Too Many Dogs!
 Every year in NSW alone 60,000 otherwise healthy cats and dogs are put down. There is a serious oversupply of companion animals in our society. All the while authorities, The Australian Veterinarian Association, (who you'd think would support animal welfare, and even the RSPCA do little or nothing to rectify this situation. As with many problems in world it is a complex issue which means the solution is not simple. The solution will also not be found without treading on a few toes and when money is involved, those who have their toes tread on tend to protest quite loudly.
Puppy Mills:
 Just what are puppy mills or puppy farms? Well, the second name gives a pretty good indication. In essence they are places that produce as many pups as possible for the sole intention of making money. Pups bred in these places are often sold through pet stores.
Many people have, to me any way, misconceptions as to what constitutes a puppy farm. Some people will label any one who breeds mixed breed dogs as a puppy farm. To me this is plain snobbery. Most puppy mills do have mixed breed dogs, but that does not mean that every person who breeds dogs that are not pedigree should be labelled as such. By the same token someone who breeds pedigree dogs, even if they are registered, could very well fall under this umbrella. To me the issue is not the type of dog, but how many and the motive behind.
A sheep farmer who has a number of top class working dogs of different breeds and has 3 or 4 litters of crossbreeds a year to maintain his line and supply a demand for quality working dogs should not be stuck with this label. On the other hand someone with KCC registered dogs and breeds 3 or 4 litters per year with the sole intention of making money to me is most definitely a puppy miller. Try to get a *working dog from a breeder whose lines have been selected for show ring conformity for a dozen or so generations. You may get lucky.
If you visit a rescue shelter often enough you will see that their residents are not exclusively mixed breed. A number of years ago for instance, Siberian Huskies were a 'fashionable' breed. Many people jumped on the bandwagon and bred them to supply the demand, many of which came with papers. When they went out of fashion rescue shelters around the country found themselves with increasing numbers of these beautiful dogs
I don't have a problem with someone who selectively breeds to improve a certain trait, whether it is a working dog, for competition or conformation in the show ring, as long as they don't sacrifice the health of the dogs to gain what they are after. Many breeds today are plagued by problems from in breeding or ignoring genetic defects, such as hip dysplasia, breathing problems and unable to give birth naturally. It is when excessive pups are being bred with the only goal being their saleabilty that I take exception, whether they are pedigree or cross breeds. These generally will be as cute looking as possible to influence impulse buying.
If you search the Internet you will find many sites campaigning against puppy mills and without fail their intentions are good. The problem is that some only paint a picture of large numbers of dogs kept in poor conditions producing litter after litter. These places do exist and are horrendous. The problem is that not all puppy mills are like this. Anyone who keeps dogs in poor conditions needs a wake up call but the issue here is the amount of pups that are bought into the world, just to satisfy the false god commonly known as the dollar. Quite simply there are too many dogs and to put forward such a narrow view could be counter productive, with some operators sneaking under the radar. Not all puppy farms are clandestine back yard operations, some will even have a sign out the front proclaiming to be 'such and such' kennels, with their stock all registered with the KCC
*by working dog I mean any dog that assists humans to complete any task
Puppy mills are only part of the problem.
Unplanned pregnancies are not only the realm of teenage girls. Some people just do not take their responsibilities seriously enough. Looking after a dog involves more than just feeding it once a day and ensuring they have access to water. You must also ensure that you dog does not roam. Any dog at large can create all sorts of problems, non desexed dogs have the added extra of creating unwanted litters. If you decide not have you dog desexed, it is your responsibility to ensue they do not get up to any hanky panky. If you cannot ensure this then you should not have a dog - Get a gold fish instead.
Many people deliberately breed their dog for the strangest of reasons. Your bitch does not have to have a litter for any reason at all. In fact in the wild only the alpha female will breed. It is natural for most dogs to go their whole life and never have a litter. If you learn amichien bonding so your bitch does not see herself as alpha and she never breeds she will have a very contented life. It is my opinion though, that if you do get your dog spayed it is not a bad thing to let her have a season first. In my experience you see a difference in your dog after her first season, and there are health problems associated with desexing dogs too young. If you can't ensure she wont be mated during this season, something no dog should have happen, then having her spayed before it occurs is less problematic in the whole scheme of things.
Some people will breed their dog with the misguided notion that they will get another one the same. Check out any litter of size and you will see all sorts of personalities. There will be introverts, extroverts, those that rush in where angels fear to tread and those that watch and think about things before acting. If you could get offspring just like their parents from animals then no one would be delving into the realm of cloning. If you get a dog from a reputable breeder that you are happy with, then go back to them when the time comes to get another dog. If your dog is bred for a specific purpose and they are good at it, then that is a different situation.
Often people will breed their dog just to expose their children to the wonders of birth. This is a truly wondrous experience but if you breed your dog for this reason and you don't have potential homes lined up before conception, then you owe it to your children to expose them to the other side of the coin. Take them to the local rescue shelter and show them all the dogs there. Explain that nobody wants them, through no fault of their own, and if somebody doesn't takes them home soon they will be killed. The equation is as simple as that.
Any one thinking about bringing even more puppies into a world that already sees phenomenal numbers of otherwise healthy 'excess' dogs put down should view this first.
Clover Moore's bill.
Independent NSW MP Clover Moore is trying to get a bill through parliament that will outlaw the sale of companion animals through pet stores and regulate the breeding of such animals. It's great that someone in a position to do so, is finally trying to do something about this situation. The banning of pet stores selling dogs and cats is a good idea. I do have a bit of a problem with the part that only allows those registered with the KCC to breed dogs, for the reasons outlined above, but can see how this expedites the process. It takes part of the responsibility away from the state government which will help ensure it's passage through parliament. Nothing in this world is perfect and to me something like this, even if it may be slightly flawed, is better than nothing at all.
You can access Clover Moore's bill here,
There is a response to the bill by the Australian Veterinarian Association here.
They do make a couple of valid points, but to me not enough to discard the bill. To me it is slick, spin with no real substance. Have a look and make up you own mind.
I believe that it is easier and more beneficial to influence local councils on these matters, as it is they who often foot the bill for unwanted dogs and the problems they cause. This way it allows slight differences in the regulations that take into account the different demographics between shires. Most councils already have dog registration policies in place so it is not that much extra for them to licence all dog breeders within their shire, whether or not they are already registered with the KCC. This would allow officers to inspect all breeders' premises once a year. If they have compulsory microchipping in place they will also be able to, over time, develop of picture of where the dogs turning up in their pounds are coming from and if there are possibly any clandestine operations within their shire. It also creates an opportunity to regulate how many litters they have per year.
 Yes this would create a burden on councils and legitimate breeders, but I think that 60,000 healthy animals killed in one state alone is a pretty big burden for society to carry
Clover Moore's bill will hopefully break the ice and lead to sensible bylaws around the country that help reduce the number of healthy companion animals that are euthanised.
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