"If you don't take my dog (or cat) I'll have to take it to the SPCA."

"My mother died and we don't want to have to take her little old dog to the SPCA. Can you take it?"

"I volunteer at the SPCA and I try to get as many animals away from them as I can. Can you send someone in to pretend to adopt this dog? There's nothing wrong with it, it just isn't a puppy or very cute and it's time is almost up."

"I work at a vet clinic where the SPCA sends a lot of cats to be killed. Most of them have nothing wrong, they've just been there too long or they caught Upper Respiratory colds there. I secretly save and rehome as many as I can, but I am overwhelmed. Can you help?"

"Help! My neighbour is moving and says he's taking his dog to the SPCA! He says I can find a home for the dog. Please, please help me!"

"I trap/neuter/return feral cats, but someone told the SPCA about a trailer park site I am working on where an old man died and they said that if any of the residents bring any of the cats in they will kill them.

"When I got my dog from the SPCA they told me that he had passed their behaviour test, but now he is biting everyone. I asked if they had any rehabilitation they could give the dog, but they said no, and that if I brought the dog back to them, they would kill it. I can't afford trainers and I feel sick about taking this dog back, I know he can be helped. Can you please help him!"

"You're my last hope. I've been put out on the street with my cat. I can't bear to take it to the SPCA. Please find a good home for him."

Everyone in rescue hears this daily: the threats, the begging and pleading. AAS heard it yesterday and has heard it from the day we started, fifteen years ago. The phone started ringing off the hook with people desperate to keep their animals out of an SPCA. We heard it from rescuers who had been helping to keep animals out of SPCAs for 40 years.