The numbers continue to increase…….. 2007-2008 NSW pound statistics available

We’ve just completed a summary of all the available pound and shelter statistics for NSW. As predicted by rescue groups, the number of animals entering pounds has increased yet again, from 118,558 in the previous year, to 126,004. Total animals killed was up from 56,531 to 63,651…..and that figure doesn’t include the greyhound population, so you can add a few thousand more to that figure. Download the summary figures here…..

It beggars belief that DPI Minister Ian MacDonald has this to say “A great deal of progress has been made recently on the issue of welfare of animals in pet shops and the government is ensuring that there will be ongoing improvements in pet breeding activities. Consequently the NSW Government does not support an inquiry into the pet industry” (Read more here…)

CEO Kristina Vesk of the Cat Protection Society says this:

 ”We knew it was a disaster but looking at the numbers, the scale is just enormous.

We can’t measure how many cats were ‘dumped’ but we imagine it was considerable seeing the enormous increase in cats taken to pounds and shelters. And I hate to say it, but we think that there are people who kill kittens and cats ’at home’ (ie not taking them to the vet to be euthanased but doing things like drowning litters of kittens).

The outcome for cats is always worse than for dogs.

From the figures, this means 39% of dogs entering pounds are euthanased versus 68% of cats. It is interesting too, that more cats are taken to RSPCA, AWL & CPS than pounds – I am not surprised. Councils seem to feel obliged to ‘deal’ with dogs (fearing the reaction around dangerous dogs etc) but often tell people that they ‘can’t do anything’ about cats.

This means that they push the ‘cat problem’, and the cost of dealing with it, onto charities. Reasons people gave for bringing cats to us and not their pound included being directed to do so by their council (rather than even telling people what their local pound was) or the pound insisting on payment of a fee that people either could not or would not pay. 

Hence we have ended up with a record number of cats that there simply weren’t homes or room for. And we ended up deficit funding just trying to manage the situation. As I said, no more. We can’t afford to act as a de facto pound for all of Sydney’s poor homeless cats. At the end of the day though, the outcome for the cats is the same. Too many cats + not enough homes = a death sentence.

 We have written to the Minister for Local Government pointing out that councils are contributing to feline overpopulation by releasing undesexed kittens from pounds (7 of 14 we surveyed do this). They include the cost of desexing in the price, but rely on people to go back some time later to the facility or a vet to have the cat desexed (typically advising this be done at 5-6 months). Too late! Those kittens can already have kittens of their own (and typically do). Early age desexing has been safely practised for more than 20 years – what are these pounds doing?

Kristina Vesk, CEO, Cat Protection Society NSW

DRP Comment: So what progress has the NSW Department of primary Industry actually made…..that will stop the killing?

What do you think of the progress Government has made this year? Should we invite Government Ministers to be the ones to make the decision as to who lives and who dies next Friday??

If you live in States outside of NSW, can you tell us what you know about the numbers in your State?

Do you know anyone who is surrendering their pet?

Pounds and shelters report increasing numbers of people surrendering their pets . Many think they are doing the right thing.

What they are often not told is that their pet stands a good chance of being euthenased, and not rehomed. Just look at the numbers. Some are easy to rehome, some are not. If it’s a cat, its chances drop markedly. If it’s old, or “ugly” its chances drop markedly. If the pound doesn’t have an effective volunteer and rescue group working alongside it – as many don’t – its chances drop markedly. Some pounds are good at explaining this to the owner, some are not……

Underdog’s article says:

“So why do these animals end up in the pound? What can we do to reverse this? If you are considering surrendering your pet to a pound or shelter- STOP. There may be avenues you have not yet explored.

Many of the dogs currently on death row were much loved family pets at some point in their life. Despite the fact that the dogs may be well behaved, wonderful companions many do not make it out of the pound or shelter alive……..” Read the rest here….

We asked Underdog Training to produce this useful short information sheet as a resource you can print off and give to anyone you know thinking of surrendering their pet. Go here to download the article..

DRP comment: we hope this is a useful resource for pound staff, pound volunteers and anyone who knows a person or family who feel they need to give up their animal. It won’t solve every situation, but you never know.

What situations have you come across?

Public parliamentary inquiry news…..

Text from Fix NSW Animal Policy:

Last week a call for a Public Parliamentary Inquiry into the Pet Industry was put forward by Senator Ian Cohen after a massive public outcry in the SMH, the nation’s top newspaper.

 So why a public parliamentary inquiry?

The public want the facts. NSW deserves a full solution that encompasses all aspects of the supply chain and makes recommendations towards a total solution, not just window dressing.

The inquiry was announced in the SMH here ….  

The Pet Industry has naturally knocked back the inquiry, stating that a specialist review would be enough. Given that the majority of specialists either work for/are members of the Pet Industry, an inquiry under oath in a formal parliamentary setting is more appropriate. Then we can be sure of a transparent and formal process with the full accountability and recognition of all the agencies and organisations involved.

