Bravo: Politicians from all parties come together to ban puppy farming in the ACT.

A round of ap-paws for the ACT Parliament (sorry we couldn’t help ourselves).

Perhaps moved by International Puppy Day, the ACT Legislative Assembly has this week banded together and unanimously passed a bill to outlaw puppy farms.

Yep that’s right – unanimously. That’s politicians from the Labor, Liberal and Greens parties all voting as one to say that the cruel torture of defenceless animals for profit is not okay. It’s almost hard to believe but we’re pretty damn proud of those Canberra politicians right now.

The Domestic Animals (Breeding) Legislation will improve welfare standards for animals bred in the ACT and will go some way to putting an end to abhorrent puppy and kitten farming practices.

In short? Intensive breeding of dogs is now a crime if conducted within the ACT’s borders. Individuals and corporations can face fines of up to $75,000 if they exploit animals for profit.

On puppy farms: “They were living underground in their own filth with no sunlight or fresh air.”

Territory and Municipal Services Minister Shane Rattebury said he hoped the laws would prevent the intensive breeding programs that exploit our furry friends for profit.

“Intensive breeding facilities (or puppy/kitten farms) are a serious animal welfare issue. We know that the community does not support these cruel and inhumane operations and it is important that we have legislation in place to meet community expectations and prevent them from establishing here in the ACT,” Mr Rattenbury said in a statement.

He said that female dogs and cats have a particularly poor quality of life in such facilities, kept in inadequate conditions and treated as “industrial breeding machines.”

“Females may be kept almost permanently pregnant, placing enormous stress on their bodies and then simply destroyed or abandoned when they become too old to produce commercially-viable sized litters.” He also said that their offspring may also suffer health and behavioural issues because of the treatment.

Pet shops and the factory farmers cut corners to maximise their profits and as a result, the animals and customers suffer.

In Australia, a dog is killed every four minutes in a council run pound. Your taxes are killing healthy animal and yet local governments outside of the ACT are still giving permits to puppy farms.

The ACT is the first state to put in place such measures, but Victoria and NSW may soon follow suit.

If you want to make like the ACT’s politicians and do something to help (wo)man’s best friend too, then you can support Oscar’s law — an ongoing campaign to stop the killing of healthy re-homeable pets in Australia’s pounds and put an end to puppy farming practices for good.

You can also make sure you don’t become an inadvertent link in the cruelty supply chain. DON’T buy pets from pet shops or online.

If you’ve ever wondered why those puppies in the local shopping centre look so sad, it’s because they are sad. Many of them are too young to be taken from their mother, many are distressed or have been mistreated — and many of them are unwell.

Consumer Affairs receives hundreds of complaints annually from consumers who have been knowingly sold sick animals and have incurred large vet bills.