Rspca Proposals For A Mandatory Code For Puppy Farmers.

[minky]

HAS ANYONE ELSE RECEIVED THIS EMAIL? I am a Member of MDBA and it was sent to me.

The MDBA will be attending a round table meeting in Canberra next month to discuss the RSPCA proposals for a mandatory code for puppy farmers.

We are asking for you all to take a look at these proposals and if you so desire to give us some feedback on what your thoughts are regarding this so that we can better represent our members. Please feel free to call into our private rescue and breeder forums or email us with your thoughts and feelings relating to these proposals.

The MDBA Team.

Proposals:

1. Regulation of breeders

• All breeders should be required to obtain a government licence to breed dogs - whether

they are breeding purebred, cross-bred or mixed-bred dogs, and whether they breed

commercially or as a hobby.

• Licensing needs to be conditional on compliance with a Code of Practice outlining

enforceable minimum standards.

• The licensing system could be similar to that used for car dealers, real estate agents and

tradesman. Having a license will allow governments and the RSPCA to monitor compliance

with regulations and will provide some assurance to consumers about legitimacy of the

breeder.

• The licensing system should encourage breeders to attain a high level of professionalism

with respect to their breeding operation.

2. Regulation of sale

• A reputable website for sale of companion animals could be established. Criteria for

listing would include: providing the street address of kennels, compliance with the Code

of Practice, provision of a licence number, provision of information about membership of

any breed association and provision of an ABN or similar number.

• State/Territory Legislation should incorporate mandatory minimum standards for pet

shops with specific requirements in relation to stopping puppy farming being:

o animals held for sale can only be obtained from government registered/licensed

breeders or suppliers

o full disclosure by the seller of the veterinary practitioner who assessed the animals

prior to purchase including a veterinary certificate recording all vaccinations and other

treatments

o full disclosure by the seller of the breeder’s name and contact details

o the sale of desexed dogs (and cats) only, unless selling to a licensed breeder

o the ability to return a puppy for whatever reason within 14 days. This must include

the provision of veterinary treatment or reimbursement of the cost of veterinary

treatment for pre-existing illness or congenital disorders.

• Consumer complaint procedures need to be in place and accessible so that buyers can

feel confident of recourse during the sale process if necessary.

3. Tightening of export provisions for sale of puppies overseas

Puppy farmers can currently access lucrative overseas markets by selling unregistered

purebred (without pedigree) or crossbred dogs to puppy wholesalers overseas, often for

substantially more money than they would obtain in Australia.

• The minimum age for export of puppies for commercial purposes should be raised to 6

months.

• Exemptions should only be given on a case-by-case basis and only when the puppy is

travelling to accompany the existing owner overseas (ie for non-commercial purposes).

• Any breeder who exports dogs over 6 months of age must be licensed and comply with a

regulated Code of Practice (see 1 above) before being granted permission to export dogs

or puppies. This should include the dog being desexed unless it is destined to be a

breeding animal owned by a licensed breeder in the importing country.

4. Tightening compliance with taxation laws

• The Australian Taxation Office should target investigative efforts at illegal puppy farming

operations. The ATO should be required to inform the relevant government authority of

any positive identification of a puppy farm in order that the welfare of the animals can be

assessed.

5. Amendments to animal welfare legislation

State/Territory animal welfare legislation should be amended to incorporate provisions for:

• Prohibition Orders to be obtained preventing further ownership of animals prior to

conviction, to prevent puppy farmers from continuing their business while legal

proceedings are underway

• Defendants to be required to pay court bonds prior to any litigation appeals or appeals in

relation to the forfeiture of animals. The bond amount should be based on the financial

cost of caring for the dogs on a daily basis, acknowledging that during this period such

this care is being provided by RSPCA or other rescue group and not by the defendant.

Where a court bond is not paid, the owner would be required to surrender the animals for

rehoming.

6. Education

• Raise community awareness about the scale and problems created by puppy farming in

Australia.

• Ensure wide availability of consistent information for consumers giving tips on questions to

ask and responsible places to go when buying a puppy. The RSPCA has recently released

the RSPCA Smart Puppy Buyers Guide to help consumers in this way (download from

www.rspca.org.au).

