A public appetite for accessory dogs has encouraged the growth of "puppy mills", where animals are bred in cramped conditions before being transported across long distances.

The RSPCA, Animal Liberation and other groups say the practice, which was exposed in Eastern Europe this week, also exists in Australia, the Nine Network's SUNDAY program reports.

Backyard breeders who mass-farm dogs before shipping them interstate and overseas have been accused of shoddy trading.

The farms, which are legal in Australia, keep puppies in conditions comparable to those suffered by battery hens, critics say.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore has responded to the problem by proposing an "Animals Regulation of Sale" bill.

The bill would ban the sale of dogs through pet stops, the internet or newspapers, in a bid to crack down on impulse purchases.


Watch a video on this on this link........................


http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=580080