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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
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SELECT COMMITTEE ON DOGS AND CATS AS COMPANION ANIMALS

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide) (11:35): I move:

That the report be noted.

As members will recall, in November last year this house appointed a select committee to look into the welfare of dogs and cats bred in South Australia for the companion animal trade. The committee received almost 200 submissions from the general public and from interested industry parties, and we thank them all for taking the time to make their feelings known to us. Animal welfare reform has been an issue which has seen real change in several states of Australia in recent times. It is an idea whose time has come; indeed, many would say it is long overdue.

I am sure members would have been appalled, as I certainly was, at reports in the press in recent years of the mistreatment of animals, principally dogs, in premises which have become known as puppy farms. I am confident that most of the public would find these businesses and their practices utterly abhorrent and feel that there is no place for such activity in 21st century South Australia. In addition, the number of animals either surrendered or abandoned, and which end up in pounds and shelters where euthanasia is a likely result, is certainly tragic. This outcome, this appalling outcome, is the end result of a system in which too many animals are purchased under circumstances where the welfare of the animal and the true cost of raising the animal are not only not the primary concern of the buyer but often are not considered at all.

The committee therefore saw as its brief to put in place a framework which makes the welfare of animals at all stages of their life cycle—breeding mothers, newborn animals, adolescent animals, and especially ex-breeding animals whose usefulness to unscrupulous owners has passed its time—as its primary consideration. In its deliberations, the committee was always mindful of the excellent work done by so many people in the industry, people who truly love their animals and for whom cruelty towards these animals is unthinkable. The committee wanted to make any changes to the present system as painless as possible for these people. There is always room for people who do the right thing.

From my own perspective, my daughter asks us for another puppy nearly every week. We know that a dog brings so much into the family. They teach children responsibility and care, they are companions for the long winter evenings, and they make all of us get out and take exercise. Dogs and cats become much loved family members, and those who have them would never choose to be without them.

So, we have some choices before us if we are to add another dog to our family. We can go to a local pet shop, see if any friends have a dog with puppies, look on the internet, get in touch with breeders, or go to a shelter and adopt a dog that has been lost or thrown out of home. Each of these options has its advantages and each has its pitfalls. The committee has done its best to balance these in coming up with a series of recommendations which will improve welfare standards in the breeding of companion animals; increase purchaser confidence in the source of their companion animals; reduce the number of surrendered animals and, by extension, euthanasia numbers; and increase public awareness of animal welfare issues and owner responsibilities. The committee makes the following 11 recommendations:

1. That an enforceable code of practice for the breeding of companion animals be introduced in South Australia. Such action will not only ensure a better welfare standard for breeding companion animals but will also bolster consumer confidence that they are purchasing an animal that has been reared in its early life to an acceptable standard of care.

2. That consultation and regulatory impact assessment be undertaken with the express aim of introducing a licensing scheme for breeders of companion animals. Such a scheme will enable proper identification of breeders and discourage disreputable breeders. It will also cut down on unwanted litters, with the flow-on issues they bring, including abandonment and euthanasia and, importantly, it will create a fund for the enforcement of the breeding code of practice.

3. That the inclusion of both breeder licence numbers and animal microchip numbers in all advertising and at purchase point be a mandatory requirement. Such action will ensure compliance with the breeder licensing system. It will bolster consumer confidence that they are purchasing the specific animal advertised, and it will allow for easier prosecutions in cases of fraudulent or cruel behaviour.

4. That at least one member of staff in pet shops, at breeding establishments and at pounds or shelters, hold the minimum qualification of a Certificate II in Animal Studies. Such a requirement will certainly ensure better compliance with the SA Code of Practice for the Care and Management of Animals in the Pet Trade. As explained in the report, undertaking such a course should not be particularly burdensome.

5. That the 2010 review into the SA Code of Practice for the Care and Management of Animals in the Pet Trade (1999) be implemented.

6. That vendors be required to provide a cooling-off period prior to handing over a companion animal. Impulse buying is the single biggest cause of the unnecessary purchase of a companion animal or of the purchase of an animal not suited to the particular circumstances of the buyer. The introduction of such a cooling-off period will have a flow-on effect in reducing abandonment and surrendering numbers.

7. That industry standard information on pet ownership responsibilities be developed and that they be disseminated to prospective buyers prior to sale. Such action will ensure that prospective buyers are adequately informed of both the welfare issues associated with the breed purchased as well as the true anticipated costs of owning that breed of dog or cat. The recommendation is squarely aimed at cutting down the impulse buying factor.

