing. I do have issues with the industry, but the OP seems to be a caring owner, who also races her dogs - what they were bred for.

You know that siberian huskies are my breed, and some of the stuff that goes on in sled dog racing kennels truly is awful, however I work my dogs, going to the UK for our first race next week, but my dogs are treated very well.

Maybe if we encourage more people who do race in a small way to become involved in rescue and welfare issues, then things will change for the better.

TooManyDogs

ISDW wrote: »

Maybe if we encourage more people who do race in a small way to become involved in rescue and welfare issues, then things will change for the better.

I agree, I don't necesssarily think greyhound racing needs to be abolished but needs to be changed so that greys aren't killed in their thousands because they can't race. Encouraging people in that industry to think about their animals beyond their ability to race I think is very important.

If more people thought like the OP does then irresponsible breeding could be drastically cut down

Vel

ISDW wrote: »

I think thats unfair. There is good and bad in all things, including greyhound racing. I do have issues with the industry, but the OP seems to be a caring owner, who also races her dogs - what they were bred for.

You know that siberian huskies are my breed, and some of the stuff that goes on in sled dog racing kennels truly is awful, however I work my dogs, going to the UK for our first race next week, but my dogs are treated very well.

Maybe if we encourage more people who do race in a small way to become involved in rescue and welfare issues, then things will change for the better.

I actually agree with a lot of what you are saying, though how these 'good' could be involved in such an industry where such horrible things happens to the dogs is beyond me. I just wish more of these so called good people would speak up so the alleged 'small minority' who mistreat and discard their dogs could be pushed out of the 'sport'. I do have to take issue with the bit I have put in bold in your post above though. Greyhounds were bred to run, not to race around a man-made track for entertainment purposes. There is a big difference there and I often hear that line trotted out by those defending the industry.

ISDW

Vel wrote: »

I actually agree with a lot of what you are saying, though how anyone could be involved in such an industry where such horrible things happens to the dogs is beyond me but I do have to take issue with the bit in bold. Greyhounds were bred to run, not to race around a man-made track for entertainment purposes. There is a big difference there and I often hear that line trotted out by those defending the industry.

OK, fair point.

I don't know what the answer is, its just too big a business for the Government to do much to change it I guess. If there was no betting, would it be any different?

Again, speaking of sled dogs, even though there isn't a racing scene yet in Ireland, I have heard of people getting rid of dogs here because they aren't fast enough. There are quite a few rallies in the UK, none of them running for money, and there is a bad side to that as well, people mistreating dogs that haven't run very well. So unfortunately I think that mankind being what he/she is, the competitive nature will always make people do things that may be perceived of as immoral.

Inexile

Discodog wrote: »

The IGB will pay you for each dog that you rehome provided that it is an ex racer. Unfortunately they don't help the 10,000 Greyhounds that are killed every year.

Many of the Greyhound Rescues in Ireland are IGB sponsored & any one of them will take an ex racer & not "look down their noses". The IGB can even give you a list.

While is true that the IBG provide assistance to some greyhound rescues unfortunately this year they have drastically cut their assistance. For example they no longer provide funding towards the cost of neutering. In fact they are now asking owners to either neuteured their dogs before surrendering them to rescue or paying the rescue the cost of the neutering. I dont think the majority of greyhound breeders/trainers/owners are willing to do this.

I volunteer with my local greyhound rescue and unfortunately the number of dogs that we rehome in Ireland is relatively small (less then 10%). Therefore most are sent off to Europe which takes a lot of organising and is very time consuming. OP Im not sure from your post are you looking to rehome your retirees or are you considering taking on other ex-racers.If the later I would repeat the advice of another poster that perhaps it would be better to establish a link with an established rescue group and foster for them for a while so you can see all thats involved.

Discodog

Sled racing doesn't get tens of millions of government backing. Whenever anything involving animals becomes competitive it is open to abuse. If the Greyhound problem is only down to a few irresponsible people there would not be thousands being killed. According to the IGB 22,000 puppies are produced every year & only 6000 to 8000 are rehomed.

How can Greyhound racing avoid this ?. It is impossible to breed litters where every dog is a potential race winner ?. There is always going to be a huge amount of "waste". Even the head of Ladbrookes Stadia admitted that racing will come to an end in the UK & that the public will not accept the huge number of deaths.

Because 80% of Irish Greyhounds end up in the UK the numbers required is dropping rapidly. This is why the IGB are promoting exports to other countries. The Ladbrooke's man even referred to dog buyers being offered "buy one, get one free". The overproduction problem may actually get worse.

