Animal welfare activists call for temporary dog ‘breeding ban’ and clampdown on backyard breeders

Animal welfare advocates are calling for drastic action to combat a growing crisis in pet adoption which is leaving an overwhelming number of animals homeless.

Animal welfare advocates have called for a pause in dog breeding and a clampdown on backyard breeders amid a spike in the number of companion animals being given up for adoption.

Victorian Dog Rescue (VicDRG), one of the state’s first rescue organisations, has been forced to close its doors for a month due to the overwhelming number of dogs and cats needing new homes.

“A pause on overall breeding to give everyone breathing space would be the way to go,” VicDRG President Trisha Taylor said.

“Certainly backyard breeders that are breeding genetically unsound dogs is a huge issue.

“Why should people in suburban Melbourne be breeding dogs they then sell for a couple of thousand each … (when) a lot of those dogs are just going to end up in rescue.”

Nine-week-old pups up for adoption at All 4 Paws Dog Rescue. Picture: Jason Edwards

Microbreeders – the official term for backyard breeders – are categorised as anyone with two or fewer fertile female dogs or cats.

They are largely unregulated.

In Victoria every pet sold needs to be registered on the Pet Exchange Register with an associated microchip number.

However, microbreeders do not have to register as a breeder with their local council and do not have to comply with the same code of conduct as larger scale breeders.

Dogs that come from backyard breeders often have severe health complications due to having genetically unsuitable parents.

Animal Justice Party MP Georgie Purcell echoed calls for parliament to do something about the growing issue.

“I recently called for a moratorium on dog breeding until rescue groups and shelters could essentially clean up the mess that they didn’t create, and for the government to start funding rescue groups and shelters, because they’re just completely overwhelmed at the moment,” Ms Purcell said.

Animal Justice MP Georgie Purcell. Picture: Rob Leeson

It took The Herald Sun about 3 minutes to create an account to register pets on the Pet Exchange Register, with just a quick online ID verification required.

Websites such as Gumtree are a common platform for microbreeders to sell their dogs on.

There are about 1400 dog listings on Gumtree in Victoria, many for significantly reduced prices.

One seller contacted by The Herald Sun said they had been forced to drastically decrease the asking price for their golden retriever puppies because the dogs had gotten too old.

“A lot of the breeders that we are going out doing inspections for now, we are finding they’re not able to move on their puppies and kittens,” RSPCA Victoria Major Investigations Team Lead Shannon Walsh said.

“You would traditionally see most breeders move their puppies and kittens at anywhere from eight to 12 weeks of age.

“It’s not uncommon for us now to be finding these breeders stuck with these puppies and kittens that are in the six to 12 months (range) and then not being able to move them on.”

RSPCA Victoria have had more than 600 ‘surrender enquiries’ to their shelters in the past month alone.

The Victorian government highlighted some initiatives it had in place to help ease the burden on shelters, but did not address calls for a pause in breeding.

“We have several initiatives that improve animal welfare and reduce the burden on Victoria’s domestic animal services, this includes the Animal Welfare Fund Grants Program,” a government spokesperson said.

“The Animal Welfare Fund Grants Program supports rescue groups to cover the costs of vital care that improves pet rehoming outcomes, as well as organisations establishing low-cost veterinary services for vulnerable or disadvantaged Victorians.”