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One of my favourite bands, The Eels has a song called Dogs Life, here are some of the lyrics:
I’ll take a dog’s life
Just layin’ in the sun
I’ll take a dog’s life
’cause i don’t care for this one
It is clear that when E wrote a song envious of the life of a dog he had not come across some of the pooches in the sorry places I am about to talk about.
We have all walked past the pet shop windows and seen the puppies in their square glass jars playing around or sleeping. They are cute, and they make you want to go in and take them home, but what you may not know is where they have come from.
We have all heard about the demise of the manufacturing industry as our dollar strengthens, we have all seen the factories closing as production lines are replaced by outsourcing in China, there are some factories however that continue to flourish. They are called puppy factories, and I hope you excuse the language, but they are fucking ugly places in every aspect.
These factories don’t make stuffed toy puppies, these factories are places where dogs are kept in the most appalling of conditions and bred so that you can be tempted by puppies as you walk through your local Wesfield.
You have probably heard the line “A dog is not just for Xmas” and it is true. Many dogs are dumped after Xmas, or are given away “Free to a good home”. However I guess a good home all depends on your perspective.
A good home can be a huge variety of things, but what it isn’t is what many of these dogs endure. Chained up on chains that are hardly as long as your arm, shoved in cages that are hardly tall enough for some of the dogs to stand up in. Bed for a dog in these cages is just a puddle of piss or pile of its own shit. Food is whatever gets thrown in, usually some mould encrusted crap which will only cause the former pet to become sick, and end up with gastric problems to add to the filth on the floor and make it lose weight faster than an anorexic junkie with bulimia issues.
Clean enough to eat off….
We treat our rapists, murderers, and paedophiles better than we allow these dogs to be treated. I guess if the dog is “mans best friend” than rapists, murderers, and paedophiles must be considered family judging from their treatment. The conditions these dogs suffer could be as a kind of concentration camp for animals.
Home Sweet Home
Many dogs, even after being saved from these farms suffer emotional trauma. Many of them continually walk in small circles for example, because this is all they have ever known. That is as far as they could explore on a short chain or in a tiny cage.
Below are a couple of videos that you may find interesting, as well as shocking, appalling, and disgusting. They may also make you angry, in fact, if they don’t I would suggest slapping yourself in the face a few times and then watching them again.
The first in a segment from earlier this year from the Victorian edition of 7 30 on the ABC, sorry I couldn’t embed the video but below is a link.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-02-10/activist-fights-to-save-animals-from-cruelty/3824032
What I find alarming in this video is the attitude of the minister, Peter Walsh. Mr Walsh said that the dogs in the video are probably trembling due to being scared of the lights and the camera. It would not have anything to do with possible beatings, being scared of being chained up, fever, starvation, maybe they haven’t seen light for months… no, it must be the camera crew.
I’m sorry Mr Walsh, seeing as though you are a member of the Ballieu shamble of a Coalition that vaguely passes as a poor excuse for a government I did not have high expectations for you, however even with the lowest of expectations you have succeeded only in your ability to disappoint.
Nobody falls for it anymore, so Minister Walsh is forced to pull his own finger…
The next video is taken at the property of an online supplier of pets named Ann Giles. This footage was taken in 2011, however with a Coalition in government things don’t quite achieve a snails pace in the Victorian justice system. Despite over 30 charges of animal cruelty, it was only around a week ago she was ordered in court to sell off all her puppies. She is however still allowed to keep seven dogs. This is akin to the idiots running Victoria putting convicted paedophiles on the list of government approved foster carers.
This is not the first time either, in 2010 she was banned from owning horses (she apparently still has three) and was ordered to remove all dogs from her property except five. Now with extra video evidence and over 30 charges it would seem she is now being allowed to keep two extra dogs. Victorian judicial logic that I can’t quite get my head around….
I know someone who was on the site last month and they assure me that nothing much has changed.
So, you may well be wondering what to do about all of this, well there are a few things.
Don’t buy a pet you only want for a week. Seems obvious I know, but so many people still do…
If you buy a pet, avoid pet stores, try and find a registered breeder. If you are not sure what breed of dog you want, I would suggest going to the local RSPCA to find a pet, they will have many different dogs to choose from all in need of a good home.