• Provide information to vets and pet supply stores to help them identify possible puppy

farm operators. Indications of a puppy farm operator include consulting large numbers of

puppies but rarely, if ever, treating adult dogs, breeders reluctant to entertain home

visits by vets, the regular purchase of large volumes of food and/or other pet supplies.

7. Reporting suspicious activities

• Formalise a reporting process for vets, pet supply stores or members of the community to

notify the RSPCA or government authorities if they suspect one of their clients is running a

puppy farm operation.

http://www.lawsociety.com.au/idc/groups/pu...yers/072822.pdf

[Parkeyre]

Accompanying a pup overseas destined to be a show/breeding dog elsewhere will be a very big hassle.

I agree with pretty much everything else though.

[Fit for a King]

You're kidding right? How on god's earth could you agree to this?

street address published on the net - I hope to hell you have good security systems or you may find yourself coming home to no puppies

all pups desexed unless going to a registered breeder - so much for getting newbies into showing - unless they become a breeder right off the mark they can;t own an entire dog

dogs still being sold in pet stores - because those little glass/perspex boxes are just what they need for socialisation - come on they must be kidding....

I could spend the next 1/2 hour ranting but frankly it wouldn't do much good. I do hope the state bodies are aiming to have a HUGE say in what happens here. If they think that's going to stop BYB and puppy farmers they are even more delusional than I imagined.....

[Natsu chan]

Yep big issues with a lot of those things. The address on the internet, that's going to be a safety issue how many breeders are retires or live alone! The desexing and export issues.. no more putting dogs out on breeders terms which for some breeds and bloodlines is the only thing between them and a unsupportable small gene pool. There's other things too if that gets through I'd imagine another mass exodus from the Kennel Clubs, too expensive, too intrusive.

[WreckitWhippet]

Provide information to vets and pet supply stores to help them identify possible puppy

farm operators. Indications of a puppy farm operator include consulting large numbers of

puppies but rarely, if ever, treating adult dogs, breeders reluctant to entertain home

visits by vets, the regular purchase of large volumes of food and/or other pet supplies.

I have concerns about every point and have expressed them before, however this one has now jumped out at me too.

What is a "large" number of puppies ?

My adult dogs rarely see a vet, they are in peak physical condition, they are fed and looked after in such a way so as not to require vet attention.

There are times when I'd prefer no home visits, when litters are on the ground, a litter is expected or there is an outbreak of a disease. Reluctance does not mean that a breeder has anything to hide.

What is a "large" volume of dog food.

I also work for a pet food warehouse and do not judge our clients on the amount of dog food they purchase and certainly wouldn't be calling the RPSCA because they purchase a pallet of food.

I know where they local puppy farms are and one of them has been reported to the RSPCA several times for failing to treat sick and injured dogs, but still they flourish and continue on.

Breeders (ethical and otherwise ) buy many things in bulk, from food to bedding, worm tablets, flea control, the list is endless. Are we going to see an RSPCA inspector on the door step because we purchase 100 all wormers at a time or a pallet of dog food ?

[Souff]

Street address will be a big scary thing for some breeders, and a not so scary thing for others.

I know breeders who advertise their street address and others who also have signs on the front of their property.

Security cameras are a wonderful thing and do not cost as much as you might think.

A sign saying that you "are under camera surveillance when on this property" or similar is a very powerful deterrent to would be dog-nappers.

As is a not-so-friendly large dog or 2 waiting to greet them

In some circumstances it is OK to provide the name of the street or road ..... without a number.

You can also provide the name of the property "Millarongabooka" or such like, but forget to put the sign on display on the front gate.

Why make it easy for thieves and other loonies

It IS possible to live with good security and maintain some privacy and still be a good breeder of dogs. Many breeders currently do just that.

Re the pups going overseas, well that will provide a culture shock for the mass producers and exporters I suppose, and some others, but as there are many countries in the world which have a rabies problem and it takes 6 months for the rabies vaccine to be fully effective, I really dont have too much of a problem with that.