There is too much money and self interest involved in this problem to allow a secret review. .the estimated $60 million dollars that that charities, the NSW government and the taxpayer pays every year on this issue far outweighs the cost of an inquiry (which, by the way, is largely free . . .  committee’s are already formed and paid for . . that’s all they do)

Council workers, pounds, volunteers and the NSW tax payer need greater support on this problem, estimated to be costing as much as $60m a year. The inquiry will finally gather solid information that the NSW Government can use to make business decisions to fix NSW Animal Policies and heal the system.

visit the CatRescue Blog at http://www.catrescue.com.au/blog
visit http://www.fixnswanimalpolicy.com 

NSW pound workers deserve better support, Rangers deserve better support, Vets and Vet Nurses are tired of the sickness of mass bred animals. The volunteers and charities that are going broke trying to desparately solve this problem need you.

CatRescue NSW Limited
www.catrescue.com.au

DRP: tell us what you think!

How do you think an independent Inquiry will help? Who do you think will seek to avoid it?

Recent press articles…….

There has been a flurry of newspaper articles over the past few weeks……

Pet industry, animal groups bares teeth over inquiry SMH Jan 16 09

“A bitter war of words has erupted between animal welfare groups and the pet industry over calls for a public inquiry into the number of healthy dogs and cats that are killed annually.

Large numbers of animals are euthanased each year in pounds run by the RSPCA, local councils and other groups yet the exact figures – and the reasons they end up being killed – are hotly disputed.  To read article, click here……“

Mysterious deaths spark anger as Sydney dog pounds kill pets Daily Telegraph, Jan 14 09

“TANGO was too aggressive, Alice too old, Coco too sick and Bosco too psycho. All – and hundreds more – are now dead.

Mysterious deaths at one of the city’s biggest pounds have sparked a major campaign by animal welfare and rescue groups to end the bloodletting at The Sydney Dogs and Cats Home.” To read article, click here…..

Grim end for Christmas puppies SMH, Dec 23 09

“It would be a hard heart that could resist the sight of puppies tumbling over one another in a pet shop window.

Many people do succumb to their charms, especially at this time of year, paying up to $1500 to take home an instant new family member.

But behind this heart-warming scene a venomous debate is raging about the way puppies are bred and sold. Opponents claim it is a profit-driven, inhumane business that indirectly causes the destruction of more than 60,000 unwanted dogs a year.” To read article, click here….

Dead dogs walking get reprieve SMH, Dec 23 09

“WITHIN about 100 metres of Monika Biernacki’s property at Ingleside you may as well turn off the GPS, open the car window and follow your ears.

This is a semi-rural part of Sydney with houses spaced wide apart on big blocks – which is a good thing, because the 100 or so dogs whose barking will guide you the last part of the journey to Monika’s Doggie Rescue make one hell of a racket.” To read article, click here…

RSPCA says adoption is best SMH Dec 23 09

“Nationwide last year, the RSPCA received 70,514 dogs at its pounds. Of those, 19,276 were rehomed but nearly 24,000 were put down.

And both those figures are growing. In fact, the number of dogs received in shelters and pounds has gone up by more than 20 per cent in five years.” To read article, click here….

Council pounces, stripping Lort Smith of its pound status The Age, Dec 08

“VICTORIA’S largest animal hospital has been banned from finding new homes for cats and dogs lost in the City of Melbourne, as local pounds brace for a sharp increase in the number of pets dumped over Christmas.

After helping to rehouse abandoned pets for the past 75 years, Lort Smith Animal Hospital has suddenly been ordered by Melbourne City Council to transfer all seized animals to a North Melbourne pound.” To read article, click here…..

Backyard puppy factories just waiting for the next bitch on heat The Age, Nov 23 08

“SHE is a dog with no name who lives in a bric-a-brac jumble by her master’s back door. Her owner appears surprised when asked her name and seems to pluck “Suzy” from the air. A small, grey-and-white crossbreed with matted hair, she doesn’t respond to Suzy. She snarls and squabbles with her litter of hungry pups over a bowl of dog pellets.

Like thousands of fertile bitches across Victoria, Suzy earns her keep by delivering puppies….. “To read article, click here….

RSPCA urges more control on exported pups The Age, Nov 30 08

“ANIMAL rights activists are calling for the Federal Government to close a loophole that allows thousands of Australian puppies to be sold to Asian pet farms to be used as breeders.” To read article, click here….

DRP: What are your thoughts on these articles?

Please let us know if you see any news articles – forward us the links so we can keep people informed.

