All About Companion Animals
The industry
Every year, hundreds of thousands of dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, birds, fish, and other companion animals are mistreated or abandoned because of a lack of knowledge on proper care or a mismatch in lifestyles. As a result, approximately 250,000 individuals are euthanised annually in Australia alone, due to an inability to find a second home.
Every year, thousands of dogs are brought into this world in the hope of making a profit. Dogs who are exploited for intensive breeding live in factories – similar to that of intensive animal agriculture factories for egg-laying hens or pigs. Puppy Factories can be small, medium, or large scale and they can be “legal” and “illegal” [2]. The breeder dogs are treated as commodities, units of production, expendable and replaceable at any time. The females are repeatedly impregnated and her babies are taken away, sold for a profit [2].
Pedigree breeding has resulted in narrowing the gene pool of many species, caused by a desire for certain looks. This has led to serious health problems in a number of species. Common problems include breathing issues, heart disease, eye issues (such as eye-popping), allergies, infections, hip and elbow dysplasia in large dogs, premature deaths, and even an inability to give birth naturally in Bulldogs [4].
Crossbreeding two breeds of dogs often means the females have to be artificially inseminated. This involves collecting sperm from the male and manually inserting a semen straw into the female – the female is then held for 5-10 minutes [5].
Backyard breeding is when a companion animal falls pregnant either “accidentally” or on purpose when the person is not registered to breed. It contributes to the problem of an oversupply of animals, in particular dogs and cats. It also often means that the babies are sold online and there is little to no information or checks on the buyer. Those who aren’t sold are often given to shelters or pounds, resulting in older dogs being euthanised as the younger animals generally find homes first [6].
Kitten farms do exist in Australia, however, they operate under secrecy and it is unknown how many there are or where they are located. The likelihood is that the cats are forced to live in conditions like that of puppy farms – confined to cages, undergo repeated pregnancies, have their babies removed after just 8 weeks, receive minimal, if any, health checks, and are never played with or experience love.
For birds, breeder birds are commonly kept in cages, which cause an immense amount of suffering. The cages restrict movement, exercise, and flying. Many are kept in overcrowded conditions, unable to escape from the other birds. They are unable to experience changes in the sunshine, rain, and temperature, which is essential for their hygiene and health.
Australia currently lacks a recording system to monitor the exact number of animals killed each year. Death Row Pets estimates that 250,000 healthy dogs and cats are euthanised every year [9]. This figure excludes the other companion animals, such as rabbits, birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, and fish who are also killed.
Health impacts
Workers in shelters and pounds across Australia are suffering as a result of using euthanasia to manage animal overpopulation. Studies from across the globe have found that workers are suffering from trauma, resulting in health issues, emotional stress, fatigue, burnout, and even suicide [10]. The industry has a high staff turnover rate, and it has financial, moral and ethical ramifications for communities [11 PDF].
Adopting an Animal
Bringing a companion animal into your life should never be an impulse decision. Sadly, every year over 300,000 animals are abandoned predominately due to a lack of knowledge about their proper care and needs. Many of these animals never find another home and are euthanised as a result. Opting to adopt, instead of purchasing from a pet store or breeder, is the main way you can help end the cycle of breeding, abandonment, and euthanasia. Adopting is a big decision, and to prevent these loveable companions being abandoned all over again, here are a few things you should consider before bringing an animal into your family –
1. Do I know enough about the species/breed?
Perhaps the most important aspect is learning about the animal and breed you are considering bringing into your life, as each being will have different needs and wants. Understanding all aspects of the animals behavioural traits, potential health issues, and natural life expectancy will help you to answer the following questions.
2. Do I have time to care for them?
All animals require time, and you have to decide if you have enough time to give your new companion attention, exercise, and playtime. You should also determine if you are more of a homebody or someone who loves to be active and if your desired companion can be part of your lifestyle.
3. Can I afford to care for them?
When adopting an animal you are making the commitment to provide them with all the care they may require. This includes providing them with proper nutrition, toys, general care, and of course covering vet bills (which can be incredibly expensive).
4. Am I ready to make a life-long commitment?
A companion animals’ life-span varies depending on the species. It is important that you commit to the animal’s entire life, which can potentially be 20+ years!
If you are ready to care for, love, and protect an animal for their entire life, then the next step is finding your new best friend. Visiting your local shelters and pounds to adopt a life is the most compassionate option. Animals in pounds and shelters have been abandoned for several reasons, most generally due to a mismatch between the breed and a person’s lifestyle, the previous carers moving to a place that doesn’t allow pets, or the inability to support the animal financially. By choosing to adopt, you are giving an animal in need a second chance at life and helping to shut down the cruel puppy farming industry.
If you are not ready to make a life-long commitment, why not try fostering? Fostering animals reduces the commitment and means you are caring for an animal until they can find a permanent home. It takes away the long-term financial element of caring for an animal and also provides you with an opportunity to learn about different species and see which one is better suited to your lifestyle! For the animal in need, it means they don’t have to spend so much time living at the loud shelter and gives them a safe, warm, loving temporary home.
Meet Biscuit
Written by Ryan Harrison
Adopting an animal, which is most definitely rescuing an animal, is a curious thing. Nine out of ten people would surmise that this act would inspire positive feelings and a general sense of dogooder-ness, they would be right. However, only with first hand experience does that rationalisation become truly comprehensible. I am currently away for work, sitting in a hotel room, without my best mate, Biscuit, a spritely Staffy x Whippet who is more legs than body and has been by my side for just shy of 5 years. This is an extremely rare occasion for two reasons.
The first being that when you make a commitment to adopt an animal, you are signing a proverbial contract to take their health and life into your own hands. It is for this reason that time away from them should be well considered and the appropriate arrangements made to care for them in your stead (as you would any other family member you are responsible for).
The second reason is, although my absence from home will be brief, I truly detest being separated from her. Biscuit, Biccy, Bicco, Riggy, Lieutenant Scrudge or otherwise known as Princess Wobbegong, is for all intensive purposes, my anxiety dog. Not because I have an officially diagnosed condition, nor do I have any more anxiety-related issues as any other thirty-something Gen Y, but, I do know that despite the added pressure that comes with ones life. changing to accommodate an animal, her very presence eases my anxieties, makes me a calmer, happier person and unquestionably improves my life.
She is anxious herself, barks at particularly untoward household sounds, is a little too friendly with bush rats and lizards and is, what is known as, a ‘velcro dog’ (must, without question, be in physical contact or the imminent likelihood of physical contact at any given moment) and despite all that, actually, because of all that, I love her all the more. I love her because she has an unquestionably unique personality. Not every human deserves a bond with a dog but every dog deserves a bond with a human – the same can be said for all animals. Although Homo Sapien is inarguably the cruellest creature to ever walk this earth, when it does form a bond with another animal it is often unbreakable.
It would be easier to use the word ‘countless’ when discussing the amount of perfectly healthy “companion” animals that are surrendered and euthanised every day but people should know that someone is counting and the figure is half a yard off 300,000 per annum. It is this sobering figure, the readily available fact sheets on the horrors of puppy farms, the seemingly never ending list of health issues cultivated by breeders, the exceedingly preposterous price tags that accompany purebred animals and the common knowledge that mutts are, more often than not, healthier than their inbred counterparts, that I choose to adopt not shop. And at the risk of bringing up politics, US president-elect Joe Biden, is bringing with him, Major, the very first rescue dog to call the White House, home. So, if it’s good enough for the White House, it’s good enough for you.
Rescue a life, receive a companion, earn a best friend. Don’t purchase sentient property.
