Dismal situation for cats at Blacktown Pound – appeal to civic leaders of Blacktown Community

Report to Blacktown Council by concerned community members:

Summary:

Using statistics for dogs and cats seized by councils, this study looks at the current situation at the Blacktown Animal Holding Facility and the Blacktown Community.

A comparison of Blacktown with the other seven council areas, which use the pound’s facilities, showed that Blacktown was vastly over- represented. It had twice as many stray and surrendered animals as the other seven councils combined, yet Blacktown’s population is only half that of these other seven councils.

While tremendous progress has been made at the pound, with fewer dogs entering, and even far fewer being killed, the situation for cats is dismal and seemingly out of control.

The number of cats entering the pound has increased every year, with a 163% increase between 2003 and 2011.      In 2011, 3,248 cats were killed, an increase of 155% since 2003. There is evidence that suggests that over half of Blacktown’s cats are feral.

The national G2Z Summit took place on the 7-9 September 2011

The national G2Z Summit took place on the 7-9 September 2011, hosted by the National Desexing Network.

Summit papers are available to download from :   http://www.ndn.org.au/national-summit-2011.html

One must-read and circulate paper describing Getting2Zero is available here.

Download and read papers on a variety of related topics and subjects of interest to those seeking to reduce our unacceptable pound and shelter kill figures.

Update from National RSPCA on Stop Puppy Farm Campaign

We recieved the following from the RSPCA National Office this morning, 31 March 2011.

PLEASE GET INVOLVED – ACTIONS TO TAKE AT THE BOTTOM!

“The puppy farm campaign continues and is clearly having an impact on governments and policy makers with a number of positive steps taking place since we last contacted you.

 Below is a summary of these initiatives.

 Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC)

The ANKC has moved to make microchipping compulsory for all registered pedigree dogs across Australia. Microchipping must now be done before registration of a puppy. 

RSPCA Close Puppy Farms Campaign – update

Stop Puppy Farms banner Monash Freeway Melbourne

On August 17th, we attended the RSPCA Close Puppy Farms round table meeting in Canberra, along with representatives from AVA, PIAA, ANKC, AWL Queensland, MBDTA , NSW Young Lawyers Animal Law Commitee and various RSPCA representatives. It certainly was “interesting” being in the same discussion as some of the “enemy”!

AWL (Queensland) breaks zero euthanasia record

ABC Gold Coast; Candice Marshall 4 October 2010

The Animal Welfare League of Queensland has achieved an Australian first – avoiding having to euthanise a single healthy dog or cat on the Gold Coast for more than 12 months.

So how did they do it?

AWL Strategic Development Officer Joy Verrinder says the achievement is a result of the AWL’s ‘Getting to Zero’ program which combines many different projects, all playing their part.

Pit Bull Bias in the Media

Blog article by Goodfordogs:

On September 30, 2010, in Domestic Animals Amendment, bsl, media, by Mike Bailey

“Anyone who reads the papers would be forgiven for thinking that ‘pit bulls’ are unpredictable dangerous dogs. It feels like every time we read about a dog causing serious injuries to people, a pit bull is to blame. It appears the media show a bias against pit bulls in their reporting of dog attacks.

Victoria’s draconian new laws to kill dogs…

Goodfordogs website blog has a wellwritten section on the new “dangerous dogs law”. From the website:

“On Wed 5 May 2010, the Victorian Government’s proposed “Dangerous Dogs” Bill was revealed to the public. It’s not expected that the Bill will be debated until the next sitting week (starting Tue 8 June).

While we support efforts to promote responsible pet ownership and reduce the incidence of dog attacks, we believe this legislation is severely flawed in several areas.

How to initiate change at your local Council pound

10 strategies for change at your local Council pound – an action list you can use.

If you are a volunteer worker or rescue volunteer at a Council Pound and are concerned about circumstances there, here are some practical things you can do.

RSPCA Close Puppy Factories campaign

 If you’ve somehow missed this………..

“The RSPCA has launched the public education component of our campaign to address the puppy farm problem in Australia. A new website has been launched and can be found at www.closepuppyfactories.org. 

The website aims to educate people about the issue and guide them

News from NSW:What results from the NSW Code of Practice for Pet Shops?

The NSW Code of Practice for Pet Shops was introduced in August 2008 to much fanfare by the NSW DPI.

We are all asking: so what are the results of the COP? How has it benefitted aninimals in pet shops?