Buying a Puppy? All May Not Be As It Seems
A dog is supposed to be man's best friend according to the age-old saying and an enormous number of homes across Australia count a four-legged friend amongst their occupants. You may be thinking about buying a dog for a friend as you believe it would be a good companion for them, but you need to take some special precautions as you go about this purchase. In particular, you need to be careful where you source the animal so that you don't encourage animal cruelty. Where should you start?
Ethical Breeding
Sadly, there are still a number of puppy farms scattered around the country that produce animals for sale as part of a conveyor belt mentality. They breed these puppies within very inefficient systems that are focused solely on making money and not the welfare of the animals. Usually, they're kept in very overcrowded conditions, poorly treated and are taken away from the mother almost immediately and certainly before they should be. The farm may certainly have a vet on staff or on-call, but the standard of care is likely to be very simple and basic at best.
How Can This Happen?
If you think that government watchdogs should have outlawed this type of facility already, you are unfortunately wrong. Local legislation tends to be very inconsistent or even absent and there are no strict regulations governing what they can do. Consequently, attorneys may find it difficult to bring action against the facilities, even though puppies that are reared there often become very ill due to the poor standards of hygiene. Some of these facilities realise that they are not operating ethically and may often hide themselves away in hard to reach places.
Beware the Shop
Your job is not made any easier by the fact that these puppy farms often use a shop as a front, situated a long way from the actual farm itself. These businesses may have a special type of arrangement and get a kickback from the farm, while acting as the intermediary between them and yourself as the new owner.
Difficult Decisions
When one of these animals arrives in its new home it can often generate disease or illness within a relatively short space of time and from a young age. This would be a disaster for the new owner. Many times, these ailing creatures end up either in government shelters or loose on the streets and, as you can imagine, their life expectancy is not good.
Taking Action
It's a good idea for you to keep your eyes wide open when you're looking for an animal in this way. If you believe that a puppy you've been offered originates from one of these facilities and is in poor condition, have a chat with a lawyer specialising in dog laws, so that they can consider the possibility of action.
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