Paws for Action

CatRescue NSW is a network of volunteers committed to rescuing, caring for and rehoming unwanted cats and kittens.

We strongly believe that the Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill will not only reduce the number of animals abandoned and subsequently destroyed in pounds, but it will end the cruel practice of commercial breeding, and the inhumane treatment of animals in pet shops.

Thank you for your ongoing support of this campaign.

How many times have you walked past a pet shop and seen a sick or distressed animal for sale, or an animal who looks too young to be away from its mother, or an animal without access to food and water? What you have witnessed is cruelty.

Animal abuse and pet shops are two sides to the same coin. This is because pet shops are businesses and making money will always take precedence over the well being of the animals in their care. For example:

• Pet shops actively encourage impulsive behaviour in customers. The following excerpt has been taken from the Entrepreneur Business Centre: ‘Pet Shop Business Start Up Guide’.

“The scenario is simple: Someone will walk by, fall in love with an animal and buy it. These sorts of impulse sales can add dramatically to your profits.

First-time browsers in a pet shop will not necessarily jump at the thought of spending $50 to $500 to bring a dog home… However, if your shop is accessible and your sales and service ability is convincing, it will not be long before you convert walk-in traffic into buying customers.”

• To avoid loosing potential customers by ‘burdening’ them with the expected costs and responsibilities of animal ownership, pet shops rarely provide people with care information. In this way pet shops set people up to fail in living up to their responsibilities.

• Animals are sold to anyone with money. ID is rarely sighted, people are not interviewed and there are innumerable accounts of animals being sold to minors.

• Animals are housed 24hrs a day in tiny display cages. During the day they are surrounded by bright lights, noise and excited shoppers; at night they are alone and unsupervised. This seriously compromises their welfare.

• Pet shops sell animals to people (often impulsively and without care information) un-desexed. This combined with a lack of education leads to more unwanted animals being born with no where to go.

• If an animal becomes sick while in the care of the pet shop it is common practice to not seek vet treatment. Animals are either left to die, taken to a pound or sold at a discounted rate. All this to avoid the business incurring additional costs. An ex-pet shop employee recalls:

I worked in a pet shop as I thought it would be a nice job as I have always loved animals. I became totally disallusioned with the pet industry as I realised it was purely a profit driven industry. After the shop closed one Saturday afternoon there were (4 or 5) kittens that had got cat flu. They looked a little sickly and from memory they had sticky eyes.

Rather than taking them to the vet the cheaper and easier method of disposal was decided upon by the store manager. My manager put the kittens in a cardboard box with a rag with chloroform on it and closed the lid tightly. I stood there quite horrified not really knowing at the time what was going on as it all happened rather quickly. All I could hear was a whole lot of jumping  and scratching around in the box-sounds of the kittens desperately trying to get out out there. After a minute or so it was quite. To check they had all died I distinctly rememeber her picking up the box and shaking it to check there was no more movement.

This manager had no regard for the animals in the pet shop… they were treated merely as goods to sell in order make more profits for this major chain pet shop.

• The animals sold in NSW pet shops are sourced cheaply from ‘puppy farms’ or backyard breeders, where the parents are housed and bred in appalling conditions at minimal cost.

• These animals will never be walked, cuddled or played with, and they will never know the comforts of a home. As soon as they stop making money (if they become sick or stop producing litters) they are discarded as they are useless to the breeder.

• The backyard or commercial breeder has no understanding of or concern for breed standards, genetics, socialising, or animal health. The animals sold are usually suffering as a result.

The day was an incredible success, with MPs accepting our invitation to come outside and meet the public. This included Alison Megarrity Member for Menai, Lee Rhiannon MLC, Anthony Roberts Member for Lane Cove, Chris Hartcher Member for Terrigal, and Dr John Kaye MLC.

