Don't put cruelty on your Christmas list
- The Advertiser
- December 23, 2011
THE RSPCA is issuing a fresh warning about pet shops as a family tells of their heartbreak at learning their new pet will need to be put down.
Dogs and cats bought at pet shops are more likely to have serious defects than those bought from registered breeders, the RSPCA says.
The Herbert family bought their little dog Oscar from a pet shop in March, but had no idea he was in constant pain and would be unlikely to see his second birthday.
After the pup had his first trim, Jacquie Herbert noticed his legs were twisted and he had an overbite.
Concerned for their new pet's welfare, she took their much-loved puppy to the vet. What the vet told her left her shaken and in tears.
"She said all his joints were mangled and he would have to be in constant pain," she said. "She told me Oscar would probably need to put down before his second birthday because of his suffering."
Mr Sutton said the RSPCA did not support the sale of animals from pet shops unless there was a compulsory licensing system and minimum standards in place that covered the conditions under which the animals were acquired, kept and presented for sale.RSPCA SA chief executive officer Neale Sutton said he had "major concerns" on the breeding and supply of companion animals and the under-regulation of pet shops.
"The RSPCA estimates about 95 per cent of all dogs sold in pet shops are supplied by puppy factories," he said.
He said puppies born through the intensive breeding industry often suffered long-term health and behavioural problems.
Mrs Herbert said her vet said their puppy was not even a lhasa apso, for which they had paid $495, but a border terrier-cross.
"I came home and I was just bawling," Mrs Herbert said.
Oscar is under constant medication for his pain and the Herbert family has been told not to let him exercise or even run.
The operating director of the pet store said he had organised a vet to do a check and would refund the Herberts' money if their claims were confirmed.
"We want to be careful and make sure we have all the information and we will definitely be helping them out if we can, but it is hard without knowing any more information," he said.
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