Pet Shops, Puppy Farms, and Pounds

Watch the episode or read the transcript here:

ABC Radio, Pet Industry Investigation, 2009

On Sunday, 29th Novemer 2009 ABC Radio National aired a Background Briefing program on the Australian Pet industry.

In Australia, 1 dog is killed every 4 minutes due to the completely unregulated industry composed of pet shops, puppy farms, backyard breeders, and our mega-pound system. Animal Liberation Project Co-ordinator Jacqueline Dalziell visits a puppy farm, and exposes the reality behind that cute puppy in the window in this shocking expose.

To listen to this program, go to:

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/backgroundbriefing/stories/2009/2752846.htm

"Today Tonight" segment, 2009

On November 20 2009, Today Tonight aired a segment on pet shops and puppy farms, with Animal Liberation Project Co-ordinator Jacqueline Dalziell speaking about the cruelty inherent in the Pet Industry.

Interview with a Pet Shop

Animal Liberation Project Co-ordinator Jacqueline Dalziell chats to Terry
Horsfall, owner of Bowhouse, a pet shop without pets.

Terry, tell us a bit about Bowhouse; when and why did you start, what do you
do, and what do you sell?

We opened the Bowhouse store at Bondi Beach at the end of April 2007, so

we're just over 2 years old now. We opened it for a number of reasons.

Firstly, because there was no shop for dog owners in Bondi or Bondi Beach.

Also, because we felt that none of the local retailers or vets were very pet-friendly,

or really concerned about providing good service, advice, good value and convenience to their customers.

Our mission is to sell everything you need for your dog or cat, as well as a
whole range of other products for dog and cat lovers, such as books, cards,
and artworks at the best possible prices, in a helpful, friendly environment
where pets are welcome.

We do not sell live animals because we are against that. We prefer to refer people to rescue organisations or professional breeders if they are looking for a pet.

Can you tell us why Bowhouse made an ethical stance against selling live
animals?

 

There are a number of reasons we are against retailers selling live
animals.

The first is that it can compromise the retailer's integrity, because they
will tend to favour making maximum profits from the sale of the
animals rather than caring for the pet's welfare or ensuring that
prospective customers will be responsible dog owners and provide good homes for the dogs.

Secondly, far too many retailers display cute puppies and kittens in their
windows in a way deliberately designed to attract kids and impulse buyers. The retailers operating in our part of Sydney that we most strongly disagree with are the ones in shopping malls that place cute puppies and kittens in their shop windows in locations frequented by children and young working people who are highly likely to buy animals on impulse and then not be good or responsible long-term pet owners.

Many pet shops claim that without selling live animals, their businesses
would not be profitable; dogs in pet shops can cost anywhere from $500 to
$1,400. How do you find selling only pet products, but not pets themselves?

 

Initially we found business tough, but that was primarily because we opened at the
beginning of winter in Bondi Beach, a deadly time for all local businesses. However, we soon established ourselves and are trading profitably, because our customers
appreciate our ethics and values, and choose to come to us rather than the local shopping mall, pet warehouse or supermarket for all their pet needs.

Australia has the highest rate of pet ownership in the world, however we
kill approximately 160,000 dogs every year because they are lost, homeless
or abandoned. Over 63,000 dogs and cats were killed in shelters and pounds
this year in NSW alone. With a killing rate as high as one dog every four
minutes, what do you think is at the root of Australia's pet overpopulation
problem?

 

I think it is primarily because too many people buy puppies or dogs
without properly considering the impact it will have upon them, and once the
novelty wears off they either lose interest in the animal, or find that it
will not fit in with their lifestyle.

There are also a huge number of people that rent their homes who are forced
by landlords or complaining neighbours to get rid of their dogs, or who move
to new homes where dogs are prohibited.

 

I think this is very short-sighted of landlords, and I think it would make a huge difference if ways could be found to make more pet-friendly rented accommodation available in Australia. Many of our customers would happily pay extra rent to stay in a home where their pet was welcome, so that alone should be a good reason for more landlords to welcome pets.

