The dark side of puppy farming
Stephanie Gardiner Among 42 dogs found in a dark, dank maggot-filled shed was Gidget, a miniature poodle with fur so matted and dirty it caused painful eye and ear infections.
From death row to new leash of life
Jason Mountney meets dogs that have good reason to be barking glad.
Taskforce to investigate pet euthanasia
Cats and dogs in NSW are facing "high rates" of euthanasia, with more than 150,000 put down in state pounds over the past five years, the government says.
Paws for thought: sad reality of euthanasia
Lindsey Cuthbertson Imagine that a part of your job was to wear the robes of the Grim Reaper and put animals to rest every week. It's not pretty, but someone has to do it.
RSPCA homes 'could close' without funding
Sydney's largest animal shelter may be forced to close if a multi-million dollar government grant doesn't eventuate, the RSPCA says.
Nothin' but a pound dog, with a great future
Kelsey Munro A privately owned animal pound in Sydney is to become the first in the state to promise not to put any animals down, and to find homes for every healthy pet that comes through its doors.
Call for ban on pet shop sale of puppies
The Greens are calling for a ban on the sale of dogs in pet shops and markets in NSW.
Shelter aims to keep all animals alive
Amy Sinclair One of Sydney's biggest animal shelters is hoping to stop putting down unwanted pets – a plan that could save the lives of thousands of animals.
Ban on children buying pets
Children under the age of 18 will no longer be able to buy pets without their parents' permission in Victoria if the Brumby government is re-elected.
Hundreds rally against puppy farms
Hundreds of dog owners and their four-legged friends have attended a rally in Melbourne protesting against puppy farms.
Queensland asked to ban dog, cat sales
The Queensland government has been asked to ban pet shops from selling cats and dogs.
250,000 cats and dogs killed every year
Rachel Browne More than a quarter of a million healthy cats and dogs are destroyed in Australia every year because there are not enough homes for them.
Farmed puppies are 'almost wild'
Rachel Browne Dogs produced on puppy farms can become aggressive later in life and attack humans.
The council that wants to save every animal
Rachel Browne Not all pounds are created equal as Wyong Shire Council shows.
Pets suffer as greed and cruelty take their toll
If a dog is a human's best friend, the reverse, it seems, does not apply.
Swiss voters reject lawyer for abused animals
Swiss voters have soundly rejected a plan to appoint special lawyers for animals that are abused by humans, dealing a blow to advocates who say Switzerland's elaborate animal rights laws aren't being enforced.
Dog tales
Mia Freedman Do not buy a dog on a whim. Particularly not a puppy kind of dog. I know the RSPCA and other animal welfare organisations say this all the time, but I'd just like to reiterate it here.
New leash of life
STEVE DOW Monika Biernacki trained as a geologist but now saves dogs, writes Steve Dow .
Why we must ban export of live sheep
Clover Moore Australians may think of themselves as animal lovers, yet our laws allow many animals to suffer a lifetime of cruelty in the name of profit.
Animals saved by new centre
CAROLINE MARCUS The RSPCA opened its first care centre in Sydney's north-west yesterday in a bid to thwart the increasing numbers of animals being euthanased.
Court shock at images of puppy hell
MATTHEW BENNS A NSW puppy farmer has been banned from owning dogs for 10 years and fined $155,000 after RSPCA inspectors seized 185 malnourished dogs from his home.
Don't let your puppy love go to the dogs
CATHARINE MUNRO and PETER HAWKINS Not all dog owners love their pets. Just as human relationships fail, so do those between people and pooches, leading to pet neglect and abandonment, Australian scientists say.
Pet store owners on animal cruelty charges
The owners of a pet store in Sydney’s inner west will face court on animal cruelty charges.
Online dog lovers sold a pup
Animal lovers are being duped by internet scammers who promise to deliver cute puppies to their homes.
Animal hoarders out of control
Amanda Woods Animal "hoarding" is costing the RSPCA up to $1 million a year.
Barking glad: dog rescue group safe
Nick Galvin Sydney's biggest private dog rescue group has received an unexpected financial boost after the State Government stepped in to slash its rent from $34,500 to just $400 a year.
Financial crisis hits Perth's cats
Aja Styles Perth's moggies are the latest victims of the global credit crunch.
Dog lovers come to rescue at Monika's
Nick Galvin Sydney's biggest private dog rescue group has won a last-minute reprieve and will be able to keep its doors open for at least three more months. Photos
How the well-heeled pamper their pets
Tim Elliott The economic downturn is hitting animal charities hard, but the pain has yet to be felt by the most pampered of dogs.
Monika's doggie rescue on borrowed time
Nick Galvin Sydney's biggest private dog-rescue group, which saves more than a thousand animals from being destroyed each year, may be forced to close within weeks.
Tough on old pals when love turns into pet hate
Malcolm Brown If it is true the highest test of a civilisation is the way it cares for its most vulnerable, then Australia's animal welfare record is a sad indictment.
Pet industry, animal groups bare teeth over inquiry
A bitter war of words has erupted between animal welfare groups and the pet industry over calls for a public inquiry into the number of healthy dogs and cats that are killed annually.
Editorial:
Animals are not accessories
Unless you are looking to save the life of a puppy or kitten, it is strongly advised that the last place you would want to visit after Christmas/new year are the enclosures for young animals at RSPCA shelters.
Season of heartbreak at RSPCA
Ten kittens on average are being put down every day at the RSPCA, as owners surrender their new pets at alarming rates.
Grim end for Christmas puppies
It would be a hard heart that could resist the sight of puppies tumbling over one another in a pet shop window.
Dead dogs walking get reprieve
Within about 100 metres of Monika Biernacki's property at Ingleside you may as well turn off the GPS, open the car window and follow your ears.
RSPCA says adoption is best
Nationwide in 2007, the RSPCA received 70,514 dogs at its pounds. Of those, 19,276 were rehomed but nearly 24,000 were put down.
No more doggy in the window, says Moore
Cats and dogs would be banned from pet shops under a radical proposal from the independent MP Clover Moore.
Videos
RSPCA: Pets need homes
The RSPCA is calling on people wanting pets to check their shelters first for their companions.
