2023-02-13
Nowra (Yuin country): Abigail Boyd, Greens MP and Animal Welfare spokesperson, has today joined Amanda Findley, popularly elected Mayor of Shoalhaven City Council and Greens candidate for South Coast, at the Shoalhaven Animal Shelter to outline solutions to the growing companion animal crisis in council pounds.
Greens MP and Animal Welfare spokesperson Abigail Boyd said:
“There is a companion animal crisis in this state, and we need urgent and holistic intervention to fix it.
“Council pounds are overflowing with pets, and thousands of healthy dogs and cats are being killed every year because they cannot find a home.”
“The world was horrified by the shooting of 15 dogs, including a mother and ten of her newborn puppies, in a NSW council pound in 2021. While we have seen some legislative reform, it’s outrageous that euthanasia by shooting is still legal.”
Greens candidate for South Coast Amanda Findley said:
“The success of Shoalhaven animal shelter shows that council pounds can thrive for the good of the animals and the community.
“Every animal that passes through our doors has a unique, sentient personality, and our success comes from the fact that our animal carers work with each animal to ensure it is adoption-ready and prioritise bringing the community along on that journey.
“With state investment and a policy focus that ensures we adopt don’t shop, council pounds can become a place of welfare rather than death.”
The Greens plan will:
- Phase in no-kill laws, while still allowing euthanasia on compassionate grounds
- Immediately ban euthanasia by any method other than intravenous injection
- Overhaul welfare standards and support councils to implement them
- Urgently fund capital works upgrades to protect impounded animals from extreme temperatures
- Introduce a mandatory breeder registration scheme and cap breeding
- Mandate desexing at the point of sale or adoption for everyone except registered breeders
- Subsidised desexing for existing pet owners
- Ban pet shops selling non-rescue companion animals and instead encourage partnerships with pounds, shelters, and community-run rescues
Further quotes attributable to Abigail Boyd, Greens MP and spokesperson for Animal Welfare:
“Council-run pounds and shelters provide an essential public service, but because they are under-resourced and under-regulated many are run down, don’t meet basic welfare standards, and kill more animals than they rehome.
“The Greens will turn the crisis in our pounds around and transition towards a no-kill policy that will ensure no healthy animal is euthanised.
“We will also rein in cruel puppy farms, ban breeder sales in pet shops and introduce mandatory and subsidised desexing to reduce the burden on pounds and shelters and encourage adoption not pet shopping.”
Further quotes attributable to Amanda Findley, Greens candidate for South Coast:
“The Shoalhaven is a shining light when it comes to animal welfare
“Other council areas aren’t so great with one in twelve dogs and one in three cats taken in not making it out alive despite being healthy when they entered.
“Councils can run successful and welfare-focused shelters, but only with the proper investment from government.”