You are an activist

Ever told someone you know about the problems with pet shops? If you’re a regular reader of this blog, then I suspect you probably have. What say you, then to the claim that this makes you an activist with the efficiency of PETA and that you’re trying to wipe out companion animals?

In December’s PIAA CEO report, Joanne Sillince urges her members to take action against activists who are deliberately ignoring facts, using simplistic analogies and are trying to take away people’s right to own pets . Too many of their potential clients they fear are so weak-minded as to ‘believe everything they read on the internet’.

Considering it’s in the top five on Australian google searches for ‘puppy mills’ and has recently featured on ninemsn, one of the activist organisations referenced is most certainly our site ‘Where do puppies come from?’ Joanne claims activists like us are trying to keep people from getting a pet these holidays.

We are prepared for the likelihood that the activists will use the Christmas quiet news period to ramp up activity – to try and make people ashamed to own a puppy or a kitten. What a way to celebrate the Christmas season! ref

Ouch!

Seems our efforts to give people the full range of information about the issue of puppy farming, our highly researched website, our panel of experts and our dozens of case studies… not to mention our concurrent campaign to find 1,000 homes for 1,000 homeless pets for the holidays… is us simply being anti-pet.

Now in my view obviously, websites like ‘Where do puppies come from?’ aren’t the enemy to pet ownership. Rather the problem is a lack of responsible information from the pet industry on what environment is required to produce a well socialised and behaviourally healthy pet. ‘Where do puppies come from?’ wouldn’t exist if the pet industry was diligently addressing the issues surrounding dog farming with science-based information, available from any of the many studies into the effects of the first 12 weeks of a dogs upbringing on its later personality. Any dog behaviouralist worth his salt knows that puppies raised in farms and displayed in windows are likely to have issues. See this quote from Karin Bridge, President, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers Australia;

“Puppies should never be raised as ‘livestock’. Their role is that of a companion animal for people and they are able to fulfill that role best when they are born into a family home and raised amongst the noise and chaos of the human family. Puppy mills and pet shop windows cannot replicate a home environment.

“Puppies who fail to receive adequate early exposure and socialisation are sometimes never able to cope with modern, urban living. Training can then become a constant uphill battle. Typical problems resulting from a lack of early socialisation include shyness, sound sensitivity and fear aggression. For ex-breeding stock who may have spent years in an impoverished environment the problems may be so severe as to make life as a normal family pet impossible.”

The new wave of community and web-based campaigns against pet shops are simply a symptom of the pet industries failure to put animal welfare first and educate their clients themselves. People are researching puppy mills on the internet, but this isn’t because they’re in anyway gullible or caught in hype – it’s simply because they are interested in ethical pet acquisition and want to make the best pet choice for their family.

Information websites shouldn’t be considered the enemy – we should be glad people are asking questions and getting educated before they get a pet. Without a doubt the enemy to pet ownership is profit motivated breeders raising pets in a way that make it difficult for them to be good companions; they’re the ones causing enormous amounts of suffering, for pets and their owners alike.