If Souff can find an excuse to hop on a plane and go somewhere, with or without a pup, then that can only be a good thing ... and leave others to look after things at home, "Sweetie, I have to fly to France in May ... its a terrible thing I know, but somebody has to do it ..... "

Whoohoo!

Will there be a mass exodus from kennel clubs? No, I dont think so.

Any kennel clubs who think that this might happen would do well to take other steps to make kennel club membership more attractive to people and do a bit of pro-active marketing and perhaps add a few goodies to the package.

Those people who want to show their dogs wont be leaving, and there are heaps of them.

I honestly think that they will sell an extra puppy, or do a bit of extra work somewhere, to finance their government registration and be proud to advertise it.

It is a credential that buyers will be looking for.

All up, I dont have too much of a problem with the suggestions.

If you have things up to scratch and not much to hide, then you dont have too much to fear from inspectors.

Some of them are OK, some might have an agenda and kick over the water bowl or something like that, but you wont be too worried about that if the security cameras are running. Gotcha!

Souff

[Sandra777]

I only have one question.

Who's paying? Would YOU pay say $5000 for a license to breed one litter every 5 years? Would the biggest puppy farmer in Australia pay the same fee as the breeder breeding one litter occasionally?

This has animal rights B-S written all over it. Make it impossible (financially) for most people who care to breed dogs, then later on they can come along and take out the puppy mills and it's all over for canines.

[Are You Serious Jo]

5. Amendments to animal welfare legislation

• Defendants to be required to pay court bonds prior to any litigation appeals or appeals in

relation to the forfeiture of animals. The bond amount should be based on the financial

cost of caring for the dogs on a daily basis, acknowledging that during this period such

this care is being provided by RSPCA or other rescue group and not by the defendant.

Where a court bond is not paid, the owner would be required to surrender the animals for

rehoming.

One of the scariest things I've heard so far. Disgusting.

Otherwise, this code will pave the way for large wholesale puppy farms and kill most registered breeders. They'll make a killing because it will be the only place to get a puppy, they will easily afford the licenses because they'll be raking it in.

[Souff]

Provide information to vets and pet supply stores to help them identify possible puppy

farm operators. Indications of a puppy farm operator include consulting large numbers of

puppies but rarely, if ever, treating adult dogs, breeders reluctant to entertain home

visits by vets, the regular purchase of large volumes of food and/or other pet supplies.

I have concerns about every point and have expressed them before, however this one has now jumped out at me too.

What is a "large" number of puppies ?

My adult dogs rarely see a vet, they are in peak physical condition, they are fed and looked after in such a way so as not to require vet attention.

There are times when I'd prefer no home visits, when litters are on the ground, a litter is expected or there is an outbreak of a disease. Reluctance does not mean that a breeder has anything to hide.

What is a "large" volume of dog food.

I also work for a pet food warehouse and do not judge our clients on the amount of dog food they purchase and certainly wouldn't be calling the RPSCA because they purchase a pallet of food.

I know where they local puppy farms are and one of them has been reported to the RSPCA several times for failing to treat sick and injured dogs, but still they flourish and continue on.

Breeders (ethical and otherwise ) buy many things in bulk, from food to bedding, worm tablets, flea control, the list is endless. Are we going to see an RSPCA inspector on the door step because we purchase 100 all wormers at a time or a pallet of dog food ?

Indications of a puppy farm operator ..... yeah, that is very subjective. What is a puppy farmer to one person is not a puppy farmer to another.

Indications of "a collector" are much the same ..... they too might be buying a lot of dog food too (but they probably forget to buy a lot of wormers)

Healthy adult dogs dont need to see the vet for ailments, but they will be vaccinated from time to time wont they?

Mine manage to see the vet for accidents between vaccinations (one old girl decided to become obsessive about chewing a paw to the point of bleeding last week so the vet had to take a look). Another thought he was a bird and flew off something high and landed on something very hard, and of course an x-ray was needed ... grrrr

Also, when taking the puppies in for vaccinations, why not have Mum in the car, and the vet can then notate that they are in good condition etc.

I think there are a few simple things that can be done so that there is a record that the adult dogs are just fine thank you.