Anthony Roberts and Chris Hartcher from the Liberal Party made a powerful commitment to instigate a Parliamentary inquiry into animal welfare. This inquiry would expose any conflict of interest or corruption in the Labor Party’s current decision to not support the bill. It will also examine the treatment of animals in puppy farms, the high euthanasia rates in NSW council pounds and will serve to educate the politicians on the array of problems which the Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill promises to remedy.

During the day more than 1000 signatures were collected in support of the Animals Bill, thousands of pamphlets were handed out to people on Macquarie St and in Martins Place, and there was a great deal of media coverage both on the radio and in newspapers.

Thank you to everyone who came along and helped out, handed out pamphlets, held up signs, collected signatures and generally made a lot of noise for animals. Just about everyone who stopped at the stall (except for the handful of people from the pet industry!) was in complete support of the Bill and ending the abuse perpetrated by the pet industry.

A special thank you to Nicky Lakin and Lilian Darmono for designing the incredible posters at the event!

The AVA and its various lobby groups have been sending regular correspondence to NSW MPs pleading with them to not vote in favour of the bill. The AVA is concerned that regulating the pet industry may mean less business for vets. At every step in the chain -  from puppy farms, pet shops, homes, to rescue groups, pounds and shelters - vets are involved in caring for the animals and generating business.

But regulation stops an industry from making profit at any expense to the community - it makes their actives more accountable and ethical. Yes, vets should be allowed to make the most they can from the pet industry, but not at from the neglect and abuse of animals. We must draw a line.

Fortunately many vets agree, and as animal lovers they are deeply effected by the consequences of the current system. We need to get their voices heard above the commercial interests of the AVA.

Please print the below document and get your local vet to sign it. When it has been signed please fax it to 02 9816 2416. Once we have collected 200 we will then present them to every NSW MP.

get-your-vets-support.pdf

An enormous THANK YOU to the many thousands of people who have contacted their MP either through this site or independently. We have received very positive feedback from NSW politicians, however we still have a long way to go and we must keep this pressure up!

In order for the bill to be passed we need the support of the Labor MPs. But from the letters that people are receiving it quite clear that the MPs have been instructed to not vote in favour of the bill. Even if this means ignoring the groundswell of support coming from their constituents.

So where is Labor’s information coming from?

When the bill was first put before Parliament in October 2007 Ian Macdonald, Minister for the Department of Primary Industries (DPI), issued a brief to each Labor MP stating the following concerns:

• ‘There are an estimated 30 000 working cattle and sheep dogs in rural NSW, which are an essential part of farming life. Under the proposed bill working dogs could not be bred or advertised for sale.’

• ‘The published figures on companion animals in NSW suggest that less than 11 percent  of dogs and cats are sold from pet shops. Therefore, banning the sale of animals from pet shops will have minimal impact on the numbers of cats and dogs recruited to pounds and shelters in NSW.’

• ‘The proposed bill bans the sale of all mammals, which would include mice, guinea pigs, rabbits and the like, in pet shops. NSW families wanting a pet mouse would be required to acquire the animal through a registered breeder, have the mouse microchipped and register themselves as breeders with an unspecified organisation, should their pet mice breed ad they wish to sell them. These restrictions would severely limit peoples freedom to or and breed their pet.’

But these points are not correct, and the statistics quoted have come from the pet industry itself, which at best implies a serious conflict of interest. Below is the real picture:

• The Bill has been amended to exclude Farmers wishing to breed and sell their working dogs from the proposed legislation.

• This statistic is false and has been taken widely out of context. The study from which this statistic was derived was conducted in Victoria in 2005 using 424 voluntary participants. It cannot then be concluded that this study reflects the unique consumer trends of NSW. But even if parallels could be drawn, the study itself was not conducted using a representative sample size nor were the subjects randomly selected, breeching the basic principles of statistics.

• The Bill is being ammended to only prohibit pet shops from selling cats and dogs, allowing them to continue selling small mammals such as rabbits, guinea pigs and mice.

