Commercial Dog Breeder Withdraws Application Days After NSW’s Puppy Mill Ban
A pet shop in Oakdale, NSW, has withdrawn its local planning panel application for a facility to house 50 dogs used for breeding an unspecified number of puppies. The news of the withdrawal comes following new legislation passed by the NSW parliament earlier this month to restrict puppy farms. From December 2025, new commercial dog breeders in the state will be restricted to a maximum of 20 female adult dogs per facility and mandate some minimal welfare standards for all dog breeders.
In PETA’s submission to the puppy farm proposal, we pointed out to the Wollondilly planning panel how irresponsible it is to breed dogs when so many are already in need of care. Due to cost-of-living pressures, a tight rental market, and the continuing impact of impulse animal acquisitions during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent increased surrender rates, animal shelters across Australia are under immense strain. About 200,000 dogs are surrendered to Australian shelters and municipal facilities annually, 25% of whom are puppies. Because there is a lack of suitable homes, 20% are euthanised.
The application would have compromised animal welfare, proposing that as many as three adult dogs be housed together in one of 15 kennels, each placed on a concrete slab, not even meeting the industry’s own bare minimum standards.
Puppy mills are also known for neglecting dogs, often treating mothers and babies as nothing more than stock to be exploited for profit.
Your support makes a difference. PETA regularly helps local people in objecting to plans for new puppy mills in their communities, and our supporters add their voices through petitions and letter writing. For every new facility that gets rejected, countless animals are spared a life of misery.
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