Pet shops provide a major market for illegal puppy mills and kitten farms
and other backyard breeding operations. Animal Liberation has obtained
footage of such operations and exposed them as breaking basic animal
protection laws, keeping animals in horrific conditions, and selling sick
and diseased animals to the unsuspecting public through pet shops and
internet classifieds.

What is your opinion on puppy/kitten farms and backyard breeders?

 

We are vehemently against them. The mills are typically in locations well away from our base in the Eastern suburbs, so we don't have first-hand knowledge of their practices. However, we are acutely conscious that a lot of our customers' pets which have been purchased in shopping mall pet stores originate from mills or backyard breeders, and we wish that people would realise that by buying their pets in such stores they are feeding an unacceptable system.

Puppies that come from puppy farms and pet shops often have a range of
psychological and physical health problems (personality disorders,
hereditary defects, depressed immune systems) due to their lack of care and veterinary treatment. This often results in very high veterinary bills for unsuspecting
buyers and also the increased possibility of animals being dumped as they
are unsociable or maladjusted. Even worse is the not uncommon occurrence of
animals dying soon after purchase; the average age of a dog in Australia is
3.5 years, where the normal age for most dogs is between 10-15 years.

Working in your store, do you ever hear stories or see animals that you
think have suffered physically or mentally due to abuses endured in puppy
farms or pet shops?

 

I would say that at least 3 times a month we hear of a puppy purchased in a pet store that has had medical issues shortly after being bought, and often chronic lifetime conditions.

 

I think this is primarily because the pet store has not thoroughly checked the background of the puppies that they are selling.

 

But it's often also the case that they have not given the puppy appropriate care or nutrition while it has been in the store. A prime example is a great dane that was brought into our store after being in the local shopping mall pet store window for over a month before one of our customers took pity and bought it. It was seriously undersized and insufficiently exercised. We advised the owners on the right nutrition for the dog, and they exercised it well, but it was almost 6 months before it started to look like a good, robust healthy dog.

With all the dogs you regularly see, have you ever come across any cases of
impulse buying or pet shop abuse?

 

Impulse buying is without doubt the biggest issue in our area rather than abuse, though we often hear of heart-breaking cases of abuse and neglect from those at Monika’s Doggie Rescue. A prime example of this happened a few months ago.

A new customer came into the store, and when I asked about his dog, he confessed to me that he had bought it at a pet store in the local shopping mall when he was blind drunk after drinking in the pub watching a football match all afternoon. He was so drunk that when he woke up the next day, he could not remember where the dog had come from. It was only after his credit card bill came through some time later and he saw that he had spent several thousand dollars in the pet store that day that it came back to him.

What do you think needs to happen to ensure that consumers know the truth
behind the animals they are buying?

 

Whoever is selling the dog should be obliged to disclose in writing all available information about the parentage of the dog, where it was born, and any likely potential health or behavioural issues, and purchasers should have the right to sue for reasonable damages if this information is untrue or incomplete. Purchasers should be obliged to wait at least one week between deciding to buy an animal and taking it home. Many responsible breeders interview prospective owners of their animals, and provide the prospective purchaser with an information pack about what owning the animal will entail, and I think this practice should be the norm.

Clover Moore, an Independent MP for Sydney has proposed a new bill, The
Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill, which would ban the sale of cats and dogs
in pet shops and markets and limit advertisement/classified sales to
recognised breeders and those re-homing unwanted pets. What does Bowhouse
think about the Bill?

In principle, we wholeheartedly support it.

Thankyou very much for your insights Terry, and for being a leading example to demonstrate that pet stores don’t need to rely on animal abuse for their sales. And where can our members find you?

 

Bowhouse is located at Shop 4, 2a Jacques Avenue, Bondi Beach

Our website is http://www.bowhouse.com.au/