8. That dogs and cats purchased at any venue—be it from a breeder, a pet shop, a market, or indeed any source—must be vaccinated at the appropriate level for the age of the animal, treated for worms and other parasites, and microchipped prior to sale. The lack of a proper traceability mechanism is the major cause for animals ending up in pounds and shelters and, as we know, tragically, euthanasia is often a result for those animals. At present, South Australia is the only state which does not require microchipping of its companion dogs and/or cats.

Furthermore, we recommend that cats purchased at any venue must be desexed prior to sale or a commitment to do so undertaken at point of sale. Any person purchasing a cat for breeding purposes must have a valid breeder's licence. The committee felt that this course of action was preferable to the alternative, namely, the compulsory sterilisation of all cats owned in South Australia. Of course, the net effect will ultimately be the same: within a few years all owned cats will be microchipped, vaccinated and desexed.

9. That cat management plans, separate from dog management plans, are to be prepared by councils. At present, councils are only required to prepare a single dog and cat management plan. The consequence of this is that, with exceptions, the management of cats is treated as little more than an afterthought.

10. That councils adopt the Found Pets initiative to facilitate the return of dogs to their owners. This initiative, which operates as a phone app, will provide a cheap effective means of reuniting animals and their owners without the need for impounding. This will eradicate much unnecessary stress on the part of both parties.

11. That programs promoting responsible pet welfare and ownership amongst the general public, starting with children, be established and that public awareness programs into the issues associated with irresponsible pet ownership and the nature and extent of the stray cat problem be initiated. The committee believes that a lack of education is the root cause of many of the problems which led to the formation of this select committee. Making people properly aware of the consequences of their action will cause many to change their ways. As a general principle, having people better informed is likely to increase compliance.

Finally, the committee wishes to express its thanks to our research officer, Dr Gordon Elsey, who worked carefully, thoughtfully and tirelessly to produce a well-written and well-considered report, and our secretary, Lauren Tester, who is a true asset to this parliament in her efficient, courteous and hardworking support of select committees.

The Hon. R.B. SUCH (Fisher) (11:42): I was privileged to be on this committee. As members may recall, in 2009 I introduced a bill relating to animal welfare, and then last year I introduced the Animal Welfare (Commercial Breeding of Companion Animals) Amendment Bill, which ultimately gave rise to this select committee. It was a great committee to be on because, once again, we had all members working with goodwill, with good staff researching and supporting members on that committee. I will not go through all the recommendations; members can read the report themselves. I will just make a few points.

I think when people talk about 'puppy farms' that is a euphemism. They are not really farms. When you think of farms, you think of animals grazing in peace and harmony. Puppy farms, as we have come to understand them, are really puppy factories, where puppies are churned out endlessly without regard to the welfare often of the pup or the mother.

I would have to say that there is a lot of interest in this issue of animal welfare in the community, primarily amongst women, but not exclusively. I think any government, any political party or any MP who ignores that concern in the community about animal welfare does so at their own peril because people do not want to see animals treated in a cruel way. It does not matter what category of animal they come into.

I think the committee was sensible in focusing on companion animals, and it was able to deal with the issue of working dogs, farm dogs in particular. We know there is a range of farm dogs. I have a nephew who lives on a property out in the Mallee. He had two so-called farm dogs; one was a Staffordshire and one was a kelpie. The poor old Staffy would try to run and jump into the back of the ute, but it was never successful and usually would hit its head against the back of the ute. The kelpie was always successful. I am a great fan of kelpies; they are fantastic working dogs. The committee was able to separate the issues, not overlooking any cruelty aspect, but separating the reality of working dogs and farm dogs, some of which are incredibly expensive: they are not the cheap dog that you might get from a neighbour.

There is a lot of debate about microchipping and desexing. We had the benefit of the member for Morphett. As we know, he is a vet. I did not object to him recommending that MPs be microchipped but I did object to him recommending that MPs be desexed. I am only joking—that was outside the terms of reference. We did canvass the issue of microchipping of animals and desexing, and I think the committee came up with pretty sensible recommendations—and also in relation to the sale of pets. I have seen pet shops come and go near my office and they always generate concern amongst constituents about how long a pup has been in a window and that sort of thing.

I conclude by paying tribute to the RSPCA. It has had a bit of negative publicity in recent times, which I think is unfair, because the RSPCA is the organisation which, if I can use the expression, is left holding the baby often. It is fine to say no animal should be euthanased, but the reality is that sometimes that has to happen. It is unfair and harsh to be criticising the RSPCA when they are the ones left trying to deal with a massive problem. I say to people: be a bit more appreciative of the work of the RSPCA. I think they do a great job. We went and visited their centre and kennels at Lonsdale and I have to say the evidence was the staff were very caring and compassionate about animals.

