AFTER reading the dog rescue story, ("Pet crisis biting hard", Newcastle Herald 2/7), I couldn't believe the amount of dogs being disposed of by some irresponsible people who bought a dog through COVID or for other reasons only to just discard them when the novelty of a puppy wears off. I believe pet ownership is far too easy. Any irresponsible person can walk up to a backyard breeder and buy a dog on a whim, not realising all that goes into dog ownership. A dog is for life, but some people think a dog can be just disposed of if it doesn't meet the person's needs anymore.
I believe the RSPCA and councils should be even more proactive with desexing dogs and cats. A lot of problems could be solved if a large organisation like the RSPCA convinced state and federal governments to ban backyard breeders and puppy farms that only breed puppies for profit. Anyone can buy two dogs, put them in the back yard and start breeding. For what dogs are selling for these, you can see why they would. Only registered breeders should be allowed to sell dogs, and only after they pass the strictest of tests, have frequent checks on the dog's welfare and the conditions they are kept in.