Pet Industry blocks suburban animal rescue centres

For  Immediate Release – Sydney, January 18th 2009      From: CatRescue NSW

Pet Industry blocks suburban animal rescue centres-
“Industry claims community rescue centres will impact pet shop profits”

Sydney NSW. The NSW Pet Industry has knocked back a proposed idea to allow council and community groups to set up small suburban rehoming centres for abandoned animals as they see it would compete with the profits of Pet Industry members, says CatRescue, the group who have pitched the idea.

The program, which is part of a 10 point plan proposed by CatRescue to help address Pet Overpopulation, came about after reviewing similar successful programs in other parts of Australia and around the world.

“The problem is that council pounds are located literally miles away from the general public, in the bush. They are open very odd hours and aren’t exactly good rehoming. Whilst you are interviewing a potential new home, three more people are waiting in a queue behind you to dump their poor sick animals”

“Our proposal is to use some of the Companion Animal Fund, the money that is set aside to reduce the problems of animal overpopulation, and work with council to set up suburban rehousing stations, that way we can have better access to people. Similarly, community groups will get onboard and assist in driving people, information and support to the rehousing station”

“They wouldn’t compete with Pet Shops as all we do is find new homes for animals, in fact, any smart pet shop owner would partner with the program and get the flow on product revenues”

But PIAA’s newsletter, “Pet News” has come out in angry opposition, claiming the idea is part of a socialist policy driven by PETA aimed at “destroying private industry and replacing it with government run stores “. “The Australian puppets of PETA should decide what their ultimate intention is” it said in it’s Jan 14th publication

“I don’t know what they are on about” said CatRescue. “We wouldn’t know a PETA person if they walked up in the street and bit us, all we want to do is find homes for thousands of dumped animals, no conspiracies, just getting the job done”

CatRescue and a number of other members of the Community program are pursuing the program nonetheless, with the first proposed rehousing station likely to open early this year.

More information contact Derek Knox or Kelly Lachman at CatRescue

Yellow Pages promotes pet shop animal sales

Seen on The Yellow Pages website..

“If you’re looking to purchase a pet, such as a cat or a dog, you might want to consider doing so from a local pet store. Pet stores typically offer benefits that cannot be offered from pet shelters, breeders, and / or other facilities that offer pets. For example, you might find at a pet store, you will receive different benefits along with your purchase such as a warranty, veterinarian vaccinations, free or discounted health check ups for your pets, free or discounted pet supplies, among other perks.”

NO, NO, NO!
We have written to the Managing Director of Sensis to point out this misleading advertising and suggest an alternative paragraph. We will let you know the response…

Taking responsibility for a cat

Ownership accountability …

between the months of October and February, a cardboard box arriving at a shelter can only mean one thing, kittens. With the best of intentions, when someone finds a litter of kittens they assume that they are abandoned and take them to the shelter, not realizing that the mother cat is never far away. By removing the kittens, you bring the mother back into season and she can be pregnant again within six weeks. You are now in the same position as before, you still have a stray cat problem, and in fact you have accelerated her breeding capacity.

Animal Aid want to get the message across that simply bringing the kittens in achieves very little in the big picture. If they can obtain the mother cats as well, they can desex them and essentially halt that colonies potential to get out of control. The community needs to understand that it is no longer acceptable to say “it’s not my cat; I just put food out for it” – it simply doesn’t wash. If you do have this attitude then unfortunately you are part of the problem. The onus is on you, to either take responsibility for that animal and make it your own and make sure it is de-sexed or hand it over to the appropriate authority, such as your welfare shelter or local council.

DODGY pet shop owners will face tough new penalties

Article from: Daily Telegraph By Lauren Williams
DODGY pet shop owners will face tough new penalties for maltreatment of animals under new state government regulations to be introduced next week.
Minors will also be banned from buying pets under the overhaul, and a mandatory three-day cooling-off period will be introduced to stop impulse buys. The move follows attempts by Clover Moore to introduce a drastic law banning pet shops altogether, claiming irresponsible breeding practices and impulse buys were out of control.
Pet shop owner Bob Croucher said the changes were a good “half-way point” and would give the RSPCA teeth to deal with pet stores doing the wrong thing.
“Things like small pens with too many animals and especially impulse buys are a problem for a minority of pet shops,” he said
The new laws give RSPCA patrol officers power to investigate stores and issue minimum $200 on-the-spot-fines. They will also specify pen and cage sizes for different animals and force shopowners to supply written information on how to care for purchased pets.
RSPCA NSW CEO Steven Coleman said his staff receive 200-300 complaints annually about pet shop conditions.“This will make it clear and fair as to what is required of pet shops and what is required of us to monitor them,” he said. He said the penalty system acted as a good incentive for owners to act ethically in the first instance and would tackle the problem of impulse buys.“Buying the animal is the cheapest part of owning an animal,” he said.
NSW Minister for Primary Industries Ian Macdonald said, while the majority of pet shops operate in a highly professional way and already met the new standards, “these changes are aimed at bringing all pet shop retailers up to the same level”.