Some of you may have been following the story of Oscar, a small dog kept for breeding on a property in remote Victoria. Found cowering in the back of a small dark cage, Oscar's fur was thick and matted, he had fleas and mites in his infected ears and his teeth were so infected he couldn't eat. He was rescued from this nightmare by a woman named Debra Tranter.
After being treated by a vet, shaved and desexed, he weighed only 1.6kg by the time he got to what should have been his new home. Then in what could have been a scene from a movie, police raided Debra's house in the middle of the night, arrested her, seized Oscar and returned him to the miserable puppy factory.
It was this awful experience that inspired the birth of a nationwide campaign against puppy farms known, as Oscar's Law. While Oscar was again languishing alone in a cage, caring people would keep fighting to save him and the thousands of others like him.
Puppy factories are just like factory farms, only for pets. Dogs are kept in small cages for breeding. They hardly ever get patted, or have their bellies rubbed and they almost never get veterinary treatment. Often living in their own filth, both parents and puppies can suffer from various diseases and illnesses that can often go untreated.
Why do puppy farms exist? People want puppies. It's as simple as that. Most people don't realise that when they buy a puppy from a pet shop or from an ad in the paper, they are usually from these hellholes and the parents are living a life of confinement and misery.
Want to know how you can help?
This Sunday Sep 18th, Oscar's Law is holding rallies across Australia. Deets are confirmed for Melbourne (Parliament House), Sydney (Belmore Park) and Adelaide (Parliament House). All at 12 noon. If you can, please attend and be a voice for the thousands of dogs suffering out of sight.
What else? If you're looking to bring a four-legged friend into the family, then make sure you adopt from a shelter. There are millions of healthy animals in shelters across the country just waiting for a new home. So huge is the dog and cat overpopulation problem in Australia that each hour, 23 dogs and cats are put down just because they haven't been able to find a home. By adopting from a shelter, you not only save the life of an animal in need, you can take your new friend home happy in the knowledge that you haven't contributed to a cruel industry.
Whatever became of Oscar?
In July, Debra donned a disguise and headed back to the dreaded puppy farm after seeing a newspaper ad selling adult dogs. Knowing the cage, she found Oscar straight away, trembling in fear. The puppy farmer considered him "no good" because he had been desexed, so sold him for a "discount price" of $400. Oscar is finally safe and in loving arms!
But Oscar's friends still need us. You and everyone who cares are the animals' hope for an end to their suffering in puppy farms and for safety at last. For more info head to www.OscarsLaw.org. See you on Sunday!
Thanks to Debra Tranter for use of photos
UPDATE 18/9/11-- Thousands of people attended the rallies for Oscar's Law in a huge show of support for a ban on puppy farms. In Melbourne, the guest of honour was little Oscar himself. Thanks and well done to everyone who helped to send a clear message to our politicians that cruel factory farming of companion animals must end!
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Oscar is sooooo cute! I want him as my pet dog!
Looking forward to it.
Little fruzz ball pups , all hairy and cute and then they grow up into quite smelly unattractive little mutts if they are not kept washed and clipped and groomed . This is even more conspicuously noticeable since tail docking was banned . A lot of the puppy purchasers who get sucked in by the clean cute puppies have no idea what is involved to keep them looking that way. The bedraggled pic of Oscar sums up the life of a lot of these little dogs once they have outgrown their cute puppyhood . I'd better end the rant here otherwise I could go on all night.
It does not surprise me that they bring their dog, but it surprises me that many dogs are "pure breeds" or "crosses", meaning, the dogs have been purchased not adopted.
Perhaps some have come from shelters after owners realise the work they require so abandon them. But, I would have thought that animal activists were above the status symbol of owning a pure breed.
For every dog or cat that is purchased from a breeder an animal in a shelter is killed due to no home found, more abandoned animals coming in, so no space.
Meantime these breeders are making $$$$$$.and overpopulating dogs and cats.
Only adopt from an animal shelter, never buy an animal and tell your family and friends so they understand.
So what if some people choose to buy a dog that has been raised by a breeder that cares about the welfare of the puppies they are selling? There are many reason why people do this including knowing about the breed history, known problems that the breed may have and the history of illness. With a shelter dog it is an unknown quantity.
In saying this I believe that more people should be made aware of puppy farms and not buying from pet stores and backyard breeders. I am surprised at how very few people know of the existence of puppy farms at all and go in to look at the cute puppies in pet stores.
I personally have a pure bred dog but I also foster animals so that they are saved from death row and can find a new home. So my advice is, look into the organisations that rescue the dogs. They will give you a medical history and a temperament run down of the animal. You will still be saving a life in the process.
At least we got some response from the petition but can we get this banned altogether?