News on Toast: Putting paws to puppy farms

Australian pet stores try to stamp out puppy mills, Qantas travellers to get wi-fi on high and a new cancer cure for canines: All the morning’s hot topics in bite-sized pieces just right for dunking.

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Pet shop initiative to put paws to puppy mills

Adorable puppy - but was it bred ethically?

An initiative by Australian pet shop owners could help stamp out the hideous practice of puppy farming, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph reports.

The pet retail industry has frequently been accused, sometimes unfairly, of selling dogs bred at “puppy farms” or “mills” – large commercial dog breeding operations that value profit over ethics. An increase in public awareness of the issue has led to something of a backlash against pet stores, with critics including Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore calling to ban the sale of dogs in shops.

Under the new plan by the Pet Industry Association of Australia (PIAA), pet shop members will only sell puppies from accredited breeders and guarantee to re-home any lost or abandoned dogs, something the PIAA hopes will restore some of the public’s confidence in the industry.

This is a great move that’s long overdue, but sadly it probably won’t stop puppy mills altogether as most of their sales aren’t done through pet shops but classified ads, and from the boots of cars in suburban shopping centres and parking lots.

>> Are you concerned about puppy mills? Would you be more inclined to buy a dog from a pet shop with these new guidelines in place? 

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Qantas to fly high with wi-fi

Soon Qantas passengers will be able to tweet from their seats. Picture: AP.

Happy news for frequent fliers today: Qantas has announced it will trial in-flight internet services on long haul journeys, News.com.au reports.

The trials will begin this month on six Airbus A380 aircraft on routes to Los Angeles out of Sydney and Melbourne, and will be available to all passengers in all classes on any wi-fi capable device. It will be free for “premium” passengers, and be available at a fee for economy travellers.

Isn’t that GREAT? It means that even 35,000 feet above the earth you’ll still be able to Tweet and check Facebook and receive emails – like those nagging ones from your boss asking you where you filed that report even though she knows you’re on holiday for two weeks, and the ones from your sister with her updated duty-free shopping list requirements (don’t forget the knock-off Chanel sunnies, please!), and those spammy ones from that shop you went to a sale at that ONE time that you haven’t bothered to unsubscribe from…

Personally I’m all for it, as I tend to start displaying withdrawal symptoms after half an hour without internet access. I start shaking, I get the sweats – it’s not pretty. Last time I went on a long haul flight people thought I had SARS, and it caused all sorts of problems at customs…

>> Do you long for wi-fi internet when you’re on a plane, or do you relish the time out? Would you use it and if so, how much would you be prepared to pay?

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Canines get new cancer cure

Vets now have a new weapon to fight cancer in dogs. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Here’s a fun game: Let’s see how many puns I can cram into the opening paragraph of this story. Are you ready? Start counting!

Aussie dogs have been thrown a bone with a grrrrreat new medical treatment that puts the bite on cancer, and vets are going barking mad for it.

That was pretty tragic, wasn’t it? Well, I tried.

The good news is it’s all true: The world’s first cancer medicine designed specifically for dogs has made its way to Australia and is showing promising results, News.com.au reports.

US tests of the drug, made by Pfizer, show it either destroyed tumours or halted their growth in about 60 per cent of cases.

If you’ve ever had a beloved pet you’ll know how hard it is when they get sick, not to mention how expensive treatment can be. The News.com.au article doesn’t detail how much this new drug costs, but does suggest that it’s cheaper than previous canine cancer treatments like chemotherapy.

As a dog owner who not so long ago dropped a completely HORRENDOUS amount of money to keep my precious fluffball alive after a very nasty tick attack (honestly, HORRENDOUS – just thinking about it makes me want to reach for a bottle of something very strong indeed), I welcome with open arms any sort of advancements to keep medical costs down for pet owners.

>> Have you ever spent a bomb on medical treatment for your pet, or did it force you to make a very difficult decision? Share your  pet stories with us in the comments.

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And that’s your News on Toast for today – hope it made your Tuesday morning just a bit more informative! Join me tomorrow for more and in the meantime, have a chat with us in the comments below.

Main pic: Gary Graham, AAP