Dog training raises awareness while government safeguards puppy welfare
By Cassandra Pulver
Published Friday 14 August 2015
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Bill Byrne have announced the opening of the consultation on puppy farms and the future regulation of dog breeding.
Ms Palaszczuk said it was everyone’s responsibility to ensure dog welfare remains a priority, and called on Queenslanders to put forward their thoughts and ideas.
“When I was in Opposition, I made a commitment that a Palaszczuk Labor Government would shut down cruel puppy farms, and I’m determined to deliver on that.”
“A puppy farm is a dog breeder who places profits above the welfare of their animals by housing or keeping dogs in conditions that fail to meet the dog’s behavioral, social, psychological and physical needs.
“We want to hear from Queenslanders about how these puppy farms impact on local communities and what we can all do to get rid of them once and for all,” said Ms Palaszczuk.
Welfare groups and the wider community have been voicing concerns about the increasing number of puppy farms in Queensland. That is why animal welfare organizations are in full force about crushing the puppy farm and pet shop industries. With the continual increase in unwanted pets, in particular cats and dogs, is it any wonder that animal welfare shelters operate at full capacity. These shelters work tirelessly to care for mistreated, neglected and homeless animals while providing a safe refuge for them. Their aim is to find suitable loving homes within the broader community.
The Paws and Claws Animal Refuge in Craiglie has been in operation in the Douglas Shire for nearly 20 years and in that time has rescued and re-homed thousands of animals. They maintain a “pro-life” policy which means “no animal is euthanized unless suffering from a debilitating disease or has repeatedly attacked another animal or person and cannot be retrained or rehoused.”
With the good news about the Premiers’ announcement on safeguarding puppy welfare, and the ongoing efforts of Paws and Claws, it seems perfect timing for the upcoming visit from Chris de Aboitiz founder of Natural Balance Dog training.
Chris de Aboitiz, and his pack of loyal rescue dogs Lani, Murph, Rama and Millie are working towards raising awareness on the issue of unnecessary dog euthanasia by working with local rescue centres like Paws and Claws Shelter in Port Douglas along their route and providing free behavioural workshops to their foster carers and foster parents as well as letting anyone who is interested listen in for free.
“People tend to adopt dogs and give them a home with lots of love but no structure,” he said. “When their dogs start developing bad habits and behaviour patterns, they no longer think of them as a positive thing and end up putting them in shelters where a large percentage of them end up being euthanised. Our aim is to educate people in understanding their dogs and creating a naturally balanced relationship between owner and dog.”
“There are plenty of good rescue and give-away dogs out there and when you select a dog you need to make sure you think of the dogs needs. If the dog is a high energy dog and you aren’t then its not going to work, ” said Chris.
Not only is Chris’ aim to educate but also to entertain. He is the pioneer in the introduction of dog surfing and SUP in Australia and aims to partake in SUP demonstrations along the way.
Chris and his pooches will be at Jalunbu Park (next to SLSC) on Saturday 15th August from 10:00am to 12noon. “Anyone can come for free, bring a chair, all volunteers, staff, the community or holiday makers. Paws and Claws will be bringing a couple of the shelter dogs as well as some rescued dogs,” said Chris.
If you are planning on bring your own dog the fee is $50 and you need to book by texting or emailing Chris.
For further information, please contact Chris on 0421 026 255, or email info@naturalbalancedog.com.au.
Also, don't forget to check out their training videos on their website: www.naturalbalancedog.com.au
If you miss out this time, they will all be back next year when they will be starting their East Coast Dog Tour from Melbourne to Cairns in February 2016.
