SYDNEY, June 9 (Xinhua) -- More needs to be done to stamp out animal abuse and combat puppy farming, the Australian Green Party said Friday, after 98 dogs were rescued from inhumane conditions in a daring midnight raid in the State of New South Wales (NSW) on Wednesday.
"These abusive puppy farms shouldn't be operating in the first place," NSW Greens Party Member of Parliament, Mehreen Faruqi said in a statement.
Calling for the end of "intensive breeding and a phase out of the selling of pets in pet shops," the operation in the small township of Goulburn, 200 km southwest of Sydney, was conducted after an anonymous tip off from a concerned member of the public.
The raid by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) recovered the dogs and has placed them in the care of its veterinarians in Sydney, where they will be treated for a number of dental, skin and breed-specific challenges they are suffering from, according to RSPCA NSW chief executive Steve Coleman.
Becoming a more regular occurrence, the RSPCA acknowledged that they respond to around one or two puppy farms each month.
In fact, just last week a breeder pleaded guilty to 12 charges of animal cruelty in Goulburn, for her care of 71 dogs and puppies that were seized last year, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.
With demand high for specific breeds of canines, individual sales can reach as high as 5,000 Australian dollars (3,768 U.S. dollars) per puppy, Animals Australia manager Lisa Zilberpriver told Xinhua recently.
"These operations can generate hundreds of thousands per year," Zilberpriver said.
"Puppy 'farms' are dog breeding operations that exist solely to churn puppies out for profit - really they're more like factories than farms."
"At best they use dogs as breeding machines, at worst, our investigations have shown dogs being kept in tiny cages, in total darkness, covered in their own excrement and denied exercise, bedding or clean water for their entire lives."
In the Australian state of Queensland, action has already begun to tackle the problem, with the introduction of a dog breeder registry.
A program would require the owner of any dog litter to register the puppies with the Queensland government, in hopes that it will provide clearer information for dog buyers.
Faruqi believes this is the way forward for NSW and said "until this happens, animals will sadly continue to suffer."
Among the dogs rescued were dachshunds, French bulldogs, cocker spaniels, beagles and pugs.
