Shelters in Crisis as People Surrender ‘Pandemic Puppies’
Australian shelters are overflowing as people surrender animals following the 2020 “pandemic puppy” boom.
When Australia first started experiencing COVID-19 lockdowns, many people thought to use their extra time at home to care for an animal. While some chose to adopt animals from shelters, many more purchased from breeders. As the vaccine is now rolling out and our lives are starting to return to a busy “normal”, surrenders are skyrocketing, putting animal shelters under more pressure than ever.
RSPCA shelters in New South Wales are at 95% capacity for dogs and 125% capacity for cats.
The Western Sydney dog shelter Rescue Hub has even gone so far as to announce it has closed its doors to new animals after a huge influx.
Around 200,000 dogs and cats are euthanised in Australia every year, simply for lack of good homes, so it’s criminal that breeders are allowed to continue churning out puppies and kittens for profit.
It’s now more important than ever to stay away from pet stores and breeders – no matter how reputable they may seem – and only ever adopt from a rescue group or shelter.
Simply put, buying a puppy is a death sentence for a dog in a shelter, where workers are faced with the heartbreaking task of being forced to euthanise animals who aren’t adopted. What’s even worse, though, is sentencing animals to life on the streets, where they may starve, die of disease, get hit by cars, or be tormented or killed by cruel humans.
A staggering number of development applications for puppy mills are popping up around the country as breeders move to cash in on the “pandemic puppy” market. We are objecting to as many of these proposed developments as we can. Join our Activist Network to stay informed about ways you can help us protest the next one.
Let’s make 2025 a historic year for animals
