RSPCA NSW exploits puppy farming for end of year donations

November 23, 2016

People donate to animal welfare charities because they want to see our most vulnerable animals protected. Which is why the RSPCA NSW is asking people to donate to their #ClosePuppyFactories campaign.

People donate to animal welfare charities because they want to see our most vulnerable animals protected. And there is no more moving story than the dog in the ‘puppy farm’.

Cute, fluffy, cold, miserable and neglected. It is powerful stuff.

The RSPCA NSW knows this. Which is why today they’re asking people to donate to their #ClosePuppyFactories campaign.

Imagine spending your entire life in a filthy cage. You never see the sky or grass. You’re never cuddled or touched. And you’re kept alive for one purpose – to produce more puppies for profit.

Except what is the RSPCA NSW’s past performance on “puppy factories”?

Well in March 2012, the RSPCA NSW announced that it would be rolling out a program, in conjunction with the Pet Industry Association of Australia, whereby the PIAA could brand their association pet shops as ‘RSPCA approved’ and in return, the RSPCA would take any dogs who failed to stay in their new homes (for a fee).

Here is Steve Coleman RSPCA NSW CEO, with the head of the Pet Industry Association of Australia’s then President Steve Austin.

http://archive.savingpets.com.au/2008/…/you-are-an-activist/

Speaking at the launch at NSW Parliament House, PIAA Chief Executive Roger Perkins said consumers can now be confident that by buying a dog or puppy from a PIAA member store, they are helping to stamp out dodgy puppy farms.

RSPCA NSW CEO Steve Coleman said: “The RSPCA welcomes this major step toward saving many dogs from being put down.” He added that

“… the PIAA’s initiative in seeking to better control the breeding and sale of puppies is a significant advancement in improving animal welfare.”

The Pet Industry Association of Australia (PIAA) is the major mouthpiece for pet shops and puppy farms. They represent such organisations as Banksia Park Puppies (formerly ACA Breeders) and your local pet shop who sells puppies and kittens.

PIAA have previously denied the existence of puppy farms in Australia, claiming animal advocates ‘made up’ the stories and used photographs from the early 1990s. The organisation has had 10 CEO's in fifteen years, most with backgrounds in farming and meat production.

And here is the organisation's then president holding a dead cat while smiling for a photo:

http://archive.savingpets.com.au/…/steve-austin-pet-indust…/

Of course, the PIAA and RSPCA approved puppy farms were not to be called ‘puppy farms’. If you were to suggest that a farm that primarily produced puppies was a ‘puppy farm’ - as I did - you would receive a letter from the legal department of the RSPCA. Fun times.

http://archive.savingpets.com.au/…/the-rspca-plays-languag…/

But probably the most horrifying of all, is the RSPCA NSW's history in 'caring' for dogs who may have come from these kinds of facilities - the ones who need the very most care.

Starving, neglected pets find no safety with the RSPCA - http://archive.savingpets.com.au/…/starving-neglected-pets…/

Justice for Max reports that the RSPCA NSW in the 2015/16 killed over a third (34%) of unclaimed dogs; the majority for "behaviour".

Given what we know about the behaviour of dogs who come from the deprived background of puppy farms, what the hell kind of "rescue" is being proposed for these most vulnerable animals?

Steve Coleman is still the CEO of the RSPCA. He is still killing dogs. But worse, he is threatening to abandon pets entirely if the community doesn't cough up the cash.

"Your monthly donation means that RSPCA Inspectors can be ready for the next mass Puppy Factory seizure – safe in the knowledge that a raid will not have to be delayed due to lack of funds.

In December 2015, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Steve Coleman was having "trouble sleeping", for a lack of funds in his organisation.

However - at the same time - the balance sheet of the RSPCA NSW showed $10.5 million in cash, another $6 million in term deposits, a $37 million share portfolio, $2 million in investment property.

A total equity of $100 million dollars (http://www.smh.com.au)

Now the RSPCA NSW is threatening to stop doing the very inspectorate work we're paying them to do, due to a lack of funds.

Even a cursory glance at their financials show the organisation is still $100 million dollars in the black

https://www.rspcansw.org.au/…/financ…/RSPCANSW_2015-2016.pdf

A new advertising campaign (sponsored by the state government at NSW taxpayers' expense, at a cost some estimate at around $200,000) is now being used to direct funds directly into RSPCA NSW coffers. If you signed up to #ClosePuppyFactories you are now being targeted as a regular donor

#ClosePuppyFactories has been the biggest prank ever pulled on the pet loving public. It directs vital funds from projects that are working to close puppy farms in earnest. And it gives the PIAA the cover they need to keep operating.

Shame RSPCA NSW. Shame.

References:

Oscars Law - Tell the Pet Industry Association to stop endorsing retail fronts for puppy factories
http://www.oscarslaw.org/pet-industry-association

Justice 4 Max
https://www.facebook.com/justice4max/photos/…

The RSPCA & puppy farmers get cozy
http://archive.savingpets.com.au/…/the-rspca-puppy-farmers…/

NSW Government and RSPCA join forces to hoodwink public over puppy factories
https://independentaustralia.net/…/nsw-government-and-rspca…

Puppy Farms get RSPCA Approval 
http://archive.savingpets.com.au/…/puppy-farms-get-rspca-a…/

The great betrayal
http://archive.savingpets.com.au/2013/04/the-great-betrayal/

The RSPCA plays language games – fails pets
http://archive.savingpets.com.au/…/the-rspca-plays-languag…/

Steve Austin – Pet Industry Association of Australia (PIAA) President
http://archive.savingpets.com.au/…/steve-austin-pet-indust…/

The PIAA gets yet another CEO
http://archive.savingpets.com.au/…/the-piaa-gets-yet-anoth…/

Pet shops: we’ll pay welfare to clean up our fails
http://archive.savingpets.com.au/…/pet-shops-well-pay-welf…/

PIAA "activists are deliberately ignoring facts"
http://archive.savingpets.com.au/2008/…/you-are-an-activist/

Gifting homeless pets back to the pet shops
http://archive.savingpets.com.au/…/gifting-homeless-pets-b…/

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