Due to their very busy schedules not many Labor MPs have actually had the time to read the bill. What is of great concern, is that they have instead relied on Ian Macdonald to give them correct and up to date information to determine Labor’s policy and how they will vote.

But if the issues they have listed are incorrect and the data no longer valid, why is the Department of Primary Industries still not in support of the bill?

Download the below letter and send it to your local MP if they are Labor, or simply send it to Morris Iemma. It refutes the claims made by the DPI, and it asks Labor politicians to question Ian Macdonald’s motivations. Is he placing the commercial interests of an industry over the needs of the community and the welfare of its animals?

urgent-letter-to-send-labor-mps.doc

Pet shops should not be able to sell animals for profit. It is as simple as that! For the protection of innocent baby animals that have no voice the regulations must be changed. Animals should be rehomed by professionals who have the animal’s best interests at heart and not an eye on the money in the person’s wallet. Does money guarantee a good life for a pet-certainly NOT!

Finding a home for an animal is the hardest job imaginable- I know I have had enough experience at it! I have hesitated and wondered so many times if I had made just the right choice because it is almost like playing God for YOU are responsible for the rest of that animal’s life and the way is has to live – and die.  There are so many facts to be taken into consideration for an animal to live out its full lifespan with love and respect. Every animal has the right to the best home possible. A home where it is not only going to be loved but well fed, have companionship and not be isolated in a lonely backyard, exercised, be taken to the vets regularly and to be treated with kindness. So many of the broken animals who come from the pound system have had none of these things – how can we treat our pets so badly? Is it just ignorance or in this throwaway society do we include living animals as well? I once had someone say to me about their impounded pet “I don’t want that one any longer it is broken. I am going to buy another new one!” Their dog had been run over by a car and had a broken leg. Yes the dog survived and found a much better home second time around.

If we regulate the laws we can STOP this impulse purchasing of pets from pet shops. We can STOP animals being rehomed by an industry that is profit driven. We can STOP back yard breeding with thousands of baby animals born just to die, not to mention the sad plight of their mothers. This is our chance – don’t throw it away! I am just one person and I have saved thousands of animals - imagine what thousands of people could do together!

What is the Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill about?

The Bill aims to regulate the pet industry. Through regulation, businesses will more accountable in their interactions with customers and the way in which they source and treat the animals in their care.

Is the bill just about stopping pet shops from selling mammals?

The bill aims to stop the sale of animals from market places, auctions and pet shops. Given the large number of complaints made annually to the Dept of Fair Trading and welfare organisations surrounding the sale of animals from these environments, the proposed changes will protect both consumer rights and animal welfare.

The Pet Industry claims that in NSW less than 11% of dogs and cats are sold from pet shops. If this is true then banning the sale of mammals from pet shops would have little impact on the number of cats and dogs euthanased in council pounds?

This statistic is false and has been taken widely out of context. The study from which this statistic was derived was conducted in Victoria in 2005 using 424 voluntary participants. It cannot then be concluded that this study reflects the unique consumer trends of NSW. However, even if parallels could be drawn, the study itself was not conducted using a representative sample size nor were the subjects randomly selected, breeching the basic principles of statistics.

It is intuitive that if you prepare people for responsible pet ownership, then they will most likely become responsible pet owners. The retail environments of pet shops encourage impulse buying and do not prepare people for costs and responsibilities of pet ownership.

When considering the number of animals entering pounds because of pet shops it is important to consider backyard breeders and puppy farms who supply pet shops (animals not sold from these operations often end up in pounds); and the animals sold un-desexed from pet shops which then go on to have unwanted litters.

People should be able to purchase pets. Won’t the bill restrict consumer freedom?

The bill promotes consumer freedom and is committed to ensuring that pets are widely available to the public. Australian’s love animals and they are an important part of our lives.

By regulating the pet industry and enforcing mandated codes of conduct the bill will make sure that people are able to buy pets with the security that they have not been deceived or will later encounter avoidable problems (eg sickness and behavioural problems).

