Don't Let Others Breed For Greed

Sign Petition to State & Federal Government

The Pet Talk Radio! team invites you to add your voice to our campaign'
Say 'NO' To Backyard Breeders.

FACT:
Independent research group BIS Shrapnel states that less than 2% of all puppy purchases are made in Pet Shops in Australia.
BIS Shrapnel Pty Ltd ' May 2003 - next report due March 2006

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If so few pets are bought through Pet Shops ' why are these outlets being blamed for the heart-breaking numbers of unwanted pets that end up in shelters?

The truth is those animals come from accidental or unlicensed backyard breeders *(see note below) who sell puppies through newspapers, markets and the internet.

There are no safeguards or checks on the health of either parent animals or their offspring which is why we believe Australia needs a campaign to stop backyard breeders.

And while we'd agree more needs to be done to improve how animals are displayed, sourced and sold in pet shops, the sad facts are that far too many pet owners make excuses for surrendering pets such as 'getting married, having a baby, new job, new house/flat or even bad behaviour on the part of the animal.'

It is THIS sector of the community that needs to be educated.

NOTE: Update May 25 2006
In discussing this issue with various professional animal handlers, veterinarians etc it has come to our attention that there individuals who are in fact 'responsible' and 'experienced' who from time to time breed animals privately.

These people have told us they have no intention of registering with the ANKC or similar bodies but agree that the accidental amateur breeder or those that breed for greed should be stopped.

We will re-focus this campaign to target 'careless - inexperienced - greedy' breeders however the intent "to stop indiscriminate backyard breeding for profit or fun" will remain.

We would appreciate you still signing this petition (more than 1,200 already have!) as well as providing us your thoughts on this development. - Brian & Kaye

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Audio Files
You will be asked for your first name and e-mail.
This DOES NOT sign the petition

	LISTEN to 30 second info spot
	LISTEN: to June Bird Say No To Animals In Pet Shops
	LISTEN: to reply from Say "NO" To Backyard Breeders

but first, please read what we have to say then...
Sign Our Petition to State & Federal Government
additional comments welcome.

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Background
While researching a story for episode 156 of Pet Talk Radio! (16^th December 2005) about the long-running campaign 'Say No To Animals In Pet Shops' we discovered some startling facts!

The RSPCA and Local Government animal shelters require people surrendering a pet to complete a form stating where they purchased the pet.

NSW RSPCA FIGURES
Whilst this is a National problem, using NSW 'dog only' surrenders as an example from the Yagoona pound, of the 9,000 dogs surrendered during the past 12 months (2005) less than a third had been purchased from pet shops.

Although this is way too many, according to RSPCA NSW Shelter Manager Karen Schlieper one of the biggest problems is in fact accidental backyard breeders who "love seeing the animals have puppies or kittens!!!".

Even worse, Ms Schlieper says that when these people surrender such litters to an RSPCA shelter they are offered de-sexing vouchers for the bitch or cat ' but this is usually refused. This means the cycle of unwanted animals is continued.

Total NSW figures of surrenders, strays and cruelty cases for 2005 were 20,814 - National figures will be posted here soon.

Regular listeners of Pet Talk Radio know that we are strong supporters of any individual or group helping to educate potential 'first-time' pet owners about what they are letting themselves in for.

We're also aware of the impact that the dissemination of emotive statements like 'pet shops profit from cruelty' can have on animal lovers everywhere.

But sadly ' overall such comments are incorrect and the public has been misinformed.

Not all surrendered pets are euthanased but if the NSW RSPCA statistics are representative of the origin of unwanted animals on a nation-wide basis then one can presume that less than a third of the 130,000 dogs and 60,000 cats killed at pounds every year were obtained through pet shops*.

Where did those other ill-fated 86,667 dogs and 20,000 cats come from?

'Uneducated or accidental backyard breeders.

Pet Shops we've contacted have shown us what they're doing for customers in a further bid to reduce surrenders, things such as 24/7 advisory hotlines, vet assistance etc ' but feel they have been unfairly targeted by the campaign to get live animals out of pet shops.

Based on the statistics we've uncovered, we would have to agree.

We want to stress that we do NOT want to personalise this in any way because ultimately, 'Say No To Animals In Pet Shops' and 'Say No To Back Yard Breeders' have the common goal of protecting animals - however we believe concerned animal lovers should be targeting the unlicensed breeders trying to make a quick dollar or just producing litters for family 'fun'.

It's no fun for animals that are born with physical or mental faults which will ultimately impair their health and break their owners' hearts through an untimely death.

