There is a brutal and cold hearted animal trade happen right now. A trade that is allowed to happen because so few are even willing to mention it’s existence.
We are distracted away from questioning the trade by campaigns to stop the live export of animals to overseas countries, and by demonising unscrupulous cat and dog breeders.
Every time we repeat the catchphrase Adopt, Don’t Shop we are condoning this trade, and accepting it’s brutality.
Legitimisation By Inquiry And Legislation
With the recent election of Mark Pearson from the Animal Justice Party into NSW’s Legislative Council, and under pressure from the ALP and Greens, NSW Premier Mike Baird announced the Joint Select Committee on Companion Animal Breeding Practices in New South Wales.
There will be talk of ‘this group’ being worse than ‘that group’, and maybe even legislation requiring the registration of those breeders who have more than X animals with an approved group. The easily demonisable puppy breeder will portrayed as unethical and only in it for the money.
In fact, Mark Pearson has even come out saying that he will demand the parliamentary inquiry phases out all commercial puppy factories within a year.
Nothing Will Really Change
Despite all of this, and possibly even because of it, people will still buy cats and dogs to keep them as pets.
We will be encouraged or shamed/guilted into buying, I mean adopting/rescuing a dog from a shelter instead of from a pet shop, believing that if we do this, we are saving an animals life. There may even be laws put in place to prevent pet shops selling puppies from breeders.
Yet probably the most important question that should be asked, won’t be.
Why do we need to have pets in the first place?
This article was written by the founder of VeganPolice.com.au, Cameron Blewett.
Cameron is a long term vegan (30+yrs), and is passionate about veganism, and helping people to understand more about it and giving other animals equal consideration.
You can find Cameron’s other rants on his website, CameronBlewett.blog