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Pet shops contributing to rise in number of strays, says ISPCA
Irresponsible pet shops are partly responsible for an increasing number of unwanted animals in the city.
Ipoh Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) vice-president Ricky Soong said pet shops often did not advise their customers on the real cost of owning a pet.
He said the pet shops did not care and were only interested in making money, as were puppy mills (large-scale breeding businesses).
These shops often sold purebreds to anyone who had the money, regardless of whether that person was a suitable owner.
Pet shops did not ask questions about their customers, such as their home and lifestyle, Soong said.
“Some breeds are just not suited for city life in apartments, or people with small children, or people who have a busy lifestyle,” he said.
The main question asked by pet shops, said Soong, was whether the customer was paying by cash or credit card.
Pet shops would also try to enquire if their customers would buy any other things for their new puppy, such as a dish, leash and collar.
“Most pet owners only calculate the price of the food and add it to the cost of the dog and figure that they can afford it regardless of their budget.
“The pet shops would make it look like it’s a match made in heaven.
“But many buyers are unaware of the care required and the acceptable standards,” he told The Rakyat Post when contacted.
As a result, when a pet no longer fit the owner’s lifestyle, usually due to health or behavioural problems, the animals were often given to shelters or abandoned in areas where their likely fate was death by accident, starvation or disease.
Very often, these pets were abandoned without being neutered in order to save cost. This led to the number of strays multiplying further.
Soong said animal shelters and rescue groups were already operating at full capacity and were unable to take in more strays, but the public often did not know this.
“We have been scolded by the public for refusing to take in strays and they accuse us of being interested only in receiving donations.”
He advised the public to exercise discretion when purchasing any puppy or kitten from a pet store to ensure that they were not indirectly supporting puppy mills.