PUPPY MILLS PERPETUATE THE CRUELTY

There is great need at the animal welfare societies that house thousands of dogs. As the number of available homes is limited, many of these loyal companion animals, some of them in the prime of their lives, have to be put down. One also hears how puppies, bought from a local pet shop, have to be put down owing to the fact that they are harboring an illness incubating at the time they are bought. Pet shops seldom bother to check whether new ‘merchandise’ has received all the necessary innoculations, possibly because it would be cutting into profits.
Another ugly reality is the ‘puppy mills’ or unlicenced backyard breeders who supply the pet shops. These puppy farmers care little for the well-being of the dogs, as long as they bring in the tax free profits. Very often the mothers have their pups removed at age six weeks instead of the optimal eight or twelve in order that they may become pregnant more quickly. So these hapless animals become little more than perpetual breeding machines, their off-spring sold, unspayed of course, to the nearest pet shop.
From time to time exposés highlight the plight of these wretched creatures, doomed to lives of misery. Currently, there is an on-going case against such a puppy mill brought by the Wet Nose Animal Rescue Centre (WNARC). Shocking scenes of the conditions at the puppy farm were aired on the TV programme Carte Blanche.
Laws are currently being considered, outlawing the breeding of dogs without a valid breeders’ license.
Considering the price pet shops ask for the puppies, that makes for an enormous amount of tax free merchandise. And anybody can open a pet shop and sell animals, without having any knowledge or background of animal welfare. What restrictions there are, pertain to health regulations and not the welfare of the animals. There does not appear to be any law requiring these animals to have valid vaccination certificates before being sold. The new Cape bylaws currently under consideration stipulate that pet shop owners have to have proof that the dogs and cats they are selling have been vaccinated. But these new bylaws have been a long time coming and besides they are difficult to police as the SPCA only covers a small area and this constitutes a big loophole.
Ideally, pet shops should not sell live animals anyway. This would not necessarily mean the end of the road for such concerns. Most well run pet shops who don’t deal in animals manage a steady income from pet accessories and dog foods which, world-wide, constitute a multi-billion dollar industry. Surprisingly, this market slice has also proved to be recession proof as good owners will always spend on their companion animals.
Meanwhile, a word of caution from the WNARC: Buy only from registered welfare organizations that will ensure that the animals come to you vaccinated and spayed. But if you should be so unwise as to buy from a pet shop, do read their legal disclaimer as the minute you leave there, any subsequent problems become your own. Take time about purchasing the animal and ensure that the breeder is registered, that the documentation is correct and the breeder info on the vaccination card is up-to-date. You should also contact the Kennel Union of South Africa (KUSA) in order to check up on the breeder who might just be among those banned from the organization because of bad practices. Some of the certificates that are supplied are fraudulent.
It is most unwise to advertise animals in the papers and on Gumtree offering them ‘Free to good homes’ rather than sending them to a registered animal welfare society. There have been documented instances where such pets have landed up in experimental laboratories or for use as bait in dog fights.
In the end it is those who buy from pet shops who must carry the blame for this unethical trade. If we would rather adopt from the nearest shelter, the puppy mills would close down. It’s all about supply and demand.
So the next time you walk past a pet shop on a cold evening or weekend, do spare
a thought for the puppies shivering inside, deprived of their mothers’ warmth. And remember that for every person that supports a breeder (be it backyard or registered) a rescue dog dies – even pedigreed ones.