18 April 2018 UPDATE:

Minister walks back from the proposed changes and announces that the department will start again on the development of new draft welfare standards and guidelines – read more about it on the Dogs NSW page.

We rarely publish articles about issues on our site, however, the threats to purebred dogs in NSW have never been more serious than they are now.

Dogs NSW has recently raised the alarm over concerns regarding proposed changes to the anti-puppy farming legislation.  The laws that came in during 2012 are being amended with new standards that neither address cruelty to animals or puppy farmers.  What it will do is treat all breeders as commercial profit-making entities and load exhaustive ‘commercial’ requirements that will paradoxically ensure that the only people able to breed purebred dogs ARE big puppy farms.

The Government have done this with the thinnest of consultation deadlines with submissions due by 22 December.

We are urging you to:

• Lodge a message with the Minister Niall Blair via his easy to use online form – and let him know that “Puppies Belong in the Home – that you are concerned about the rights of responsible breeders and that the proposed changes to the standards and guidelines risk driving out these breeders, do nothing to improve the prospects for any dogs enslaved in undercover puppy factories and paradoxically will drive the growth of puppy farms”
• Mention the issue and if you like publish the photo attached to this post on your social media with the following hashtags: #familydogscomefromhome #puppiesbelonginthehome #dpinsw – and tag him – on FaceBook NiallBlairMLC on Twitter @NiallBlairMLC

Let’s face it brachycephalic dogs are one in a long list of breeds that have been pushed to the limits that we can take dogs.  That said Frenchies were bred in 1850 as companion animals, is a recognised breed by global kennel control organisations and recently were ranked the eight most popular breed in Australia.  They are here to stay but are a dog that requires breeders to not only be ethical but understand how the genetics are expressed in the real world.  To breed a good Frenchie you need a formidable knowledge of the history of the breed’s foundation animals. Knowing that a Sire or Dam in a dog’s pedigree had a specific attribute or problem 3 or 4 generations ago helps inform your mating choices.

Ethical breeders charge the recommended price set by the French Bulldog Club of around $4,000.   Considering the weeks of 24/7 care put into the pups, the vet costs including x-raying our pups at 8 weeks, the love, care and homing of our animals and commitment to only allow our bitches to have litters when they are healthy and to restrict them to a maximum of 3 litters (if that) – it means there is very little if any profit in breeding Frenchies. We do it because we love them and want to develop the healthiest “family members” we can.

However, with the breed’s increasing popularity fueled by them being photographed with their celebrity owners and appearing in adverts and popular shows like “Modern Family” there has been a sudden insatiable desire with people prepared to pay in excess of $15,000 for a pup.  Frenchies and other brachycephalic breeds who were once immune from intensive breeding because of the specialist knowledge and care needed have now become a magnet for commercial puppy factories and scammers.

Farms are commercial ventures and are always going to focus on profit – that’s just what farms do!  They are however no place for purebred Frenchies – they belong in our homes.

It is vital now more than ever to support small, passionate, ethical breeders who are doing our absolute best for the advancement of the breed and proudly demonstrating the results of our efforts at reputable Dog Shows.