* Yes we need to educate more people about de-sexing

* Yes we need more behaviour training options for people as this is the single most common reason for surrendering a dog+
(+ animal behaviourist Dr Kersti Seksel)

* Yes we need to say 'No' To Backyard Breeders

Where do the pets in pet-shops come from?
Pet Talk Radio interviewed the creator of 'Say No To Animals In Pet Shops', long-time animal activist June Bird. Ms Bird was adamant that 100% of animals in pet shops must come from disreputable sources because "no reputable breeder would ever sell to a pet shop".

We even asked for 'proof' of this and were assured it could be provided but have received nothing to date.

The facts are some breeders registered with the Royal New South Wales Canine Council do provide animals for sale through pet shops.

Mr Keith Irwin, President of the Royal NSW Canine Council told us "The Official stance of the RNSWCC is that it has a code of ethics, that breeders must abide by, that prohibits members from selling their dogs to Pet Shops UNLESS the business is accredited by PIAA (Pet Industry Association of Australia).'

Mr Irwin added 'This organisation has an outstanding accreditation program for pet shops that ensures the animal's good health and it even does suitability questioning on those wanting to buy a puppy."

Misinformation
Sadly, we've all been misinformed. The "Say No To Animals In Pet Shops" campaign has been around for 3 years and until we started looking for statistics and facts, we too found it easy to believe what we'd repeatedly heard, that it was the 'pet shop trade' that was behind puppy mills and kitten-machines.

But repetition of information doesn't make it true. As we've already stated, the statistics show only 2% of puppies and kittens in Australian homes are bought from a pet shop. The rest must come from somewhere else.

We believe too much wasted energy is being spent trying to get animals out of pet shops and not enough is being done to shut-down backyard breeders - which is the real problem - ironically a position "Say No To Animals In Pet Shops" agree with!!!

We also need to ensure that anyone buying a pet fully understands it is for life - not until they get married, have kids or move house!

Puppy Mills and Kitten Factories
There are unscrupulous people who treat dogs and cats as production machines ' but because they care little about the resulting animals, these pups and kittens often have health and behaviour problems.

Why would a pet shop buy potentially faulty 'stock'?
We're reliably informed they don't. After all, it would be a poor business if customers weren't happy with their 'purchase' or wanted their money back. Besides, there are many documented instances of so called 'pure bred' pups or kittens succumbing to illnesses.

Therefore you can only assume that the puppy mill pups and kittens are sold directly to the public via newspaper ads, the internet or markets.

Policies to cut 'Impulse' purchases
We also agree that the impulse buying of animals in a retail situation needs to be addressed and we applaud the efforts of several of the larger chains of pet shops to this end ' namely the maintenance of high prices, refusal to sell to unaccompanied children and cooling off periods.

We are particularly heartened to know there are many outlets accredited by the PIAA who only buy animals from ANKC (Australian National Kennel Council) registered breeders or CCCofA (Coordinating Cat Council of Australia) etc or responsible breeders who are happy to have any RSPCA inspector come and visit ' anytime.

Overseas pet sales experience
Our understanding is that the UK banned dogs and cats from being sold in pet shops some time ago ' but this has not impacted on the number of dumped animals.

There's no reason to think a ban here would have success when it had no effect in the UK.

OUR PROMISE
We hear plenty of people shouting "we have to educate people not to buy from pet shops and that will solve the problem of unwanted pets'... but we've not seen any evidence of such 'education' as sales of pets from pet shops have remained constant (and remember it's less than 2% of total national puppy & kitten sales) and numbers of dumped pets aren't falling*(Minister Local Govt. NSW Kerry Hickey-Dec 2005)

But our promise to you - and one we've enacted for 5 years now with Dog-E-Data - www.dog-e-data.com.au and in the last three years on Pet Talk Radio! - www.pettalkradio.com.au - is that we will continue to do our best to inform, entertain and - we hope - educate current and new pet owners about pets.

We will also promise that we will try to ensure that EVERY local government in every state and territory spends more dollars from companion animal registrations to conduct proper education campaigns to stem the 'pets are disposable' mentality that currently exists for many people.

Whether you describe yourself as an animal lover, pet owner, pet guardian or simply pet lover we all want the best for Australia's pet population.

Let's target the real villains here, not pet shops but rather the accidental or deliberate back-yard breeder.

So... YOU WANT TO REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
If you really want to stop our domestic animals from suffering at the hands of large puppy farms and backyard or accidental breeders, add your voice to the 'silent majority' so that we can become the 'vocal majority' and save domestic animals from becoming baby machines.

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