Rabbit Advocacy Animal Matters

No more doggy in the window, says Moore

The Sydney Morning Herald October 19, 2007

CATS and dogs would be banned from pet shops under a radical proposal from the independent MP Clover Moore.

Ms Moore, famous for her dog-collar neckwear and the owner of two Staffordshire terriers, tabled a bill in Parliament yesterday calling for a crackdown on impulse buying of cats and dogs. The bill came as the RSPCA renewed its call for mandatory desexing of cats and dogs across the country, saying 15,867 cats were abandoned in NSW in 2006-07 and less than 40 per cent were reclaimed. The rest are left to be put down.

"Many were abandoned because they were bought on impulse as cute puppies and kittens displayed in shops, but had unanticipated costs and responsibilities or were unwanted gifts," Ms Moore said yesterday.

Under Ms Moore's Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill, cats, dogs and other mammals could only be bought from registered breeders, animal pounds and shelters or vets. "Pet shops promote impulse buying and irresponsible breeding for profit," the member for Sydney told Parliament.

The RSPCA and animal welfare groups have backed the plan, but the pet industry said it was unworkable and misguided. "The RSPCA supports an end to the sale of pets in pet shops to prevent the euthanasia of hundreds of thousands of animals each year and to remove the market for cruel backyard breeding and puppy farms," said Steve Coleman, the RSPCA NSW chief.

The chief executive of the Pet Industry Association of Australia, Colin Bransgrove, said pet shops were subject to controls and represented only 6 per cent of all dog and cat sales.

News Blog – what people are saying to Clover Moore’s proposal to ban the sale of cats, dogs and other mammals from pet shops. 

http://blogs.smh.com.au/newsblog/archives/016130.html

Read more on The Animals (Regulation of Sale) Bill and why they shouldn't be sold in pet stores.

Go to our Pet Stores - Rabbits page to read more news on pet store issues.

Comment: Animal welfare, rights, and protection are political issues and responsibilities of government.  Do your part by becoming part of the animal lobby. Take action to end their suffering and oppression. They cannot unite and speak for themselves so it’s our moral duty to take the time to PUT ANIMALS INTO POLITICS.

If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.  St. Francis of Assisi