A backyard dog breeder has been flaunting his wealth after selling dogs online for massive profits as animal rights groups push for a ban on the practice and call on Aussies to adopt a dog from a shelter instead.
The breeder, named Anthony, has films himself spreading literally thousands of dollars in $50 notes across a bed, before showing himself in designer clothes, all while encouraging others to start a dog breeding businesses.
He claims to be making enough money selling Cavoodle puppies to fuel a $20,000-per-month lifestyle, which includes luxury cars, flashy overseas holidays and fancy dinners at expensive restaurants.
‘This is your sign to start dog breeding,’ the backyard breeder writes in a post flaunting his wealth to social media followers.
Owners of backyard dog breeding businesses have been overtly flaunting their wealth online – with animal rights groups concerned over their practices
A Cavoodle ‘breeder’ named Anthony has been posting a series of pictures and images on his private social media pages bragging about the money he’s earned from selling puppies
He claims to be earning enough from selling the popular breed of dog (pictured) to fuel a $20,000-per-month lifestyle
Anthony (pictured) claims to be earning enough money from selling Cavoodle puppies to fuel a $20,000-per-month lifestyle
The ‘breeder’ has bragged about his sneaker collection and luxury cars in other videos
WHAT IS A BACKYARD DOG BREEDER?
A backyard breeder is an amateur and unlicensed animal breeder whose breeding is considered substandard, with little or misguided effort towards ethical, selective breeding.
Puppy mills and other animal mill operations, backyard breeders breed on a small scale, usually at home with their own pets (hence the ‘backyard’ description), and may be motivated by monetary profit.
His profile is filled with comments from dissenting members of the public, with many sharing the ‘adopt don’t shop’ mantra while others called his behaviour’ unethical’.
‘Only do this if you actually care about the puppies, and you are going to do it safely. It’s not just an easy way to make money, ‘one person replied to his brazen videos of him.
‘You shouldn’t encourage people to do this. It’s a horrible trade, ‘another commented, before the man replied his work was’ not unethical ‘.
‘If it’s done properly, it is not unethical. It is natural for dogs,’ he said.
Others lamented overcrowded pounds, which are reporting record numbers with dogs and cats being handed back in after the pandemic.
‘How can you want to make a profit breeding dogs when so many dogs need rescue? You are the problem and don’t love dogs,’ a woman wrote.
‘And this is why there are so many dogs in the pound,’ another woman commented.
The man replied to one of his critics, attempting to separate himself from ‘backyard breeders’ and saying his dogs had a better life than he did – despite overtly bragging about his income on several posts.
‘No, there are dogs in pounds because of backyard breeders. When done in the professional manner we do it, the dogs go on to live better lives than me,’ he claimed.
The business page doesn’t feature any of his unabashed behaviour, instead attempting to present itself as a legitimate operation.
It’s described as selling ‘exclusive high-end Cavoodles’, and is ’24/7 operated’.
In Sydney, Cavoodle puppies sell for up to $6,000 each.
The breed, which is a mix between Poodles and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, has become hugely popular because the dogs are hypoallergenic (don’t shed fur), are cute and have a generally friendly demeanor.
The man claims to be spending up to $19,000 per month on his high-flying lifestyle as a result of selling Cavoodles, posting images of his bank account
Videos show Anthony bragging about his wealth, eating at lavish restaurants and buying designer brands
Animal welfare groups are concerned about rising cases of Australians breeding expensive dogs, usually poodle-crosses, and selling them through Instagram, with no way to monitor the treatment of the dogs and breeder’s practices.
They say the trend skyrocketed during the pandemic, and called for a ban on ‘backyard breeding’ in NSW.
Emma Hurst, MP for the Animal Justice Party in the NSW Legislative Council, told Daily Mail Australia an investigation from her office had found these types of pages could make more than $50,000 from a single litter.
‘Breeding animals can be a very lucrative business, which is problematic when there is no real legislation to protect animals that are used for breeding,’ Ms Hurts said.