And whoever is sitting down at meetings discussing this needs to make the point:

BUYING A LOT OF DOG FOOD IS NOT A SURE INDICATOR OF A PUPPY FARM.

Souff

[Souff]

I only have one question.

Who's paying? Would YOU pay say $5000 for a license to breed one litter every 5 years? Would the biggest puppy farmer in Australia pay the same fee as the breeder breeding one litter occasionally?

This has animal rights B-S written all over it. Make it impossible (financially) for most people who care to breed dogs, then later on they can come along and take out the puppy mills and it's all over for canines.

It will be the aim of the animal libbers to make the license unaffordable.

It MUST be the aim of the kennel clubs to ensure that is affordable to all who want to breed dogs, otherwise the kennel clubs have no future.

[Souff]

5. Amendments to animal welfare legislation

• Defendants to be required to pay court bonds prior to any litigation appeals or appeals in

relation to the forfeiture of animals. The bond amount should be based on the financial

cost of caring for the dogs on a daily basis, acknowledging that during this period such

this care is being provided by RSPCA or other rescue group and not by the defendant.

Where a court bond is not paid, the owner would be required to surrender the animals for

rehoming.

One of the scariest things I've heard so far. Disgusting.

Otherwise, this code will pave the way for large wholesale puppy farms and kill most registered breeders. They'll make a killing because it will be the only place to get a puppy, they will easily afford the licenses because they'll be raking it in.

As it stands at the moment, the costs to an owner when dogs are held in custody (sometimes for months on end) by the RSPCA are totally outrageous.

Dont see that there is a different end result here

[dandybrush]

i only skimmed it, but i agree with some of the points/changes/legalities, however I also think no one should be posting anyones address online i think exporting ideas/plans will make it harder for overseas pple to purchase our dogs as we wont want the hassle of selling overseas anymore

I think regular households should only receive desexed pups but knowing nothing about showing, maybe there should be a provision for "show homes"?

I do think some of the points are a step in the right direction for eg the license for breeding, this will cull out BYB's and some mills who dont want to follow those rules

[Are You Serious Jo]

5. Amendments to animal welfare legislation

• Defendants to be required to pay court bonds prior to any litigation appeals or appeals in

relation to the forfeiture of animals. The bond amount should be based on the financial

cost of caring for the dogs on a daily basis, acknowledging that during this period such

this care is being provided by RSPCA or other rescue group and not by the defendant.

Where a court bond is not paid, the owner would be required to surrender the animals for

rehoming.

One of the scariest things I've heard so far. Disgusting.

Otherwise, this code will pave the way for large wholesale puppy farms and kill most registered breeders. They'll make a killing because it will be the only place to get a puppy, they will easily afford the licenses because they'll be raking it in.

As it stands at the moment, the costs to an owner when dogs are held in custody (sometimes for months on end) by the RSPCA are totally outrageous.

Dont see that there is a different end result here

As bad as it is now, at least you have the opportunity to fight them and try to get help if you haven't done anything wrong. Their proposal means automatic surrender as how many people could afford the amount they'd ask for as a bond? No other criminal offense requires this, are they going to ask for storage fees for non-living items seized in other matters?

[minky]

HAS ANYONE ELSE RECEIVED THIS EMAIL? I am a Member of MDBA and it was sent to me.

The MDBA will be attending a round table meeting in Canberra next month to discuss the RSPCA proposals for a mandatory code for puppy farmers.

We are asking for you all to take a look at these proposals and if you so desire to give us some feedback on what your thoughts are regarding this so that we can better represent our members. Please feel free to call into our private rescue and breeder forums or email us with your thoughts and feelings relating to these proposals.

The MDBA Team.

Proposals:

1. Regulation of breeders

• All breeders should be required to obtain a government licence to breed dogs - whether

they are breeding purebred, cross-bred or mixed-bred dogs, and whether they breed

commercially or as a hobby.

• Licensing needs to be conditional on compliance with a Code of Practice outlining

enforceable minimum standards.

• The licensing system could be similar to that used for car dealers, real estate agents and

tradesman. Having a license will allow governments and the RSPCA to monitor compliance

with regulations and will provide some assurance to consumers about legitimacy of the

breeder.

