esperanza

Can also confirm that yes the puppy tanks exist. I refuse to set foot in any such store, it makes me really angry to see it. Have seen media coverage of proposed bans, but to my knowledge nothing happened.

I don't think it's a case of whether the dogs are clean & fed, obviously clean, chubby pups sell well - it's more about the breeding background, socialising of pups, and vetting of prospective owners. When an irresponsible customer buys a cute puppy on impulse, things go wrong, dogs end up in pounds. Not always, but I think much more often than when it is handled more professionally.

Jen1977ni

FluffieFaerie

Very normal here, pretty much every bigish shopping centre has a Pets Paradise with a window full of pups and kittens. It is a bit heartbreaking when you first get here but you do get used to seeing them - although I was quite shocked to see 5 large pups in a double tank yesterday at Chermside - they barely had room to jump all over each other and were bouncing off the walls, literally. It's not completely unheard of in the UK either. I remember going to Harrods a couple of years ago and being completely appaled to see caged pups in their pets section, although their run was considerably larger than they get here.

gozzey

I have lived in New South Wales and Queensland and my neigbour in NSW had a dog and never ever walked it, it just sat outside all day and night, it was heartbreaking. Now I have moved to Queensland, it is the same here. Both neigbours have dogs and I have never seen them walked or given any attention at all. I dont get it, everyone here seems to keep a dog but many dont seem to care about them, why get them in the first place. I do think many Aussies see dogs just the same way as we see a rabbit or guinea pig, so dont think nothing of seeing them stuck in a petshop all day.

Deancm

They breed dogs for food in Vietnam. Is that wrong?

Mmmmmmm.... Puppy.... WWRRRuff WRruff!

sr71

Well I don't think it is excessively cruel and certainly the animals I've seen haven't been showing any signs of suffering or ill-treatment.

What is totally disgusting and cruel, and is endemic to the UK and much of Europe is housebound cats and dogs. Now that should be banned and most of the owners put up on cruelty charges. The amount of dogs I have seen in London that live in flats, including larger breeds, is incredible.

WillBlack

Add your locale name to this search to find off leash areas:
http://www.google.com/search?q=dogs+...site%3A.gov.au

Anyone find that there are no areas sufficiently close?

I feel that owners should only be allowed to unleash their dogs anywhere in public space when the dogs are certified annually to be trained to a minimum standard of heeling, sitting and shutting up.

kar-kier

I've not seen any puppies in the windows, but quite a few kittens!!

My MIL back in Glasgow runs a pet shop. She regularly got people bring in unwanted kittens, which she would sell on (don't agree with it, but hey). She kept them in the back of the shop and took them home at night, where hubby and I would sit and play with them - on a number of occasions i almost kept one!

So, to the original point, it does go on in the UK, but is not flaunted as much!

Burbage

Just don't eat at the Korean restaurant next door.

jasonlec

Scorpion, Panzer or Sherman? Good job they re not in planes. Hope they find out how the controls work so they can fire back at the shabby "pet shop" owners.

Used the rspca when we got the moocat, but he died this year, had a great life, moved to spain and back with us, top cat, miss him, boo hoo.

mysnix

Yes they do have the tanks - I am not sure what I feel about them generally - but chose personally to buy our dog directly from a breeder.

I did happen to talk to someone at one of the pet stores at Marion Westfield (Adelaide) and as well as the tanks being airconditioned the lady told me that the owner takes the puppies to her home in the evenings and for the weekend. But then I also did see someone bring in a load of kittens into one of the pet stores and sell them to the shop over the counter - they were put straight up for sale in the store, which made me question their health checked claims!

asprilla

I'm not really a big dog lover but I'll admit that I was a bit surprised to see them in glass cages... I thought that it was a bit cruel.

But then, when you think about it, why is it crueller to keep an animal in a glass tank compared to a wire cage ? Isn't it really just the same level of cruelty, just a different container?

cresta57

Shocking! We nearly got cleaned up by a couple of rottweilers in a M1A1 Abrams last week. Should be banned immediately.

Burbage

Or else you should get a proper tank. The Abrams is crap. Stick to the Challenger 2.

kporte

I think you are missing the point. These animals aren't even housebroken, think of the smell of wee in such a confined space. The gunner could slip on a skittery poo whilst loading shells! It's just not safe.