There are innumerable accounts (many which have been reported to the Department of Fair Trading) of customers who have been knowingly sold sick animals, or animals who grow to not fit the breed described by the shop. These animals can often end up costing the customer significant and unexpected fees.

If the bill is introduced, will people only be allowed to buy animals from registered breeders?

Not at all. If the bill is introduced people will be able to buy animals from:

- Shelters such as the RSPCA and Animal Welfare League
- Vet clinics
- Registered breeders
- Rescue organisations
- Council pounds

The bill will only mean that pet shops, market places, auctions and backyard breeders can no longer sell mammals.

Will farmers still be able to breed and sell working dogs?

Clover Moore has amended the bill to exclude working dogs from the proposed regulation. Farmers will be free to breed, advertise and sell working dogs.

Who does not support the bill?

The only groups who do not support the bill are the industry bodies threatened with regulation. Largely the Pet Industry Association of Australia and the Australian Veterinary Association (however many NSW vets are in complete support of the bill). Both these groups are primarily concerned with protecting their business and do not reflect the needs of the community or the pets entrusted to their care.

The Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill is supported by:

The RSPCA; Say No To Animals In Pet Shops, the NSW Young Lawyers Animal Rights Committee; Voiceless; the Humane Society International; the Cat Protection Society; Doggie Rescue; CatRescue; Pet Rescue; Operation Toby; the American Staffordshire Club of NSW; and numerous private rescuers and rescue groups across NSW and Australia. The bill is also supported by many councils, pound staff and the general public.

Sydney Morning Herald, Sunanda Creagh and Catharine Munro, October 19, 2007

CATS and dogs would be banned from pet shops under a radical proposal from the independent MP Clover Moore.

Ms Moore, famous for her dog-collar neckwear and the owner of two Staffordshire terriers, tabled a bill in Parliament yesterday calling for a crackdown on impulse buying of cats and dogs.

The bill came as the RSPCA renewed its call for mandatory desexing of cats and dogs across the country, saying 15,867 cats were abandoned in NSW in 2006-07 and less than 40 per cent were reclaimed. The rest are left to be put down.

“Many were abandoned because they were bought on impulse as cute puppies and kittens displayed in shops, but had unanticipated costs and responsibilities or were unwanted gifts,” Ms Moore said yesterday.

Under Ms Moore’s Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill, cats, dogs and other mammals could only be bought from registered breeders, animal pounds and shelters or vets.

“Pet shops promote impulse buying and irresponsible breeding for profit,” the member for Sydney told Parliament.

The RSPCA and animal welfare groups have backed the plan, but the pet industry said it was unworkable and misguided.

“The RSPCA supports an end to the sale of pets in pet shops to prevent the euthanasia of hundreds of thousands of animals each year and to remove the market for cruel backyard breeding and puppy farms,” said Steve Coleman, the RSPCA NSW chief.

The chief executive of the Pet Industry Association of Australia, Colin Bransgrove, said pet shops were subject to controls and represented only 6 per cent of all dog and cat sales.

This story was found at: http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/18/1192300954373.html

The more incidents which we can report to NSW MPs the greater chance we have of proving that pet shop abuse is endemic to the industry.

If you work for a pet shop and have observed animal neglect or mistreatment please contact info@pawsforaction.com and your account will remain strictly annonymous.

The above photo is of an underweight kitten with conjunctivitis and the early stages of cat flu, for sale at Carlingford ‘Pets Paradise’. The kitten was later sold un-microchipped to a concerned member of the public who rushed the kitten to a vet.

Please also contact us if you:

- Have any stories or experiences which you would like discuss or have published (we will respect your wishes and privacy)

- Have any information which may assist this campaign

- Work for a pet shop (this can be done anonymously)

- Know a backyard or commercial breeder

- Would like to help coordinate this campaign