PLEASE REMEMBER TO INCLUDE YOUR CITY, STATE AND PHONE NUMBER.
Once again, Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) is sponsoring legislation to try to impose additional restrictions on people who breed purebred dogs. In Pennsylvania, anyone who houses more than 25 dogs in one calendar year is already subject to state licensing requirements and yearly kennel inspections. Buyers are further protected by the PA Puppy Lemon Law which states:
The buyer has 10 days to return the puppy/dog if it is diagnosed with, or dies from, a
contagious or infectious disease, and 30 days to return the animal if it is diagnosed as
having a congenital or hereditary defect. The purchaser can return the puppy/dog for a
refund, return the dog for a replacement, provided one is available, or keep the dog and
receive veterinary expenses not exceeding the purchase price.
The Federal Animal Welfare Act was already enacted to regulate high volume breeders. In Pennsylvania, large commercial breeders are already subject to state licensing requirements and yearly inspections by the state and they are also required to hold a license and be inspected by the USDA and if they register seven or more litters with the American Kennel Club (AKC), they are also subject to AKC inspections.
I believe that all puppy buyers want to be assured that they will receive a healthy pet. I also believe that there are already adequate laws on the books to ensure that this will happen. The puppy mill problem is not a problem that will be fixed by enacting more legislation. Current regulations are already enough to put puppy mills out of business. The problem lies in the fact that most puppy mills do not operate legally. They do not apply for licenses and they are not inspected by the state dog wardens or by the USDA. This new legislation will not affect puppy mills because they do not follow current laws.
There are some good points to this legislation such as the requirements for pet stores to keep records of where puppies are obtained, and to provide that information to the USDA when requested. This can help the USDA and state officials track down puppy mills and high volume breeders that are not operating legally and make them apply for licenses and participate in inspections. However, there are so many bad points of this proposed legislation, it is imperative that it be defeated. First and foremost, this legislation calls for the USDA to start inspecting all breeders who breed seven or more litters per year and sell 25 or more dogs per year without increasing the USDA's funding. This will be a sharp increase in the number of kennels that will have to be USDA inspected every year. Even though this will have no effect upon me or my kennel because I breed fewer than 7 litters per year, I do not want to see the USDA's limited resources used to inpect every relatively small hobby breeder who breeds 7 or 8 litters per year. I would much rather see the USDA's resources used to inspect the large commercial breeders that currently hold federal licenses and also to track down all of the ones that are evading licensing requirements and bring them into compliance. That will never happen when the USDA is bogged down by inspecting every kennel that produces 7 or more litters per year and sells 25 or more dogs. Breeders at this small of a scale are not the problem. The problems arise when breeders have 200 dogs of differing breeds living in small, dirty wire cages and they breed the dogs to death to try to turn a profit.
Additionally, there are questions about whether USDA regulations would allow for puppies to be raised in your home. I would hate to see a small scale breeder forced to build a kennel and move their litters out to the kennel due to some USDA stipulation when the puppies had been raised in the breeder's home prior to the new regulations. There are also a lot of questions about whether shelters will fall under these new regulations. The wording is so vague concerning the definition of "dealer", that a shelter that receives compensation for placement of animals that they did not breed, that they might be considered a "dealer" and subject to USDA licensing. Do we really want to burden the shelters more than they already are?
I believe that the answer to the puppy mill issue is enforcement of current laws and regulations, not expanding them. If you agree, please contact the Senators on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and tell them to vote "No" to S1139/HR2669 (PAWS):
Saxby Chambliss (Chairman)
R-GA
(202) 224-3521
Max Baucus
D-MT
(202) 224-2651
Thad Cochran
R-MS
(202) 224-5054
Norm Coleman
R-MN
(202) 224-5641
Kent Conrad
D-ND
(202) 224-2043
Michael Crapo
R-ID
(202) 224-6142
Mark Dayton
DFL-MN
(202) 224-3244
Charles Grassley
R-IA
(202) 224-3744
Tom Harkin
D-IA
(202) 224-3254
Patrick Leahy
D-VT
(202) 224-4242
Blanche Lincoln
D-AR
(202) 224-4843
Richard Lugar
R-IN
(202) 224-4814
Mitch McConnell
R-KY
(202) 224-2541
Ben Nelson
D-NE
(202) 224-6551
Pat Roberts
R-KS
(202) 224-4774
Ken Salazar
D-CO
(202) 224-5852
Rick Santorum
R-PA
(202) 224-6324
Debbie Stabenow
D-MI
(202) 224-4822
Jim Talent
R-MO
(202) 224-6154
Craig Thomas
R-WY
(202) 224-6441
If you prefer to send mail or email you can follow this link for addresses. Feel free to use any parts of this web page in your correspondence:
http://agriculture.senate.gov/sen.htm
It is also important that you contact your local senators and representatives and tell them to vote "No" to S1139/HR2669 (PAWS).
Here is a link to find your Senators: http://www.senate.gov
Here is a link to find your Representatives in Congress: http://www.house.gov
Making a phone call or sending a letter is probably the most effective way to voice your opinion, but if you know that you will not have time to do these things but you would still like to make your voice heard, please click on the icon below to vote "No" to PAWS: