The RSPCA’s quirkiest call-outs

FROM witches hexing dogs to abandoned mattresses and concrete cockatoos, the RSPCA is tasked with investigating all kinds of weird and wonderful things. Here are 10 of the quirkiest.

FROM witches “hexing” dogs to abandoned mattresses and concrete cockatoos, the RSPCA is tasked with investigating all kinds of weird and wonderful things.

Yesterday, thousands of people participated in the annual Million Paws Walk, raising money to fund RSPCA inspectors.

To help shine a light on some of the work RSPCA inspectors have to deal with, RSPCA NSW have released some of their quirkiest call-outs yet — and considering 30,000 animals are rescued each year in NSW alone, there are bound to be some doozies in there.

The RSPCA’s 10 quirkiest call outs

1. A person called about an abandoned goat that had been left unfed for days, which was actually an abandoned mattress in a paddock.

No goats in this paddock!

2. A man rang about his dog which had been “hexed” by his neighbour to attack him when he said a certain word. He wanted the RSPCA to “find out the word from his dog”.

3. A woman rang in anger to complain that her neighbours had left their white bulldog in a yard without shade and when she left a note in their mailbox telling them to provide their dog shelter, they had put up a beach umbrella for the dog. Inspectors found the dog was actually a statue.

4. A highly distressed woman called about a mini crocodile in her backyard which was threatening the lives of her children. After receiving a photograph from the caller, the animal was identified as a blue-tongue lizard.

Not a crocodile!

5. An inspector went to rescue a bird that was thought to have been trapped in the roof for a number of days. It was in fact the smoke alarm battery beeping, signalling to change the battery.

6. A caller rang about a cockatoo that was so stressed in its small cage that it would not move. The inspector found an ornamental bird in a cage.

7. A gentleman called from a supermarket and said he was in the presence of an animal killer. Someone was buying head lice treatment.

8. Two security dogs had managed to get themselves “tangled” on a tether, according to a caller. When the inspector arrived at the property, both dogs came running out without any problems. The inspector had to explain to the informant the process of dog mating.

9. A woman rang at 10pm worried that a possum up a tree may not be able to get down.

Hey there, poss. Picture: Supplied

10. Several complaints came in of two cows in a paddock with no shelter. They were in fact the two ornamental steel cows in a field just outside of Nowra on the NSW South Coast.

If you missed yesterday’s walk, you can still donate at millionpawswalk.com.au — just follow the links to donate in your state.

Originally published as The RSPCA’s quirkiest call-outs