ask politicians what they think of selling dogs in pet shops

We've got an election coming up in Australia. Why don't we ask the candidates what they think about the indiscriminate sale of dogs in pet shops? Federal elections are about Australia-wide issues, and I think the killing of innocent pets is a blight on our society.

This post is prompted by the fact that I just saw a link from Bark Blog to an article in the Sydney Morning Herald about a proposal by independent MP Clover Moore to ban the sale of cats and dogs in pet shops.

Here are a few excerpts from the proposed Bill:

Australia has the highest rate of pet ownership in the world. Yet the most recent statistics of the Department of Local Government show that more than 60,000 dogs and cats are killed each year in New South Wales alone. Those numbers do not include animals dumped in national parks where domestic animals die of starvation, are killed by other animals or harm the natural ecosystem...

This number does not include other animals such as rabbits, mice and guinea pigs that are put down...

...the Say No to Animals in Pet Shops organisation...claims there is a link between pet shops and the enormous number of animals killed every year at pounds and shelters. Its claim is supported by other animal welfare and advocate groups and has wide community support. That is because pet shops promote impulse buying and irresponsible breeding for profit...

The Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill will protect the lives and wellbeing of dogs, cats and other mammals by prohibiting their sale in pet shops, fairs and markets. It will prevent the impulse purchasing of mammals by restricting sales to registered breeders, pounds, animal shelters and veterinarians where animals will be appropriately matched with buyers, who will be informed about special needs and requirements. Mammals will only be able to be kept at shops or markets and offered for sale if they are kept on behalf of animal shelters and returned to the shelter at night...

Only recently in Australia have pet shops become major suppliers of companion animals to the public. Previously animals were generally acquired either from breeders or, more commonly, from surplus litters in informal networks...

Impulse buying is acceptable for handbags or shoes, but pet shops sell live sentient beings, such as puppies and kittens, which need ongoing care and attention. Unlike most animal shelters, pet shops do not ensure there is a suitable match between animal and purchaser. An inappropriate choice of an animal can result in neglect of the animal...

Animal behaviourists claim that a pet shop is an inherently stressful environment for an animal. This is because the animal is often too young to be taken away from its mother and is subject to constant handling and lack of quiet times. Animal behaviourists say that this can lead to depressed immune systems and illness...

[Pet shops] sell animals without identification or microchip and without screening the new owner...

...a civil society would act to prevent this cruelty and reduce the number of unwanted animals that are killed or die of starvation or disease. It is a sobering fact that the average lifespan of a dog in Australia is two years.

Click here for the whole text of the Bill.

For some years I kept jacky dragons. Because they are protected native Australian animals it is necessary to have a licence to keep them and I had to keep a log-book about any changes in my ownership of them, for instance, whether I had changed the place where I kept them, or one had died, or they'd had young. Each year I sent in a form to the Government detailing this information.

It seems that dogs suffer from the fact that they are not a 'precious resource' like jacky dragons. Anyone can walk into a pet shop and buy one on impulse.

I'd like to know what my local candidates think about that.