Puppy mills or ‘puppy farms’ in Australia: Do they still exist?

At  ‘best’,  puppy farms (also called puppy mills or puppy factories) use dogs as breeding machines – depriving them of the love and companionship every dog needs. At worst, they can be a living hell for the animals confined within them.

Dogs in puppy factories or puppy mills will never chase a ball at the park, never run on the beach, and never have the opportunity to curl up on the couch at night with their human family. These sensitive, social animals can be deprived of even their most basic needs – frequent food, water, medical care, and the very thing they have evolved to crave from us: care and companionship.

A shocking investigation in 2015 revealed dogs being kept in what can only be described as ‘upright tombs’, denied sunlight, and forced to ‘live’ their lifetime in faeces-littered cages.  Sadly, almost 10 years later, investigations continue to reveal that puppy factories are still strongly in operation throughout Australia.

The Australia Veterinary Association defines puppy mills, or farms, as ‘the intensive breeding of dogs, who live in inappropriate conditions which fail to meet the behavioural, social and physiological needs of the animal.‘ ^[1]

Whilst that may sound like it should be illegal, many people are shocked to learn that the cruelty inherent in puppy mills – intensive breeding, lack of exercise and medical care, minimal human interaction and zero social enrichment – can all be entirely legal.

Victoria was the first state in Australia to pass meaningful legislation that mitigates some of the problems associated with puppy farming, introducing a cap on dog numbers and a limit on how many litters a dog can be forced to have. Western Australia was next, also banning the sale of puppies in pet shops and cracking down on puppy factories. Regulations in New South Wales were recently updated, but still have significant gaps, such as allowing up to 50 “breeding dogs” to be used as breeding machines under transitional provisions over the next decade.

Where legislation does exist, it still contains loopholes and doesn’t prevent dogs from puppy mills being sold online and shipped interstate.

Other states have done very little to protect dogs and unsuspecting buyers from buying into cruelty:

• In Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia, there is still no cap on how many dogs a puppy farmer can have as ‘breeders’ and how many litters they can be forced to have.
• In South Australia, it can be legal to keep a mother dog confined to a barren cell for 23 hours a day, denying her everything that makes her life worth living.
• Some states even allow back-to-back breeding, meaning the mother dog is constantly pregnant. (Although a dog should never be forced to give birth only to have her puppies taken away, the RSPCA advises a female dog should only ever have a maximum of five litters over her entire lifetime – a figure that’s regularly exploited by puppy farmers.)

It may come as a shock to caring dog lovers to discover that many of Australia’s puppies sold online or in pet shops were born in inhumane puppy factories like those pictured above.

• According to the Pet Industry Association of Australia (PIAA), around 450,000 puppies are sold in Australia each year.
• Only approximately 15% of puppies are purchased through pet shops, and the vast majority of purchases happen online. Online sales are totally unregulated.

Each day, sites like The Trading Post and Gumtree offer thousands of puppies for sale, and concerningly, many of these puppies come from puppy factories.  

Puppy farmers know that caring people would be horrified to see the true conditions their dogs are forced to ‘live’ in. Selling through pet shops or online allows unscrupulous breeders to hide the reality of where these puppy mill puppies are born, and how their parents and siblings are treated. They may employ fancy websites and glossy ads of happy, healthy dogs, and even offer to ‘deliver the pup to you’ or meet you at your local park. These can all be considered ‘red flags’, potentially indicating a seller is not willing to have you see the conditions the puppy has come from.

Many people look for ‘registered’ breeders to avoid buying from puppy factories, but the term in itself, sadly, is no guarantee.

Current laws are inadequate and oversight to ensure compliance of breeders with these laws is minimal. Inhumane puppy mills may simply be ‘registered’ as a business or registered as a commercial dog breeding facility (a breeder). Even registration with official dog breeding associations does not always ensure appropriate treatment in line with how the community would expect dogs to be treated.

Pedigree is another word for ‘pure-bred’ – specific breeds may be desired for appearance and traits, but the lack of genetic diversity within breeds can increase their risk of inherited diseases.

Pedigree dog breeders can be members of canine associations and the peak body known as the Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) – but membership is not a guarantee in itself that the conditions in which the dogs are raised and housed are appropriate.

No. This is about the breeding, not the breed.

Investigations into puppy factories reveal that both ‘pure-bred’ and ‘mixed-breed’ dogs are victims of puppy farming. 

Popular cross-breeds such as spoodles, cavoodles, labradoodles and Shih Tzu-Maltese crosses are routinely bred in puppy factories. However, as shown in our TV ad, and as investigations have revealed, pure breeds such as labradors, golden retrievers, boxers, spaniels, cavaliers, pugs, beagles and even border collies have been found in puppy factories. No breed or cross-breed is safe from unscrupulous breeders, which is why dogs need the community to be vigilant if inhumane puppy factories are to be stamped out.

In 2020, the COVID pandemic created a record boom in the pet industry. Studies are still being conducted to confirm if this led to a surge in puppy farms operating in Australia (as was the case in Europe). Of Australia’s estimated 4.6 million pet dogs, an astounding one in five have been acquired since the pandemic began.

When travel restrictions and lockdowns prevented people from buying their new puppy in person, many of Australia’s ‘pandemic’ puppies were purchased online. Sadly, this was quickly followed by a surge in reports of sick animals, high veterinary fees, as well as ongoing medical and emotional costs. The surge in dogs purchased during the pandemic created a very real problem for dogs and puppies today. In 2022 alone, 19,221 dogs were surrendered to the RSPCA.

But it’s not just the pandemic alone that caused this problem. Puppy mills often produce more puppies than there is demand for. Puppy farmers contribute to a mass overbreeding of dogs, meaning many animals go from breeder, to shelter. Along with cost-of-living pressures causing another surge in surrenders of people’s pets, shelters across the country have been so overwhelmed with cats and dogs they haven’t had room to take in any more animals, and tragically, many animals end up being euthanised simply because there aren’t enough homes for them.

Puppy farming is another case of profit being prioritised over animals and their welfare. And dogs, who humans have shared a bond with for thousands of years, deserve much better than this.

While the problem may seem big, changing it starts with simple but powerful individual actions. Here are a few things you can do today to help pave the way to a kinder world for dogs everywhere:

• Pledge to adopt your next best friend. One of the simplest and most direct actions you can take to end puppy factory cruelty is to choose not to buy a dog from a breeder, and instead, adopt from a registered rescue group or shelter. Some breeders are misleadingly using words like “adopt” when selling companion animals, so it’s important to be aware that buying a puppy from a breeder is not rescuing. If you come across a questionable breeder, or something just doesn’t feel right, report them to the RSPCA or lodge a confidential tip-off to Oscar’s Law.
• Share this article with family and friends to help spread the word about puppy farm cruelty and how they can help stop it.
• Speak up for companion animals. If you’re concerned about your state’s lacklustre laws, write a powerful message to your state leader here.

Pledge to adopt your next best friend, you will not only ensure you avoid supporting a cruel puppy factory – you will also save a life and free up space in a rescue for someone else in need. Rescued companions come in all shapes, sizes, breeds, ages, and can be suitable for every lifestyle and home. All they are missing is someone to love. Pledge now!

REFERENCES:

1. Australian Veterinary Association – Policy on puppy farming (ratification date 29 July 2016).