00:00Connor, whose name has been changed, was 19 when he started working at Tasmanian Labradoodles.
00:09The first time he was asked to put a live puppy in the freezer still haunts him.
00:15The first time I remember it was a puppy that was born with its internals coming out of
00:22its body and I rang them straight away saying what do I do here and they told me to put
00:30it in the freezer.
00:32He's just one of several former workers who've spoken to the ABC about what they saw and
00:38were asked to do while working at the puppy farm.
00:41Others say they saw dogs being hit with PVC pipe, shaken to the point of being stunned
00:47so photos could be taken, over breeding, dogs with sores on their bodies and kept in
00:53small crates for hours.
00:57From my perspective I would like to thank the people who came forward Jess, I think
01:00it's really important that it's acknowledged that the stress that they put themselves through
01:07it's acknowledged by me and it has underpinned these next steps so it was certainly not for
01:11nothing.
01:13The RSPCA had initially said it was going to investigate prosecuting the former workers
01:19but has since backtracked.
01:21An independent review has instead recommended looking into if the former owners Paul and
01:27Elizabeth Bartlett can be charged.
01:30The review recommended that there were new lines of inquiry for us to take in prosecuting
01:35the Bartlett's for animal welfare breaches.
01:39The RSPCA first brought 70 charges of overbreeding against the former owners in early 2023 but
01:46the charges were dropped in July in exchange for the facility closing and the surrender
01:51of all 239 dogs.
01:54Since the puppy farm's closure the RSPCA says it's appointed three new inspectors to help
02:00with investigations.
02:01The organisation also says it's taken several steps to strengthen its internal processes
02:07to ensure something like this doesn't happen again.
02:10The Bartlett's have been contacted for comment.
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