No more kittens in the window

NSW set to restrict sale of cats and dogs to registered breeders

In New South Wales, making furry additions to the family is about become more difficult due to proposed changes to the NSW Regulation of Sale Bill 2008.

In a nutshell, these legislative changes mean that NSW pet lovers will no longer be able to buy dogs or cats from pet shops or markets. Instead, they will have to seek out a properly registered breeder.

According to Louise Stevenson from Cremone Vet Surgery in Sydney, the Bill is intended to protect the lives and well-being of the state’s cats and dogs.

“It is a very sad reality that shelters every month have to euthanase perfectly healthy dogs and cats, simply because there is no space for all the abandoned animals in Australia’s shelters,” she told Catmax. Louise said the main reason dogs and cats were abandoned was because they were initially bought on impulse.

“Too often people simply fail to consider the responsibility they’re taking on — and the ongoing care that pets require,” she said.

The proposed Bill, which Louise says she strongly supports, aims to minimise impulse buying. Cats and dogs will no longer be displayed in shop windows as if they were a product, rather than a life-long responsibility.

In addition, the Bill restricts who can sell cats and dogs, and who can breed dogs
and cats for sale.

According to Louise, this new clause will reduce opportunities for “puppy farms” — businesses that thrive by selling large numbers of young animals at a low cost to pet shops.

“It has been noted that some pet shops and their breeder connections have little concern for the future welfare of the animals they are selling, viewing them merely as a product for sale and a means to an income,” she said.

Another clause Louise says she supports is the requirement that any person who offers a cat or dog for sale must inform prospective purchasers of the animal’s basic care requirements.

“Taking it one step further, I also support a complete compulsory veterinary check and desexing of the animal before their sale,” she said.

Louise said the Bill was a step in the right direction as it would stop the spread of unwanted pets from the side of the purchaser.

She added that it would always be difficult for legislation to control sales over the Internet, but was confident that the new Bill would encourage owners to give greater consideration to the life-long responsibility that comes with pets when thinking of buying one.