You can support organisations like Oscars Law, and the RSPCA in their fights the stop the so called “puppy factories” and their attempts to strengthen laws and see them enforced far more effectively than they are currently. Links to their Facebook pages are embedded in the above text.
The Oscars Law website has a list of things that you can do to assist, simple things like signing petitions, and sending letters to politicians etc
Standing room only?
Below is a link to a PDF leaflet for Oscars Law, you can send around to your mates if you feel so inclined.
Remember activities such as those described above and shown in those videos will continue unless the public react. The public has a history of not reacting to that which they know nothing of, which is why it is vitally important that anybody who cares about issues such as this spreads the word faster than a Hill$ong missionary on amphetamines.
Anyway, now you know, it’s in your hands.
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Please stop the abomination that is “Puppy Farms”
Dog
The dog trots freely in the street
and sees reality
and the things he sees
are bigger than himself
and the things he sees
are his reality
Drunks in doorways
Moons on trees
The dog trots freely thru the street
and the things he sees
are smaller than himself
Fish on newsprint
Ants in holes
Chickens in Chinatown windows
their heads a block away
The dog trots freely in the street
and the things he smells
smell something like himself
The dog trots freely in the street
past puddles and babies
cats and cigars
poolrooms and policemen
He doesn’t hate cops
He merely has no use for them
and he goes past them
and past the dead cows hung up whole
in front of the San Francisco Meat Market
He would rather eat a tender cow
than a tough policeman
though either might do
And he goes past the Romeo Ravioli Factory
and past Coit’s Tower
and past Congressman Doyle of the Unamerican Committee
He’s afraid of Coit’s Tower
but he’s not afraid of Congressman Doyle
although what he hears is very discouraging
very depressing
very absurd
to a sad young dog like himself
to a serious dog like himself
But he has his own free world to live in
His own fleas to eat
He will not be muzzled
Congressman Doyle is just another
fire hydrant
to him
The dog trots freely in the street
and has his own dog’s life to live
and to think about
and to reflect upon
touching and tasting and testing everything
investigating everything
without benefit of perjury
a real realist
with a real tale to tell
and a real tail to tell it with
a real live
barking
democratic dog
engaged in real
free enterprise
with something to say
about ontology
something to say
about reality
and how to see it
and how to hear it
with his head cocked sideways
at streetcorners
as if he is just about to have
his picture taken
for Victor Records
listening for
His Master’s Voice
and looking
like a living questionmark
into the
great gramophone
of puzzling existence
with its wondrous hollow horn
which always seems
just about to spout forth
some Victorious answer
to everything
Lawrence Ferlingetti
Thanks Wixxy for doing this story. Aussies are great. When they know about animal cruelty they refuse to accept it. Awareness is already helping more rescue dogs find homes and every story on this issue helps.
When it comes to animal protection successive govts protect industry despite public outrage and lobbying so the best hope to stop puppy mills is still awareness.
People please “adopt don’t shop” when it comes to your next pet. In Sydney I highly recommend paws.com.au as a great place to look for your next friend or check out petrescue.com.au for your local rescue groups across Aus.
please, avoid the breeders altogether. There is already an abundance of animals that require homes. Pets are not accessories. As long as people are prepared to pay a small fortune for a designer animal, these vermin breeders will continue their cruel exploitation. They also heavily inbreed the animals causing problems in the offspring. Have not bought a pet in 30 years, they have all been strays or from the pound.
good point Matt and good on you!!!!
Thanks for telling us about this- I have circulated it to my friends, posted a link on Facebook, signed the petiton, sent letters to state Mp’s, and donated. I also know another friend did the same- neiether of us would have done so without this post. So thank you for being the compassionate person you are.
Having worked in my local pound, I have seen the result of puppy factories and the little lives that have been so badly affected by the inhumane treatment that makes up the majority of them. Thank you for your article.
Being cruel to animals is nearly as low as smearing people without the right of reply – just like the animals. Just like Craig’s treatment – though thankfully you’ve jumped into the gutter Wixxy to extra smear his attacker. She clearly bit off more than she could chew taking on the superior smearing team. Does this mean she goes to jail and Craig is now exonerated? And Go Diana !