Doggone in the window

Independent MP Clover Moore has issued a private member’s bill banning the sale of mammals at NSW pet shops and markets. The bill will allow the sale of pets at shelters and through registered breeders.

Pet Industry Association spokesman Colin Bransgrove denied that pet shops encouraged impulse buys. "Puppies, for example, are ranging between $500 and $1,500. The level of impulse purchase has really declined," he said. “People are increasingly aware that it's a lifetime commitment and economically a big cost.”
 
The association presented a 10,000-signature petition to Parliament to stop the bill. Bransgrove stated the bill would put pet shop owners out of business. What was needed, he said, was a code of practice for “the puppy farms, the internet sellers, the classified ad sellers that sell very early-age puppies and kittens that are not vaccinated, de-sexed or properly health-checked".