‘Backyard breeders are breeders that are not skilled or qualified, and could risk breeding heritable defects into animals that will cause the animal to suffer their whole life.
‘As long as puppy farming and backyard breeding remains legal in NSW this is a system that will continue to be easily exploited, harming dogs and members of the public alike.
‘There is no proper system to ensure dog welfare in breeding establishments, meaning thousands of dogs are being used for profit.’
She said the ‘breeder’ who has been flaunting his wealth as a result of his Cavoodle business shows the ease in which anyone can make money off puppy ventures.
‘While the videos on this TikTok page don’t show animals in distress, the account exposes how easy it is for anyone to set up a breeding business with the end goal to make profit from animals,’ Ms Hurst told Daily Mail Australia.
‘The real risk occurs when profit is given more weight than animal protection,’
‘The public will never accept dodgy backyard breeding or the intensive factory farming of dogs – both need to be outlawed in NSW so dogs can be protected from exploitation.’
Animal rights groups have slammed the growing trend of unlicensed and unregulated breeders appearing online, which skyrocketed during the pandemic
Anthony’s page says he breeds ‘exclusive high end Cavoodles’ and is operating ’24/7′
Voiceless, a non-profit animal protection charity, said practices like backyard ‘puppy farms’ were leading to thousands of extra pets in shelters.
‘We support responsible guardianship of companion animals which attends to all of the animals’ needs and we encourage adopting not shopping animals,’ a spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.
‘We are opposed to commercial breeding of cats and dogs in “puppy farm” situations, to the breeding of companion animals for pet shops and are concerned by the increasing demand from Australians purchasing dogs online, largely driven by the COVID pandemic.
‘These are unnecessary practices when hundreds of thousands of unwanted cats and dogs are in need of homes.’
Daily Mail Australia has approached the dog breeder for comment.
UNDERSIBLE BREEDING PRACTICES OF BACKYARD BREEDERS
Animal welfare groups say backyard breeders are likely to exhibit one of the following characteristics:
Ignorance of selective breeding goals and techniques, and lack of familiarity with the breed standard of the type of animal being bred.
Exclusive focus on the breed standard involving little genetic screening or co-efficient of Inbreeding calculations.
Breeding of a working breed for appearance rather than working ability. This is a criticism also leveled at ‘reputable’ breeders who breed for the show ring – in some cases distinct working and show strains have emerged.
Lack of adequate veterinary care and maintenance.
Excessive breeding from individual females, to the detriment of their health.
Sale of animals with genetic disorders or undisclosed illnesses before they become evident to buyers.
Lack of screening of potential owners or the provision of suitable information to prevent buyers from purchasing an animal that may be inappropriate for them or their lifestyle.
Cavoodles are Australia’s most popular pup
BY TARA COSOLETO FOR AAP
Oodles of cavoodles are living across the country, with the dog breed named Australia’s most popular pup.
Petbarn’s new Pet Pulse report looked at the breeds of more than 750,000 puppies to determine which was most popular.
It found cavoodles, a cross between a poodle and a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, was the top choice for Australians between 2016 and 2021.
Labradoodles and groodles also made the top 20, with another five poodle crossbreeds listed in the top 100.
‘All the data confirms it is a real thing because it’s definitely the impression I’ve had as a practicing vet,’ Michael Yazbeck of Greencross Vets told AAP.
‘The obvious thing is they’re really cute dogs. A lot of people are looking for something with that puppy look and a generally friendly demeanour.’
With more people keeping their dogs inside during the pandemic, Dr Yazbeck said ‘oodle’ breeds proved to be a more allergy and family-friendly option.
People only started breeding oodles in the late 1980s but the Pet Pulse report found they now account for one in five dog births in Australia.
That’s not expected to change any time soon, according to Dr Yazbeck.
‘It’s like a designer crossbreed. You’ve got a group of dogs but such variation in colour, size and look that really appeals to people,’ he said.
.
