Dr Harry is a well-known cat and dog breeder. He has kept racing greyhounds.
He is a patron of the Pet Industry Association of Australia and has represented them at functions and the launch of the PIAA breeding program.
He opened the now infamous Kellyville Pet Store in 2009.
He also gave presentations in 2014, advising people to avoid rescue dogs;
Speaking at the Animal Expo, Adelaide, over the 20th -22nd April, TV vet Dr. Harry Cooper disappointingly claimed that “the problem with a lot of dogs in shelters is that they have some baggage. Some of them may have been surrendered because unfortunately they were barkers or they bit the neighbour”. He also stated that “a dog’s behaviour pattern is established in the first 6 months of their life” and therefore adopting a puppy is preferable to an older dog.
Statement by rescue group Monika's Doggie Rescue
Making this extremely problematic for rescue and animal welfare groups
PetRescue being associated with Dr Harry causes enormous conflicts with those organisations working to get puppies out of bulk-breeding establishments.
(Recently, PetRescue's relationship with PETstock became equally conflicted, as David Young, the Managing Director of PETstock joined the board of the PIAA last year).
With the PIAA trying desperately to normalise puppy factories, the more "friends" the PIAA is seen to have in the industry, the easier it is for their board members to develop projects like the 60-dog strong, Bathurst puppy farm which just got approval to be build by PIAA board member John Grima.
PetRescue needs to choose its friends carefully and make some serious decisions as to whether they represent rescue, animal welfare and rescue groups, or whether they are part of the for-profit pet industry, which exploits animals for profit.