To ban or not to ban — the sale of animals in pet shops

Animal-rights groups and politicians have waged war against puppy farms for keeping animals in sub-standard conditions and breeding until they die. But why are pet shops a target? Caroline Zambrano investigates this controversy that has divided pet lovers around Australia.

Animal-rights groups have for years been campaigning against puppy farms for committing horrible acts of cruelty to numerous dogs, and they see pet shops as part of the problem.

“Puppy farms are the hidden million-dollar industry behind the pet shop window,” Debra Tranter tells Dogs Life. “It’s the picture the pet shops don’t want anyone to see. They want the public to focus on the cute puppy in the window, but what the public doesn’t know is that the mother dog is hidden and caged miles away, pregnant again. She will be killed when she can no longer produce.”

If pet shops are not banned from selling animals, more dogs and cats will be killed in the future, Tranter explains. “We have so many companion animals in Australia that we are killing them at a rate of 350 a day — that’s one every four minutes,” she says.

To relieve people of their responsibility, the current shelter system either recycles pets to new homes or destroys them, she adds. “The truth is, there should not be a need in a civilised society for a system that disposes of animals as if they were trash. We do not need to be breeding and selling any more when we are killing them simply because we can’t find homes for them. By banning the sale of animals in pet shops and the classifieds, you are no longer providing a market for the puppy farmers. It must be abolished,” she says.

Pet industry response

But the Pet Industry Association of Australia’s (PIAA) statistics predict banning the sale of animals in pet shops will not make a difference in the puppy farm market because 80 per cent of pet sales are through the classifieds, with only six to 10 per cent coming from pet shops and the rest from direct sources (family, friends etc). One may also add to the argument that because pet shops do not pay puppy farms enough to cover business expenses, the farms sell directly to the general public. Furthermore, “Pet shops do not buy from puppy mills because the pets are of poor quality and often not well,” says PIAA chief executive officer Dr Joanne Sillince. “And that’s the last thing a pet shop owner wants at the window — an animal that isn’t in a peak of health. Most of the pictures you see in the media are old footage — more than half a decade old — because puppy farms are now so rare and are not being supported by the industry.”

PIAA Code of Practice requires member pet shops to reject stock from puppy farms and that has a specific definition, Sillince says. “That does not stop you doing business with large commercial breeders who have high standards and are properly licensed. But it does stop you from dealing with businesses with poor health, genetic and hygiene standards,” she explains.

Furthermore, under the new Code of Practice for Animals in Pet Shops, introduced by NSW Department of Primary Industries in September 2008, there are mandatory rules and guidelines for keeping and selling animals in pet shops. “The safest place in Australia to buy a dog is from a pet shop,” Sillince says.

The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) welcomes the new Code of Practice, with president Dr Mark Lawrie explaining that there is incentive for a positive approach to self-regulation with a regulative backstop. The new standards around the sale of animals, which include things such as age restrictions for customers buying dogs and cats, and the requirement for accurate written information on pet care, are really important steps in achieving responsible and sustainable pet ownership, he adds.

“Mandatory microchipping before sale helps prompt the return of lost companion animals to their owners,” Lawrie says. “The number of dogs and cats sold in pet shops is only 15 per cent of the animal acquisition market. We encourage the government to ensure high standards of animal welfare in all other sources of pet acquisition, too.”

Sillince says under the new code and the PIAA national Code of Practice, “You can now be assured that pet shops’ quality standard are at ‘gold star’ level.”

Animals (Regulation of Sales) Bill 2007

At the present time, there is no ban on the sale of animals in pet shops nationally. The Animals (Regulation of Sales) Bill 2007 was introduced to the NSW Parliament by Sydney Mayor MP Clover Moore in October 2007, proposing to ban all small mammals, including ferrets, guinea pigs, rabbits, mice, rats, puppies and kittens from pet shops. Under this Bill, only registered breeders, animal shelters and rescue groups would be able to advertise the sale of pets.

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