Hi, CC's
Your Post seemed to signify that the Doris Day animal action bill as nothing to do with puppymills and this is what I am addressing nothing more nothing less based on your statement as follows..
This is a very bad bill as its written that does nothing to
help the welfare of puppies or stop mills
My only reason of response here was with this statement, which discourages one not to sign or signify that this is a false statement! and misleading as well as your highly (The "YTCA is officially against it" ) that is a yorkshire terrier club? A Club!
The Humane Society of These United States Officially indorsed it!
http://www.hsus.org/legislation_laws/
here is the bill Doris Day Animal League
Puppy Mill Campaign
Congress Introduces Bill to End Puppy Mill Abuse
May 26, 2005 -- Today the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives introduced a bill to regulate large, commercial pet breeding operations that sell directly to the public. This bill, entitled the Pet Animal Welfare Statute (S. 1139/H.R. 2669) will close a loophole that exempts the sale of puppies over the Internet and through newspaper ads.
Young puppies are often transported across state lines to unsuspecting consumers who are unable to see the conditions the animal was bred in.
“This bill is long overdue and truly welcomed by the humane community,” said Sara Amundson of DDAL. "This is a significant first step in seeking parity between the federal Animal Welfare Act’s requirements for large, commercial breeders selling to pet stores and to the public."
Ask your Members of Congress to support S. 1139/H.R. 2669.
What is a "Puppy Mill?"
A "puppy mill" is a facility that continuously breeds female dogs, housing them and their puppies in deplorable conditions. Inadequate food, water, sanitation, constant exposure to the elements and dilapidated housing are commonplace.
Because of these inhumane conditions, many puppies sold from these mills suffer from chronic physical ailments and may be fearful of people and other animals. These inhumane and abusive conditions have been the subjects of television reports and newspaper articles nationwide. Read U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield's editorial on puppy mill legislation.
How You Can Help Stop Puppy Mills
Write a Letter to the Editor of your local newspaper and help bring needed attention to this issue!
Adopt a puppy from a shelter or rescue group.
Help bolster our case for stronger regulations. Send DDAL newspaper articles about the animal cruelty and inhumane conditions found at puppy mills of dealers selling directly to the public.
The “kitchen sink” rule signed by Dr. DeHaven affects the Animal Welfare Act pertaining to inspection, licensing, and procurement of animals. These changes will vastly improve enforcement of the Act, close loopholes that allow individuals to thwart the intentions of the law, and better protect the animals the law covers. Of particular significance, the new rule strengthens the USDA’s hand in denying or revoking licenses when individuals have violated animal cruelty laws or are otherwise judged to be “unfit to be licensed” or when issuing a license would “be contrary to the purposes of the Act.” These common-sense changes were supported by both animal protection organizations and the regulated community.
Rep. Ed Whitfield on the Puppy Protection Act
Since the passage of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) in 1966, and its subsequent amendments in 1970 and 1985, Congress has demonstrated its commitment to ensuring that appropriate care, handling and transport are provided to puppies bred in commercial breeding establishments. It has charged the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) with licensing and regulating breeders who mass produce puppies for sale to pet stores.
The Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC) estimates that 3,500 to 3,700 of the approximately 12,000 pet stores in this country sell dogs and cats and that those stores sell as many as 400,000 puppies each year. In addition, hundreds of thousands of puppies are sold directly to the public, increasingly over the Internet. Americans can simply type any breed into a search engine and find breeders who will ship a puppy to their home. Currently, breeders who mass produce puppies and sell them directly to the public are not regulated by the USDA, leaving a gaping hole in coverage under the AWA.
One of the significant problems associated with USDA enforcement of the AWA is the lack of resources available to the agency. This very concern is one of the strongest reasons why I introduced the “Puppy Protection Act,” H.R. 3484, which will give USDA the authority to focus on repeat offenders and put them out of business. This provision is our “three strikes and you’re out” rule and it’s a much needed tool for the agency.
In addition, nothing in the Animal Welfare Act regulates the number of times in a given year a breeding female can be bred. In a recent article (from The Ontonagon Herald – upper peninsula of Michigan), a breeder was seeking a loan to expand his business explaining that the ultimate goal was to have 300 breeding females and 60 males on the property, with each female having two litters per year. The puppies would then be sold at $400 per dog. Initially, they planned to sell to pet shops but want to sell through newspaper ads and on the Internet. The “Puppy Protection Act” would ensure that, while these puppies are sold through pet stores, the females could only have three litters in two years, reducing the burden on these animals.
More than 58 million homes in this country consider a dog part of the family – and yet approximately 5 million dogs and cats are still euthanized in our shelter system each year due to the lack of good homes, the inability for the dog to socialize with people or other dogs, or simply because a family moved to a “no-pets” building. For those Americans who elect to purchase a purebred puppy, the “Puppy Protection Act” will further protect animals raised in commercial breeding facilities and sold through pet stores.
Published in the Summer 2004 Animal Guardian.
First elected to Congress in 1994, Ed Whitfield is serving his fifth term as U.S. Representative for the 34 counties of Kentucky’s First Congressional District. In addition to sponsoring the Puppy Protection Act, he has championed the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which bans the slaughter of horses for human consumption.
Animal Welfare Act Enforcement
Congress increased funding for enforcement of this important law that ensures the welfare of animals in breeding facilites, exhibitions, and laboratories.
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