Tackling the Breeding Industry - With Tails of Freedom

Pedigree is a concept that is quite strongly received by Sri Lanka. Although the pedigree craze had taken over the locals, it has created a divide championed by welfarists who oppose the abomination behind animal commercialization and unethical breeding practices.

In Sri Lanka, ignorance is truly bliss. A country that is so driven by faith and morals that it unyieldingly rallies behind protests against sterilization, on a whim about supposed animal rights. All the while, turning a blind eye on innocent animals being forced to produce countless litters throughout their whole existence, solely for commercial greed. Needless to say, extremely misguided and entirely paradoxical.

Years ago, we could have argued about a lack of awareness. Albeit, this is made rather flimsy, given the era we reside in. However, I could wholly justify that the lack of an Animal Welfare Bill weighs in on the matter. How can a country that hasn't passed the aforementioned bill expect its citizens, from breeders to owners, to be educated on animal welfare, much less act on it? Laws must be enacted and public education must be prioritized.

While it’s understandable to desire certain pedigrees, it’s problematic in a country such as ours, where Sri Lankan Hounds and Ceylon Cats overpopulate the streets. This raises a much harsher question which doubts the very morality of our animal lovers who knowingly purchase animals, in so advocating for animal abuse, and neglecting our own local pedigrees that suffer unimaginably from homelessness.

While animal breeding is an entirely bigger topic, pedigree breeding is a growing concern - especially in a country that does not have adequate laws to truly protect animal welfare. I have Shilpa Samaratunge from Tails of Freedom, who has worked with countless pedigree animals for many years, joining this issue to provide a better insight into the topic.

Q. Tell us about your work at Tails of Freedom and what your experiences have entailed.

Although I have been doing rescues and rehoming since I was a child, I only really got into full-time welfare and rescue work about 9 years ago. When I first started, I worked with our local breeds, but as time went by I began to notice more and more dogs of commercial breeds being abandoned. Through talking to other rescue workers, I realized that this was something that everyone was seeing more and more.

Bad breeding practices, including inbreeding, and generally bad care meant that these dogs (fewer cats for now, but this is becoming a problem too) were in bad shape and cost a lot more to rehabilitate than our generally more resilient local breed.

Tails of Freedom was started in 2018 as a response to the rising number of companion animals, who have commercial value, that were being abandoned and subject to cruelty, neglect and abuse. When these animals are not rescued, many go into an unending cycle of cruelty: kept in horrific conditions and forced to breed every cycle of their entire lives, producing litters who are taken from them far too young and sold into the same situation or to homes who do not know how to care for them.

So far, we have had so many breeds from huskies to pugs that have been rescued, with every issue from diseases such as parvo to rashes to life threatening injuries. We have lost many rescues because they were abandoned only when they were so sick that they could not survive even 24 hours longer. We have had dogs who have never set foot outside their cages. We have had blind dogs, pregnant dogs, dogs missing limbs, aggressive dogs, emaciated dogs and paralysed dogs. Every kind of abuse you can imagine has been endured by dogs we have rescued.

As rescuers we need to be able to do more for these dogs, but often we cannot because protection for animals in general in Sri Lanka is at an all time low. When you add commercial value to an abused animal, it becomes that much harder to help them or pry them from the hands of those who hope to profit from them.

I could go on and on about the problems with the breeding industry in Sri Lanka. The bottom-line, however, is that we need strict regulation of this industry, including of online vendors who commonly sell animals on e-commerce sites and on social media, and of live animal imports. Regulation starts with better welfare laws and more care by official entities such as kennel clubs which are currently mostly profit driven. Strict regulation, licensing and penalties of these entities is what is needed and what many animal welfare groups are pushing for now.
 

Q. What insights can you give in regards to pedigree breeding?

Our most common rescue situations are of female dogs who have been bred over and over and have no life left to give. Many of them live their entire lives in cages and have been bred from their very first heat. They exist to profit off of and are bought, sold and bred with this singular purpose in mind.

Breeds such as Rhodesian Ridgebacks, German Shepherds and Dobermans have been bred so badly for so long in our country that many of these puppies have heart issues and hip dysplasia. Puppies should ideally be sold between 8–12 weeks of age— the longer they stay with their mothers and littermates the better for the pup’s socialization and their behaviour. By 8-12 weeks, vaccine cycles would have begun and the puppies would also be well on their way to being immunized correctly. In Sri Lanka, I have personally seen pups being sold as young as 3 weeks old, when they need their mothers' care and milk, and cannot even eat by themselves.

The breeding industry is kept alive by consumers who usually opt for dogs based on their looks or reputation without properly understanding what different breeds need. Each breed has specific illnesses that come with the breed that owners need to watch out for. They also require varied levels of exercise, food and supplements based on the breed. They have different temperaments, space requirements, grooming needs and levels of commitment required. Owners need to be aware of all these differences and understand that not every breed is compatible with every person. The decision about which breed we choose should be based on knowledge of the breed and what we can realistically provide, not how much the puppies would fetch in the market, what we need or how they make us look.

Additionally, in Sri Lanka purebred dogs are considered status symbols, which makes it easier for these animals to be objectified, giving them the same value as a table or a pair of shoes. This oversimplified and incorrect understanding of companion animals being mere objects results in abuse such as caging, forced crossing, physical punishment and abandonment being carried out and justified. The animals are just objects kept to elevate one’s status rather than being acknowledged as the thinking, feeling, sentient beings that they are.

