Western Australia Is Banning Puppy Farms

There is good news in terms of the battle against puppy farms – Western Australia is taking steps towards banning the sale of puppies in stores, and cracking down on puppy farms.

The state government is looking to ensure that all Western Australia sales of puppies and dogs meet strict regulations in order to look out for the welfare of these animals.

Premier Mark McGowan is hoping to bring an end to over-breeding as well as other horrible activities carried on by illegal breeders by introducing the Dog Amendment (Stop Puppy Farming) Bill, to the state’s parliament.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

McGowan shared in a statement, “Dogs are an important part of many families in Western Australia. We want to make sure they are looked after and treated well throughout their lives. The new laws will mean dogs can be traced throughout their lives through a central registration system, allowing authorities to identify dodgy or illegal breeders and shut down their operations.”

He added, “We will also be providing assistance to pet shops to help them transition to dog and puppy adoption centers meaning they can re-home displaced and abandoned dogs. We’re going to outlaw this awful, terrible, shocking practice.”

The state government is also looking at introducing a tracking system to follow every puppy growing up into adulthood. The idea is that having a central registration system will allow authorities to easier trace where each puppy came from, therefore giving them a better insight into illegal breeding activities.

The RSPCA is applauding the major milestone, calling it the most momentous step forward in terms of animal protection that has occurred in 20 years in the state.

As the RSPCA organization lauded, “It is now up to every dog lover in WA to let their local member of parliament know that these reforms are important to ensure the legislation is passed quickly. The sooner the legislation comes into law, the sooner it will help prevent some of the suffering and cruelty to dogs.”

Photo: Flickr/nWevurski

There are a lot of changes proposed under the legislation, such as owners who aren’t registered as breeders will be required to have spayed or neutered their animals by the time they turn 2-years-old.

Pet stores will only be permitted to sell dogs who have come from rescue centers. While this will most likely mean that many businesses will have to restructure their business models quite a bit, according to Mandurah Mail, the state government is looking to “help” them make the alterations to their businesses.

Lisa Baker, chair of the Puppy Farming Working Group, is quite in favor of these new changes, saying, “This legislation will make our dogs and puppies safer and encourage better welfare for all dogs. West Australians will be able to trust that the dogs and puppies they are bringing into their homes have not come from illegal puppy farms, and, if necessary, can be traced back to the person who bred them.”

Absolutely wonderful news that the welfare and well-being of dogs are being put ahead of profit!