I cannot see how we could ever have ethical racing unless owners are willing to keep 50 "useless" dogs to gain one good one & when I say keep I mean in good home conditions. Also it would be impossible to avoid injuries & deaths as a result of racing. The UK Animal Welfare Bill rightly imposes the same duty of care to Greyhounds as to any other breed.

As a society we decided, nearly one hundred years ago, that dogs deserve respect. The Greyhound industry exists on the premise that it is OK to breed a dog & then kill it when it no longer serves a purpose. In other words to remove any duty of long term care. To me this will always be wrong.

I have argued long & hard regarding the current policy of appeasing & "working with" the industry. This is based on a belief that racing will never disappear in Ireland. Thirty years ago animal welfare groups in the UK had the same view but gradually people have been willing to speak out in an effort to convince the masses. Even Dara O'Briain faced protesters at his UK gigs over the death of one Greyhound.

As people in the UK have become aware of the real cost of racing, including the 10,000 dead Greyhounds found on a UK farm, they are turning their backs on it. I don't believe that the Irish lack compassion but I believe that the IGB propaganda has successfully given the impression that there is nothing wrong with the "Great Night Out".

Maybe it's time for us to stop adopting the attitude that nothing will change.

Discodog

ISDW wrote: »

I think thats unfair.

In the interests of openness I should make it clear that I messaged the OP, after her original post & offered to assist her with starting a rescue. It was only after several PM's that it became clear that she was an owner seeking to rehome her own dogs. She has complained about the attitude of some rescues but that may be because they were unaware of the real situation.

ISDW

Discodog wrote: »

In the interests of openness I should make it clear that I messaged the OP, after her original post & offered to assist her with starting a rescue. It was only after several PM's that it became clear that she was an owner seeking to rehome her own dogs. She has complained about the attitude of some rescues but that may be because they were unaware of the real situation.

Oh, totally different situation then and it would appear unfortunately perpetuating the whole sorry state of greyhound racing.

You see what happens when I give someone the benefit of the doubt and believe in people:D:P

karen2153

Discodog wrote: »

In the interests of openness I should make it clear that I messaged the OP, after her original post & offered to assist her with starting a rescue. It was only after several PM's that it became clear that she was an owner seeking to rehome her own dogs. She has complained about the attitude of some rescues but that may be because they were unaware of the real situation.

That is simply not true - the dog that I was speaking of in the PM is NOT my dog. It is a dog that was due to be PTS because his career was over, so I took him into our kennels last April and have been trying to get him a home since. And yes, we do race a few dogs but those that belong to us are still here - two sleep in my bed!

Whatever anyone thinks about greyhound racing, it is happening and I can only try in my small way to help the dogs that need it. I can talk until I am hoarse but that won't help the dogs that need help now.

So I shall try and do a little bit of good for the few dogs that I can help rather than slate people and do nothing.

In my world taking action and actually trying to DO something to help is better than critism.

I came on here to ask for advice - what a bad move! I shall no longer be participating but can I wish you all the best and thank you to those who have offered some constructive advice.

doctor evil

Don't let one or two people frighten you off OP If you want you can report this thread to the mods.

Discodog

karen2153 wrote: »

That is simply not true - the dog that I was speaking of in the PM is NOT my dog.

Karen as you know I offered to help you. You did not state in your opening post that you are a racing owner neither did you in your initial PM's. You also did not state that the dog that you are trying to home was not originally yours until now.

I am not going to digress further on private conversations however if you want your new venture to work & I hope that it does then you will need to establish good relations with the other Greyhound rescues including the one that you mentioned to me.

Barry Coleman at the IGB would welcome the idea of a racing owner setting up a rescue as it would be good PR. Some of the people here that you criticise have spent many years helping to rehome hundreds of "waste" dogs from the racing industry. They have earned a right to be, at least, sceptical.

You must have friends & contacts from racing. Every owner that you could persuade to take in one extra dog would mean one less for the rescues. Perhaps some of your contact would also be willing to "put something back" by helping you financially.

You could also lobby the racing community to do more for their dogs to reduce the numbers dumped to rescues.

I know a Greyhound Rescue in the UK that was approached by a racing owner to take in his dog. He said that he didn't want this one killed as "it had been really good to him & had won a few thousand". He opened a wallet full of 50's & handed one to the rescue to "pay for it's care".

Discodog

doctor evil wrote: »

Don't let one or two people frighten you off OP If you want you can report this thread to the mods.

I wrote to the OP to offer help - hardly frightening anyone off. Perhaps you could offer some assistance ?.

OP You could contact Orchard Greyhound Sanctuary. I believe that the owner sits on the IGB Welfare Committee so will not be adverse to racing owners. She may be able to advise you as to how to proceed.

If you have kennels then why not start rehoming ?. If you have a dog that needs a home then there is nothing to stop you advertising & promoting it.

