New Animals Australia ad against puppy mills

[Catherine]

Animals Australia has been busy and they now have an ad against puppy mills. It is going to take a lot of work to put an end to the breeders who use dogs to make a profit. We all know the story, dogs kept in filthy inhumane conditions, bred until they are of no use and then discarded.
What we need is for the buying public to know and refuse to buy puppies from such places. I hope this ad has the desired effect.

http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/...7283252275

It will be a long battle before we end all puppy mills around the world. It is important to convince governments to make such practices illegal and block the sale of puppies in pet stores. Banning online sales would be good too or at least finding a way to regulate them.
I wish Animals Australia every success with this campaign. Every win is a win for all dogs because ideas do spread and people who know the truth can make better more compassionate choices.

[LPC]

If someone suggested locking women up for the whole of their lives, forced to breed and have babies endlessly, living in cages without daylight, with the sole aim of making a profit (selling the babies), there would be such an outcry! So why do some people think that it is all right to do that to dogs?

Animals Australia is really doing some great work recently. In the article you cited above, I especially like this sentence:
"She added the best way to stop puppy factories and farms was to always purchase a dog from a shelter first." How true.

[Tobi]

Thank you Animals Australia!

Puppy mills are so heartbreaking and horrific. And no-one is likely to buy a good healthy pup from one of those breeders.
If someone MUST have a pedigree pup, then please go to a reputable breeder, even if the price is higher!
Always be aware of 'red flag signs' -and one of those is not being able to see the pups with the parents/mother.
Please do not support puppy mills!

But how much kinder to adopt from a shelter, and give a homeless and sad dog new hope. No you might not get a young pup, but any age dog will bring great joy to your life!

[Catherine]

Quote:If someone suggested locking women up for the whole of their lives, forced to breed and have babies endlessly, living in cages without daylight, with the sole aim of making a profit (selling the babies), there would be such an outcry! So why do some people think that it is all right to do that to dogs?

You say it so well. The image is powerful and I hope people think about it. The only way to stop this is to stop buying the puppies.

People worry about a shelter dog and where it came from. A puppy mill dog is from such a sad background that you would be better to take a chance on a shelter dog.

Any breeder that does not show you the parents is suspicious. People are proud of their dogs and want you to see them. You visit a true breeder and they will drag you all over the house and have you meet the whole family. If the father does not actually live on the property they will have pictures and will be able to tell you all about why they chose him and you could probably meet that breeder as well. Little puppies should not be away from their mother so you should be able to see the mom with the babies before you get one.

[Catherine]

If the ad doesn't change everybody's thinking it is sure to reach many people.
If it makes them think before they buy a puppy it will have the desired effect.
If we can get people to consider adoption from a shelter it will help the shelters to find homes so it is a double benefit.

Quote:Although the saga with the Lost Dogs Home was not a good move for the cause.

I am not sure I know what this is.

[LPC]

Thanks for posting that link. On that page I found this very good comment: "What we need is for Lost Dogs' Home to be running as a lifesaving shelter, instead of a killing shelter and that will only happen with a change of management, protocols and public awareness to open up the shelter".

The principle of rescue shelters is a good idea. The odd bad one needs closing or a complete change of policy. The best choice is always to go to a "no-kill" facility.

[Catherine]

Thank-you for posting the Lost Dogs Home article. I hadn't hear about this.
I did not like the way the director blamed the widow for her dog getting put down after she called. He never accepted responsibility or said they were sorry for making a mistake. His remark was that is was a "lesson for all of us to register and identify our dogs better".

That is a little harsh isn't it. The widow called in. She trusted them to hold her dog until she could get there.

You are right, they need to be transformed into a no kill shelter. That means they need new management, a new board of directors and the staff could use some retraining.
If they have 12,000 dogs a year then they need to do some serious work on adoptions and set up a spay neuter clinic to slow down the numbers of dogs being born. It means changing their focus, but in the end it is the right thing to do. When they kill dogs there are always more to take their place. Encouraging responsible pet ownership will bring things under control.