RSPCA Tasmania has closed Tasmania's highest-profile puppy farm, Tasmanian Labradoodles, leaving 250 pups without a home. or signup to continue reading Tasmanian Labradoodles and owners Paul Alan Bartlett, 66, and Elizabeth Bartlett, 67, of Epping Forest, were facing in the Launceston Magistrates Court but settled out of court in a landmark agreement. Charges under the Animal Welfare (Dogs) Regulations 2016 were laid because Tasmanian Labradoodles failed to ensure that between April 5, 2021, and February 13, 2023, any bitch did not have less than two litters in any 18-month period.
One count brought by the RSPCA alleged that a bitch, Aggie, had a litter on August 27, 2020, and then another on February 9, 2021, and another litter on July 7, 2021. The couple had since May 2023. The case has been adjourned indefinitely under the agreement but technically can be brought back to court by the RSPCA.
Tasmanian Labradoodle operations will close immediately and permanently, and dogs worth about $2 million will be surrendered. RSPCA CEO Andrea Dawkins said the outcome was a historic win for animal welfare in Tasmania. "We have been fighting to close Tasmania's largest puppy farm for around three years, and we've finally succeeded," Ms Dawkins said.
She said that the RSPCA Tasmania wanted puppy farms banned by the Tasmanian Government. "Under the existing laws, the Tasmanian Labradoodle owners could have faced a maximum penalty of just $273,000, which is just a cost of doing business fo.