Photo: Joe Caione via Unsplash
The era of buying a dog from a pet shop may be over in WA, thanks to new anti-puppy farming laws that come into effect on Monday.
Pet shops that want to keep selling dogs can only do so if they get them from a rescue centre, having got a permit from their local government.
But no pet shop in WA has applied.
There are only three stores that sell puppies in the state, and it's understood at least two have announced store closures.
Breeding for greed
Animal welfare groups have welcomed the reforms, saying more buyers are already deciding to adopt a rescue pet instead of shopping elsewhere.
Dogs' Refuge Home general manager Robyn Slater said all 70-plus puppies the centre currently has in its care have come from unethical breeding environments.
"There's not a puppy here that hasn't come from either someone who's breeding for greed and couldn't sell a whole litter, or someone who is misinformed and has an accidental litter," she said.
"You can't just easily stick a litter of puppies on Gumtree now and get people coming in and giving you cash.
"They will sell a couple, and the leftovers will go to the pounds, pregnant dogs will go to the pounds and when they've stopped finding purpose or use or financial gain, they end up in shelters like ours."
Cruelty charges
It comes amid a number of reports of animal cruelty to RSPCA WA, with a 40-year-old man recently charged after more than 100 dogs were seized from his Canning Vale property in December.
RSPCA WA inspectors allege some of the dogs required urgent medical attention, with most showing signs of distress and poor hygiene.
One golden retriever puppy appeared to have a bulging eye.
The man is due to front court on more than 30 counts of animal cruelty next month.
In another incident, a 60-year-old man who had been running a puppy farming operation from his Bridgetown property was fined $112,000 for gross animal neglect.
The RSPCA's animal services executive Hannah Dreaver said these were not isolated cases.
"We've certainly had a few large-scale cases, which is concerning to see the volume that's coming through to us, particularly when there is so much education around the issues with puppy farming," she said.
"When animals are continually being bred, it's really hard to stop the continued welfare problems that come from large-scale populations.
"It's really hard to track those animals properly, especially in the backyard breeding space."
Onus on pet owners
Dreaver said the RSPCA WA relied solely on the public to alert the agency to suspected puppy farms, with common signs including noise from the property, unpleasant odours, and frequent visits to the property from people potentially buying animals.
She said the restrictions on pet shops were welcome, but said prospective pet owners also must take responsibility for supporting ethical breeding.
"It means that we can increase the responsibility on the person buying a puppy to make sure that they've really thought about what they're doing before they just go and buy a puppy on a whim, because they've walked past a pet shop front and they've seen a cute puppy that they like," she said.
Dog and cat registration
A number of provisions under the new laws are yet to roll out, including requirements for dogs to be de-sexed by the age of two years (unless eligible for an exemption), and the launch of a centralised dog and cat registration system.
People will also need to apply for approval before breeding their dog.
A Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries spokesperson said the state government was working to deliver the reforms in a "staged and planned way".
The spokesperson said a AU$100,000 grant was available to help pet shops transition to receiving and selling rescue dogs.
The spokesperson said funding had also been made available to support responsible pet ownership.
"Last year, to support animal welfare, the WA Government delivered AU$500,000 to RSPCA WA to offer a 75 per cent subsidy on sterilisation costs for cats and dogs to WA Seniors Card, Pensioner Concession Card and Health Care Card holders.
"As of December 2024, more than 1600 eligible pet owners on low incomes had applied to take up the offer, provided through eligible vet clinics in regional and metro areas across the state."
- ABC News
