The Issues
There are many reasons why we need the Animals Bill. But mainly because the industry, which includes pet shops, backyard breeders, puppy farmers and those who sell animals through markets and auctions, must be regulated. At the other end of this spectrum sits the pounds, shelters and rescue groups, which exist to help as many of the animals left behind in the turmoil of the pet industry.
Puppy farms and backyard breeding operations in NSW indiscriminately and continuously breed animals in appalling conditions. There is no consideration for the animals’ basic needs, health or well being - they are there purely to generate a profit. As soon as the ‘breeding stock’ stop producing litters they are destroyed.
Pet shops are the public face of puppy farms and backyard breeders. But it is not just where the animals are sourced that is the problem, it is how they are treated in the pet shops and the way they are sold which is most damaging. Animals are kept caged in a stressful retail environment until sold, vet treatment is rarely provided if the animal becomes sick, and impulse buying is encouraged. Buyers are not provided with care information and animals are sold to anyone with money.
Finally, from puppy farm to pet shop, the animal reaches the pound. Every year in NSW more than 60 000 cats and dogs are destroyed in Council pounds. This excludes the animals euthanased at vet clinics and in shelters such as the RSPCA, Animal Welfare League and Cat Protection Society. The fear, neglect and suffering experienced by these animals is immeasurable - yet still the industry, responsible for breeding and selling these animals, is allowed to operate unchecked.
In addition to the impact it has on animal welfare, the pet industry affects the environment, the community and costs the tax payer hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to manage unwanted or abandoned companion animals.
The Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill will address each of these problems. It will stop mass indiscriminate breeding of cats and dogs by making it illegal, and removing avenues for selling them; it will make the pet industry accountable in its dealings with the public, and ensure people are properly prepared for pet ownership.