I would hope this current wave of negativity directed to the RSPCA will come to an end and that they will be valued for the good work they do. Like all organisations, they will not always get everything right, but I think they do a great job in trying to protect the welfare of animals. We will soon see—I cannot say too much about it—some of the evidence of their work in relation to what is clearly, in my view, a case of abuse of animals, but we will leave that matter for the courts, because it is coming up shortly.

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (11:47): As a member of this select committee, I rise to encourage every member in this place, and also members of the public, to read the report that the committee has put together, because the recommendations are based on sound deliberation and on the evidence of many witnesses.

When I was doorknocking as a candidate way back in 2001, I remember one particular lady said to me, 'You're the vet, aren't you?', because I was running on the platform 'vote for the vet'. I said, 'Yes,' and she said, 'You'll be right: you're going from one lot of mongrels to the next.' She was quite wrong about my former patients and I can say she was quite wrong about my colleagues in this place because, when we put our minds to it, we can work extremely well together in a multi-partisan way to ensure that South Australians have the benefit of good sound legislation and good sound deliberation on that legislation.

The need for a committee to look at this matter and come up with a series of recommendations has unfortunately come about because we have many cases of animals being very badly treated and, in this particular case, dogs and cats. Of course, in over 20 years in my veterinary practice, I saw a number of cases of all species that were being badly treated—some through ignorance and some through pure cruelty. In every case we tried to educate the people and on a couple of occasions I assisted in the prosecution of some of those people.

The issue of dogs and cats is one where we do need to have some form of further legislation or regulation so that we can have control of the whole of the industry, from the breeders right through to the consumers. With dogs, it is perhaps a little bit easier because we have a more regulated system with the Dog and Cat Management Act, dog management plans of councils and dog registration, and there seems to be a greater focus on the treatment of dogs.

Again, we saw an episode just whilst the committee was sitting of what is commonly called a puppy factory been discovered down in the Milang area. Having seen the photographs—and my daughter Sahra, who is a vet, assisted the RSPCA in treating some of these animals—it was absolutely atrocious. It was something even worse than I could have imagined. I have seen some pretty ordinary things in my veterinary career, but this was even worse than I could have imagined. I wish the RSPCA every success in their proceedings and progress in dealing with that particular issue.

The issue with cats is a lot more difficult. I once did say to the then minister for the environment, John Hill, when he was looking at regulation of cats, 'You haven't seen anything as feral as a cat owner who goes feral.' Cat owners can be particularly passionate about the way they are able to manage their cats. A friend of mine used the definition of a feral cat as any cat outside a lounge room, and I think that is probably not a bad definition in many cases.

We have two cats at home, my daughter's cats that we are looking after. They are kept in a very large enclosure. They are allowed to go outside during the day, but at the moment both their electric beds are turned on and they are lovely and warm, so they do not move very far at all. Cats sleep anything between 20 and 22 hours a day—they are almost as good as koalas—but we make sure those cats are locked up at night, and there is an argument they should be locked up at all times, and I have no problem with that.

The need to ensure that cats are being better managed than they are now is something I have been very concerned about. Watching some of the local governments put legislation or regulation into practice is something I strongly support. There are between 6 and 10 million wild cats across Australia, depending on the environmental conditions at any one time, and those cats do wreak a lot of environmental havoc. For people to say, 'It's okay if my cat does wander around' and throw the cat out at night, that is completely wrong. What is the difference between owning a dog and a cat—the responsibility to that particular creature, to neighbours, to the neighbourhood and to the environment? There is no difference.

Registering, microchipping and desexing cats, to me, is on the same level as that of dogs. Recommendation No. 8 requires dogs and cats pre-purchased to be vaccinated (nobody argued with that), wormed and treated for other parasites, fleas and mites. That is certainly something we would be encouraging, and I think it should be in legislation. Requiring cats to be desexed or a commitment to be desexed prior to sale is something that I think is an absolute must. When you have cats that are abandoned—and these so-called semi-owned cats. I cannot get my head around a semi-owned cat. There is an old story that dogs have owners and cats have staff, but you either own the cat or you are feeding a wild cat or a feral cat. You do not semi-own a cat.