• The licensing system should encourage breeders to attain a high level of professionalism

with respect to their breeding operation.

2. Regulation of sale

• A reputable website for sale of companion animals could be established. Criteria for

listing would include: providing the street address of kennels, compliance with the Code

of Practice, provision of a licence number, provision of information about membership of

any breed association and provision of an ABN or similar number.

• State/Territory Legislation should incorporate mandatory minimum standards for pet

shops with specific requirements in relation to stopping puppy farming being:

o animals held for sale can only be obtained from government registered/licensed

breeders or suppliers

o full disclosure by the seller of the veterinary practitioner who assessed the animals

prior to purchase including a veterinary certificate recording all vaccinations and other

treatments

o full disclosure by the seller of the breeder’s name and contact details

o the sale of desexed dogs (and cats) only, unless selling to a licensed breeder

o the ability to return a puppy for whatever reason within 14 days. This must include

the provision of veterinary treatment or reimbursement of the cost of veterinary

treatment for pre-existing illness or congenital disorders.

• Consumer complaint procedures need to be in place and accessible so that buyers can

feel confident of recourse during the sale process if necessary.

3. Tightening of export provisions for sale of puppies overseas

Puppy farmers can currently access lucrative overseas markets by selling unregistered

purebred (without pedigree) or crossbred dogs to puppy wholesalers overseas, often for

substantially more money than they would obtain in Australia.

• The minimum age for export of puppies for commercial purposes should be raised to 6

months.

• Exemptions should only be given on a case-by-case basis and only when the puppy is

travelling to accompany the existing owner overseas (ie for non-commercial purposes).

• Any breeder who exports dogs over 6 months of age must be licensed and comply with a

regulated Code of Practice (see 1 above) before being granted permission to export dogs

or puppies. This should include the dog being desexed unless it is destined to be a

breeding animal owned by a licensed breeder in the importing country.

4. Tightening compliance with taxation laws

• The Australian Taxation Office should target investigative efforts at illegal puppy farming

operations. The ATO should be required to inform the relevant government authority of

any positive identification of a puppy farm in order that the welfare of the animals can be

assessed.

5. Amendments to animal welfare legislation

State/Territory animal welfare legislation should be amended to incorporate provisions for:

• Prohibition Orders to be obtained preventing further ownership of animals prior to

conviction, to prevent puppy farmers from continuing their business while legal

proceedings are underway

• Defendants to be required to pay court bonds prior to any litigation appeals or appeals in

relation to the forfeiture of animals. The bond amount should be based on the financial

cost of caring for the dogs on a daily basis, acknowledging that during this period such

this care is being provided by RSPCA or other rescue group and not by the defendant.

Where a court bond is not paid, the owner would be required to surrender the animals for

rehoming.

6. Education

• Raise community awareness about the scale and problems created by puppy farming in

Australia.

• Ensure wide availability of consistent information for consumers giving tips on questions to

ask and responsible places to go when buying a puppy. The RSPCA has recently released

the RSPCA Smart Puppy Buyers Guide to help consumers in this way (download from

www.rspca.org.au).

• Provide information to vets and pet supply stores to help them identify possible puppy

farm operators. Indications of a puppy farm operator include consulting large numbers of

puppies but rarely, if ever, treating adult dogs, breeders reluctant to entertain home

visits by vets, the regular purchase of large volumes of food and/or other pet supplies.

7. Reporting suspicious activities

• Formalise a reporting process for vets, pet supply stores or members of the community to

notify the RSPCA or government authorities if they suspect one of their clients is running a

puppy farm operation.

http://www.lawsociety.com.au/idc/groups/pu...yers/072822.pdf

I have forwarded this onto Dogs NSW asking them if they are aware of the RSPCA's proposal and if so what do they intend to do about it. These proposals would not only affect just Registered Breeders but go as far as affecting the Canine Councils as well because so many Registered Breeders would resign. I think we Reg Breeder pay enough too.

