She was kept confined in one of Australia’s worst puppy factories, churning out puppies for sale. But Victoria’s new government is setting a HUGE precedent for dogs like her by pledging to stop puppy farmers selling their ‘products’ in pet shops.
In puppy factories across Australia, breeding dogs are kept in miserable conditions and denied everything that makes a dog’s life worth living — all to produce a constant supply of puppies for sale in pet shops or online. Puppy farmers often conveniently sell through these channels to keep the suffering of parent dogs hidden.
Australians are understandably determined to see real action on this issue — and, at least in Victoria, politicians are listening!
As the 2014 Victorian election approached, thousands of members of the public stood with Animals Australia, Oscar’s Law and RSPCA Victoria to lobby state MPs in support of puppy factory reform. And now, in an Australian first, Victorian government has banned the sale of dogs and cats in pet shops — only allowing stores to facilitate adoptions through rescue groups.
This historic decision strikes at the heart of puppy factories’ cruel business model, and sets a major precedent for other Australian states. Curbing the indiscriminate trade of dogs and cats in pet shops will also help address our country’s companion animal overpopulation crisis, which sees countless animals ending up in shelters each year and thousands killed simply because there aren’t enough homes to go around.