I will say that I did have one case where I had the same cat come into my vet clinic on consecutive nights, brought in by two families who thought they owned that cat. It came in the night before for a cat bite abscess which did not require any treatment other than some antibiotics and a bit of a clean-up at the time. Because it still was quite an open wound, the neighbours, who thought they owned the cat, brought it in the next night. I did not charge twice—I can put that on the record. I said, 'This is interesting.' So, the cat sorted that out quite nicely. It was getting a double-dip of a feed every day and double pats. Cats are pretty smart like that.

We do need to make sure that there is an emphasis on controlling the cat population, because cats do wander. The average cat will wander between four and 10 acres, about two and four hectares, in its range. They do get out, they do get about and they do cause a lot of damage. Never mind just the cat fights themselves, the feline AIDS and the toxoplasmosis issue with pregnant ladies, there is just the general nuisance and the effect on our native creatures and small wildlife that we have, even in our backyards in town. The cats do get out there and we do need to make sure that they are going to be controlled.

Desexing, microchipping, and registering of cats are not onerous things to ask of people who want to own a cat. As I have said, I think that when you buy a dog or a cat, the responsibilities are there. We have a responsibility as human beings to ensure the welfare of the animals we have in our possession, whether they are horses, cattle, dogs or cats, or all the other creatures that we may want to care for or use as part of animal production.

It is most important that all 11 recommendations are looked at by the government, whether it is this government or the next government, and that we introduce legislation and regulation to make sure that the recommendations of this committee are going to be adhered to. As I said when I started, these recommendations are well thought out, and they are based on sound deliberation and a broad range of evidence from a number of individuals and also a number of groups who have a depth of experience in the management of dogs and cats.

I again urge all members in this place and anybody interested in animal welfare (and that should be all of us) in South Australia here to read the recommendations. Read the whole report if you like, but please be understanding when the licensing schemes come in, when the regulations come in, and when the compulsory microchipping and desexing come in, that it is for the benefit of all of us—not just our pets, but for the whole of society. With that, I strongly support the deliberations and recommendations of the committee.

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (11:56): While agreeing with everything everyone has already said, I would like to add a few things to the record and declare my lifelong love of dogs. Denied as a child, the first thing I did as soon as I could afford it was buy a dog, and I have owned dogs for 30 years. I have shown and bred dogs, which makes me slightly odd, of course—Dobermans and a rare breed called Pharaoh Hounds. I have had four litters of dogs in my kennel; I have always known where every one of my puppies went. I always desexed them if I possibly could, and I always took them back if someone was not happy or had to move or go away. I think that is a really important thing about dog ownership. You must always be responsible for your dogs if you breed them.

I was really grateful to have the opportunity to go on to this committee following the withdrawal of the member for Mawson for more elevated duties. This is something I have always wanted to be able to investigate and do something about, and it was not until we had this new influx of MPs, particularly Dr Close and Mr Bignell, to come into the parliament to force this through, which I think is amazing. As has been said, everybody who has worked on the committee has agreed that something needs to be done about the subject at hand.

I have taken the opportunity to look at this interstate, particularly in Victoria. On my only overseas trip—I have only had one overseas trip in my entire political parliamentary life—I did look at puppy farming and the movement of companion animals, particularly in Wales, because in the depressed state of their economy they began to do a lot with companion animals, and move them all around Europe. That was a real eye-opener.

It would be fair to say in my electorate I have more complaints about stray cats and annoying cats than probably anything else, definitely outweighing barking dogs. You never see dogs roaming in my local streets. I am not sure that that is necessarily because of the efficiency of the council, although I know we do have a very good council inspector in our area. I think mostly people care highly for their companion animals.

I think it is definitely a supply and demand issue that we are addressing here and that is because we have all become aware of the high euthanasia rates of animals when they are not wanted or cared for properly. I personally feel that dogs should never be an industry as such. I admit that that is what has become of it all, but I never would think that you should try to make a living out of breeding dogs; it really worries me that that might be something that people try to do.

There is absolutely no doubt of the benefit of companion animals, and I think it is really important to make sure that people who want to have dogs can have dogs and I agree that it is education about responsible ownership that is really important. Unless we have national schemes, it is very hard to make sure that the sorts of things we are trying to encourage with our recommendations are actually what happens, because as we all know dogs cross borders. People are puppy farming, and particularly in the instance that we were just speaking about in Milang recently, they are being bred for interstate trade. The dogs are moving backwards and forwards. I do urge members to get behind this and support the recommendations of this committee. I commend their work and I am grateful for the opportunity of being on it.

Debate adjourned on motion of Mr Sibbons.

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