Companion Animals
Sharing your life with a companion animal often leads to a very rewarding and deeply meaningful relationship. They bring an immense amount of joy into our lives and provide comfort on bad days. Seeing their cute, fluffy faces in pet shop windows can spark an impulse to bring one of these companions into your life, but sadly, these friendships do not always work out.
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.
This article explores the main animal welfare issues of the pet industry.
The Industry
Dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, birds, and fish are all part of the pet industry. While most of us become upset at the thought of mistreating these beloved animals, it is inevitable in the way the industry is currently operating. This summary focuses on the Australian industry.
Dogs
There are approximately 5.1 million dogs in Australia [1].
Puppy Factories
Housing
Health care and welbeing
Pedigree breeding
Crossbreeding
Importation of birds
Issues among all species
Backyard Breeding, Accidental Litters, and Desexing
Pet Shops
Abandonment, Shelters, and Pounds
Health Issues
What can you do?
Despite the growing knowledge of the pet industry and growth in rescue awareness, many people are still supporting the breeding cycle by purchasing animals from pet shops or directly from breeders. As consumers, we need to discontinue our support of breeding, and spread awareness of the issue. Supporting groups, like Animal Liberation, who are advocating for mandatory desexing and the promotion of adoption over purchasing animals, plays a large role in facilitating much needed positive change for our companion animals.