Charity urges people to buy mixed breed dogs to curb pedigree puppy thefts
Animal rights group SAFE is appealing to dog lovers to buy mixed breeds from shelters to deter pedigree puppy thefts.
The plea follows an apparent spike in valuable purebred dogs being stolen around the country.
Chief executive officer Debra Ashton said SAFE had seen a rise in the number of stolen pedigree pooches reported on social media.
“It's cruelty in the highest degree both for the animals and for the families that are having their dogs stolen.
“This is completely unacceptable and the community together needs to fight against it.”
Ashton recommends people go to animal charities which are “screaming out” for good loving homes instead of buying expensive pedigrees from “puppy mills”.
This could help to “nip the theft business in the bud” by reducing demand, she said.
Ashton urged people to be aware of animals being stolen for dog fighting to speak out, and to question new pet owners about where they got their pedigrees.
The price of puppies is believed to be skyrocketing due to more demand after the Covid-19 lockdown.
“I’ve heard figures of around $4000 to $8000 which is phenomenal for purchasing a dog,” Ashton said.
Cavoodle puppies – a hybrid of a cavalier king charles spaniel and a poodle – are selling on Trade Me for $6000, golden retriever puppies for $4000 and Dobermans for $3000 a pup.
Trade Me has seen 28,000 searches for puppies in the last week - a 34 per cent jump on the same time last year.
Would you prefer to buy a pedigree pooch or a mixed breed puppy?
Why?
*Please put NFP if you do not want your comments used by Stuff.
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
-
82.3% Yes
-
15% No
-
2.7% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we are having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Loading…