Hellrazer

This thread has been reported twice about a certain user bullying the OP.I dont agree with the bullying accusation or the off-topic accusation either.

Im commenting here because for once I agree with this users sentiments (thats twice in a year)

From reading into this thread and reading between the lines it seems that the OP is annoyed because a rescue turned down her racing dogs and has now decided to try and start her own rehoming charity.

For what its worth its a great idea to try and rehome Greyhounds however Im not 100% sure about the OPs reasons for doing so.

Im leaving the reported comments here and if the OP wants to clarify things with me by PM Im open to listening.

Discodog

Hellrazer wrote: »

Im commenting here because for once I agree with this users sentiments (thats twice in a year)

Hellrazer & I are now off to the Middle East to arrange a peace treaty

I apologise if it appeared that any of my post were bullying. My advice to the OP is to be totally open as there are rescues that will accept dogs from racing owners.

I do not see why the OP needs to formally set up a rescue at this stage other than to satisfy any IGB conditions in order to receive IGB money.

I am puzzled that the OP thinks that Irish Greyhound Rescues would look down on a racing owner as the majority receive money from the IGB.

Every Greyhound deserves a decent home & it's past history is not the dog's fault. It would be good to see existing racing owners taking on rescue dogs. The problem may be that most rescues would consider outside kennelling as unsuitable in a permanent home.

One word of caution if anyone is rehoming Greyhounds or any other Sighthound please be very careful who you rehome to.

ISDW

Discodog wrote: »

Hellrazer & I are now off to the Middle East to arrange a peace treaty

I apologise if it appeared that any of my post were bullying. My advice to the OP is to be totally open as there are rescues that will accept dogs from racing owners.

I do not see why the OP needs to formally set up a rescue at this stage other than to satisfy any IGB conditions in order to receive IGB money.

I am puzzled that the OP thinks that Irish Greyhound Rescues would look down on a racing owner as the majority receive money from the IGB.

Every Greyhound deserves a decent home & it's past history is not the dog's fault. It would be good to see existing racing owners taking on rescue dogs. The problem may be that most rescues would consider outside kennelling as unsuitable in a permanent home.

One word of caution if anyone is rehoming Greyhounds or any other Sighthound please be very careful who you rehome to.

Would that be the breed specific rescues as well do you think? Whatever the rights or wrongs of it, most ex-racing greyhounds I would think have spent their lives in kennels, so it wouldn't be strange for them to live out their lives in that way. Obviously the kennel should be heated, comfortable, and not just a shed that is pitch black at night, with no other company. But, if a dog is used to something, and is happy in it, is it such a bad thing for it to continue living that way? I'm not advocating putting a dog into an outside kennel and leaving it there with a couple of minutes contact a day, but if a dog spent a lot of time with its owner, and slept in a kennel, would that be such a bad thing?

I prefer dogs to live inside with their family, but some dogs are happier outside and if it is for sleeping in, and a safe place while the owner is out, would it not be better than putting a dog to sleep because there wasn't an indoor home available for it?

Hellrazer

I agree.Anything is better than putting a completely healthy dog to sleep.

I think Discodog is saying that its some rescues opinion that kennelling is unsuitable.Most normal sane people would prefer kennelling than putting a dog to sleep.

For the record any dog I have ever owned has been a house dog and slept indoors.

ISDW wrote: »

Would that be the breed specific rescues as well do you think? Whatever the rights or wrongs of it, most ex-racing greyhounds I would think have spent their lives in kennels, so it wouldn't be strange for them to live out their lives in that way. Obviously the kennel should be heated, comfortable, and not just a shed that is pitch black at night, with no other company. But, if a dog is used to something, and is happy in it, is it such a bad thing for it to continue living that way? I'm not advocating putting a dog into an outside kennel and leaving it there with a couple of minutes contact a day, but if a dog spent a lot of time with its owner, and slept in a kennel, would that be such a bad thing?

I prefer dogs to live inside with their family, but some dogs are happier outside and if it is for sleeping in, and a safe place while the owner is out, would it not be better than putting a dog to sleep because there wasn't an indoor home available for it?

ISDW

Hellrazer wrote: »

I agree.Anything is better than putting a completely healthy dog to sleep.

I think Discodog is saying that its some rescues opinion that kennelling is unsuitable.Most normal sane people would prefer kennelling than putting a dog to sleep.

For the record any dog I have ever owned has been a house dog and slept indoors.

Now steady on, you're kinda defending Discodog now, have I moved into a parallel universe?:eek::D

Yeah I know, I was just wondering if the greyhound specific rescues also had those rehoming criteria, for dogs that have spent their lives living in an outside kennel.