Forced crossing of these dogs is an entire, often violent business on its own, with ‘crossing experts’ and stud farms advertising themselves regularly on social media. On several occasions’ videos have leaked of dogs dying or being badly injured in the process of being forcibly crossed. One particularly horrific video came out in 2020 of a pair of American Bully’s being crossed by one set of self-promoted experts in Sri Lanka which eventually led to the strangulation and death of the female dog.

Q. Where do you suppose Sri Lanka went wrong and how should we go about fixing it?

While we rescue and rehabilitate individual dogs, our larger purpose is to improve conditions for these animals through improving the systems we have in place around animal welfare practices and legislations.

In an ideal situation, all rescue and shelter animals would be sterilized and fully vaccinated prior to being adopted, unless there are health conditions of a particular animal that prevents them from being operated on.

Breeders need to have breeding licenses, which have to be renewed annually based on maintaining appropriate space and conditions for animals. Licenses and breeding conditions need to be monitored regularly and consistently by an entity knowledgeable about space and requirements needed for different breeds.

All regular owners need to decide if they want to breed or not and stick to breeding regulations if they choose that path. Family pets must be kept in compliance with the animal welfare laws of the country, which in Sri Lanka are still woefully inadequate.

If a pet owner or breeder does not comply with regulation, the animal should be removed and go into the rescue system to be sterilized and rehomed. The same applies to our service animals, who endure their own set of problems due to the lack of regulations in relation to animal welfare in Sri Lanka. This coupled with national sterilization/vaccination programs for our street animal population would alleviate much of the suffering our companion animals now face.
 

Q. What advice would you give to new owners?

We always advocate for adoption because Sri Lanka has so many animals on the street who need homes. Our local breed is smart, tough and perfectly-suited to the climate and conditions of our country. However, we understand that some people feel strongly about particular breeds. In these cases, we ask that you use both your head and your heart when you plan to buy an animal. Physically visit the breeder, see how the mum is kept, see how the dad is kept, see how the pups live. Check on vaccines. DO NOT get puppies under 2 months of age as you will end up with a badly socialized and unvaccinated dog. Whenever possible, maintain a relationship with your breeder throughout your dog's lifetime, so that if there are any medical issues with the parents as they age, you can also be informed and keep an eye out for the same issues in your pup.

When you buy puppies from sad pet-shop and puppy-mill situations, please understand that you are ‘rescuing’ that pup but giving the breeder funds and encouragement to continue abusing more animals. Puppies and kittens in pet shops look sad and they are. They are usually full of disease, come from despicable conditions and often do not survive very long. The pull we feel to ‘rescue’ them by buying them is intense, but what happens to all the other pups there? The money you give one pet shop with one cage today, allows them to put two puppies in two cages tomorrow.

There are both good breeders and bad breeders. Sadly, the majority of breeders we find in Sri Lanka are what we call backyard breeders or puppy-mills. That doesn’t mean we don’t have some excellent breeders here too. Learn the difference. Anyone with the funds to buy a dog also likely has an internet connection and can read up on these things. Before you buy an animal (any animal) read up on the breed, what they need and do your due diligence so that you do not inadvertently fund what is a cruel, unregulated industry.
 

Q. What’s your advice to owners who’re looking to rehome pedigree pets?

We understand that people’s circumstances change, particularly during and due to this pandemic. If you find you are no longer able to care for your dog, the right thing to do would be to look for a suitable home for them—well in advance, not one week before you are set to move.

We have had many instances where animals are left in homes, sometimes weeks after the owners have moved. We have had situations of dead animals locked up in abandoned houses. We have had animals left on the street, who continue to sit by the gate hoping to be allowed in. In some circumstances these animals are so depressed they get to the point of self-mutilation. Some of our rescues had such severe anxiety after having been abandoned that they have eaten off their tails or bitten into the flesh of their legs. This mania sometimes takes years to correct and some never fully recover. We have had a couple of animals, who despite getting the best treatment possible, wasted away and died because they could never recover from the pain and trauma of being abandoned.

Financial issues are very real and we are thankful when people realize they have limits and work to rehome their animals appropriately. This is the best thing you can do for your pets if you can legitimately no longer provide the best for them.

If you ever find yourself in this unfortunate situation we ask that you first consider rehoming the pet with someone who already knows them, has a proven track record of caring for their own pets well, and has the time and energy to make your pet feel at home. If this doesn’t work and you need to advertise, don’t choose the first person who calls. Make the time to meet a few people and check on their other pets. We would recommend going to the point of asking who their vets are, asking about their other pets, asking for photos and doing a house visit. Having conditions written out and an agreement to send photos and time/date stamped videos is very important. Finally, ensure that your pet is sterilized so that they cannot be used as a source of income, which as we have seen is likely to lead to mistreatment and abuse.
 

Q. How can the public contribute to Tails of Freedom?

We are always looking for passionate and talented individuals to join our team. We currently have team members working on everything from finance to communications to administration, and we would love more help! The more team members we have, the more dogs we can help.

Due to the incredible expense of offering good quality veterinary care, especially to purebred dogs, we are always seeking donations and are also open to corporate partnerships/sponsorships.

If you can’t do either of these things at the moment, you can still help us! We find incredible strength in the support of our social media followers who help us raise funds, get animals adopted out and everything else in between.

To join, volunteer or donate please contact us on [email protected] or get in touch with us via Facebook.