[WreckitWhippet]

The only thing a license will do is add yet another cost to breeding for those who already do the right thing. It will have no impact on the BYBer, because they simply won't pay for one, nor will they be policed. It will be the ANKC registered breeders who are visible and easily tracked down, who will be the one's paying, whilst the rest continue on their merry way.

I already pay $100 or whatever the charge is now to renew my prefix each year, I think the last litter I bred will be three in October. Why should I as a registered breeder have to dive into my pocket and hand over more money ? how is that going to make me a better breeder or prevent my BYBing next door neighbour from producing more pups ?

[Rebanne]

Street address will be a big scary thing for some breeders, and a not so scary thing for others.

I know breeders who advertise their street address and others who also have signs on the front of their property.

Security cameras are a wonderful thing and do not cost as much as you might think.

A sign saying that you "are under camera surveillance when on this property" or similar is a very powerful deterrent to would be dog-nappers.

As is a not-so-friendly large dog or 2 waiting to greet them

If you have things up to scratch and not much to hide, then you dont have too much to fear from inspectors.

Some of them are OK, some might have an agenda and kick over the water bowl or something like that, but you wont be too worried about that if the security cameras are running. Gotcha!

Souff

fat lot of good security camera's will do if the theives are unknown or can't be recognised. Bye bye pups and maybe adult dogs as well, never to be seen again. Even if the theives are caught what are the chances of you getting your dogs back? And as for having a large, not friendly dog, you have to be kidding don't you, there's even more trouble waiting to bite some one on the arse, not to mention people are already restricted on how many dogs they can keep. One of my dogs saw the vet for the 1st time in 3 years recently, another hasn't seen a vet for at least 4. No need for them to. Can't believe this rubbish has come from you Souff.

[Jacquiboss&scoop]

Ok so on the face of it these suggestions cover a lot of things that have the doggy community unhappy , are these what they are putting on the table to be adopted or are they the starting point of discussion ? I hope we are on the starting point of discussion here and that our various clubs and control bodies can make sensible submissions to get us to some thing that is workable.

Looks like a bit of a knee jerk reaction without a lot of thought put into it , after all the conditions that the animals are kept in , over breeding , poor socialisation and lack if testing and health care are the true issues that we all need to affect change on ,

So can we make submissions on these ? how do we make submissions on these ? should we be contacting our breed club , rescue groups state bodies and putting forward well thought out and workable solutions ?

Would DOL members like to create a submission ?

[Rebanne]

Maybe if they enforced the laws already available there would be less need for new laws.

[WreckitWhippet]

Maybe if they enforced the laws already available there would be less need for new laws.

Hooray...

We have mandatory chipping and rego in NSW yet we can't even get that enforced, how in the hell are licenses going to work ? the simple answer is they aren't.

We already have POCTA , the CAA and council bylaws, there's enough there to shut puppy farmers down or bring the standard of living for the dogs to an acceptable level.

[Steve]

Ok so on the face of it these suggestions cover a lot of things that have the doggy community unhappy , are these what they are putting on the table to be adopted or are they the starting point of discussion ? I hope we are on the starting point of discussion here and that our various clubs and control bodies can make sensible submissions to get us to some thing that is workable.

Looks like a bit of a knee jerk reaction without a lot of thought put into it , after all the conditions that the animals are kept in , over breeding , poor socialisation and lack if testing and health care are the true issues that we all need to affect change on ,

So can we make submissions on these ? how do we make submissions on these ? should we be contacting our breed club , rescue groups state bodies and putting forward well thought out and workable solutions ?

Would DOL members like to create a submission ?

I think its past the starting discussion point and there is a fair bit of resources going into it all. There is a big conference happening in Victoria tomorrow which rescue groups have been invited to attend to gather anti breeder support [ it would seem] and there appears to be a fair bit of money about ready to be thrown into it. The RSPCA have also announced they will name the celebrities today or tomorrow who will be backing them on their anti puppy farm crusade.

This is an Australia wide push.

At this point I dont think individuals have been asked to give comment so I would suggest you contact your state CC's if you feel you would like to let them know how you feel about them.

The intent of my email which has been posted here was to ask our members what they think so when we go in they know we have heard their concerns and that we will speak on their behalf. Or you could join the MDBA. Join Now