Yes, we have strict laws about animal abuse here in Australia. And there's great public support for them. A Sydney man was recently fined a large sum of money for killing a puppy that followed his children home. There was a great outcry in the media & among the public that he should have been jailed. A public fund was quickly set up to fund an appeal. And the appeal to a higher court resulted in a jail term.
We always try to have one pedigree dog & one rescue. Both out cats are rescues...now beautiful creatures. We also have a Tibetan Spaniel...an incredible breed. They are small dogs with all the qualities of big dogs. They were bred by tibetan monks in buddhist monasteries for centuries & the result is a hardy, confident, beautiful intelligent little dog. Ours is called Angel. She is an Australian Champion but was retired because she couldn't have puppies. She's now our pet. I'm on a tibetan spaniel e-mail list & a number of the American tibbie breeders also have shelties. Would you like me to ask if any of them know a reputable sheltie breeder who has blue merles in your area?