I know from my own point of view, if someone rehomes a siberian husky or malamute from me, I have no issue with the dog sleeping outside, as long as it is a part of the family and not just left outside with no contact. But this is because a lot of these dogs prefer to sleep outside, weirdly though, a good few of my own dogs prefer sleeping inside during the summer, but in the winter, especially when its really wet and windy, they take themselves off outside and sleep curled up in a little ball.

Hellrazer

ISDW wrote: »

Now steady on, you're kinda defending Discodog now, have I moved into a parallel universe?:eek::D

Well thats a first!!!!

Yeah I know, I was just wondering if the greyhound specific rescues also had those rehoming criteria, for dogs that have spent their lives living in an outside kennel.

I wonder do they do the same for ex-hunt dogs.Most of them spend time in a kennel aswell.

Discodog

Yes I was generalising. Every rescue has a different policy as to how a dog is housed. But I think that all the ones that I know have a general indoor only policy. Personally I have never met a Greyhound that didn't love a comfy sofa. I think that it is more for reasons of company & being part of the family.

I disagree with Hellrazer in that sometimes the wrong home can be worse than being PTS if the dog continues to suffer. Your Sibs are a bit of a different case in that they are naturally outdoor dogs with amazing coats. My greyhound shivers at anything below about 12 degrees & loves her heated bed.

EGAR

Oh doG, prepare for a cold winter as hell is actually freezing over as I am agreeing with Discodog on this one.

You can't have your cake and eat it.

karen2153

I have absolutely no need to justify myself to anyone.

However, I would like to put the record straight. No-one has refused to re-home one of my dogs - they are not available for re-homing, they are here for life. (If I knew how to put pictures up you could see my lovely greyhounds)

But, as I said previously, I have a dog here that I took in to save from being PTS and have found that, when I approached the re-homing centre, was made to feel like a second class citizen. That is what I have an issue with - some people may not even ASK for help if they are made to feel bad about it.

I have tried to get this lad a home myself but lack the contacts that the re-homing centres have. Yes, I have advertised him on several websites too.

As far as me asking for advice on this board - no wonder that people walk away from trying to do something about a situation when they ask for advice and get slated for doing so. I have learned my lesson and will not ask on here for any advice in future.

Rather than spending my time defending my motives for trying to help some greyhounds (if I can...) I will get out there and actually DO something.

Off to walk my pets now.

Karen

p.s. It was not me who reported any bullying - everyone is entitled to their own opinion, including me and I would be delighted if this thread was deleted and my account closed.

Discodog

karen2153 wrote: »

But, as I said previously, I have a dog here that I took in to save from being PTS and have found that, when I approached the re-homing centre, was made to feel like a second class citizen. That is what I have an issue with - some people may not even ASK for help if they are made to feel bad about it.

The majority of posters here have offered you help & others have offered support. If you were treated badly by a rescue then that is clearly wrong. As you know I am not going to repeat the content of private messages here. However it would appear that your problems with the rescue are a result of misunderstandings.

If you want to start rescuing & rehoming Greyhounds I would strongly advise you to mend bridges with the rescue. Most of the rescues in Ireland know each other, especially concerning the foreign adoption of Greyhounds. It would be extremely difficult to get established without their help & support. They can be an odd bunch (EGAR included ). You can't volunteer to take the crap that they do, day in & day out, without being a bit mad.

You will find that dealings between the rescues are based on personal knowledge & trust. Overseas rescues depend on this as they cannot be here to see every dog. So you will be able to help far more dogs if you make an effort to gain the trust of the rescue community.

EGAR

karen2153 wrote: »

p.s. It was not me who reported any bullying - everyone is entitled to their own opinion, including me and I would be delighted if this thread was deleted and my account closed.

Sorry but if that is your attitude then yu wont last long in *rescue* - I have had to put up with so much from adopters, owners who wanted to surrender their dogs, members of the public etc pp. If a small hurdle like an online confrontation deters you then you really shouldn't be doing rescue .

Also, you said you approached THE rescue centre, so only ONE?

Sigh...

Hellrazer

Discodog wrote: »

I disagree with Hellrazer in that sometimes the wrong home can be worse than being PTS if the dog continues to suffer. Your Sibs are a bit of a different case in that they are naturally outdoor dogs with amazing coats. My greyhound shivers at anything below about 12 degrees & loves her heated bed.

Well obviously if the dog continues to suffer its down to the rehoming agency not having carried out inspections correctly.But I was generalising in saying that any rehome is better than another statistic.

My dogs have all been indoor dogs,well actually except my sam..He used to love the cold and preferred to stay outdoors.My lab loves nothing more than the sofa and as soon as we leve the sitting room shes up on the sofa like a shot.