You have to read the proposed bill in its entirety...then the most understandable way to see just a few of the problems this is going to cause small breeders, is to read some of the letters from petitioners that are opposing this Bill. Each letter submitted explanes how this Bill will affect them. There are aspects that people who do not breed dogs, have absolutely no concept.....exceptional blood lines and rare breeds are sought after all over the country and the world!!! I have imported 3 of my ladies from Belgium and Brazil!!! I can not go to these countries to "put my hands on these dogs" before I buy them...and if I do, the cost of any puppies these ladies throws, has just gone up to cover my expense! This is just ONE issue! I copied/pasted some of the preamble from AKC's site here:
"The rule also requires anyone who owns more than four “breeding females” and sells puppies, cats or other small/exotic pets “sight unseen,” by any means, to be licensed, regulated and inspected as a USDA commercial breeder. (Who do you think is going to be held responsible financially for this massive misadventure???)
The rule creates an unfair burden on small breeders who may depend on the ability to place dogs very selectively in known situations without physically meeting with the purchaser at the specific time of sale. Likewise, many hobbyists are comfortable purchasing an animal sight-unseen based on known pedigrees, bloodlines, previous relationships or personal knowledge of each other’s facilities and programs. Such scenarios are particularly common and necessary for breeders and fanciers of rare breeds.
It is unreasonable to expect small breeders, who may keep a handful of intact females in their homes, to be able to meet exacting USDA commercial kennel engineering standards that were never intended for home environments. Other pre-existing restrictions such as local ordinances, insurance or licensing may also prevent hobbyists from adapting their facilities. The unintended consequences of this proposed rule create unreasonable hardships on small hobby breeders. This rule could threaten the future of a vast number of small responsible dog breeders and the very existence of some rare breeds in the United States." The additional costs of licensing, insurance, restrictive policies that will prevent me from purchasing quality bloodlines from around the world...all these issues are of concern to me....if I was making hundredes of thousands of dollars doing this, this would not be a problem...but this is my passion, not my job...I barely break even providing the quality of puppies, on the scale I provide them, to people that trust me and expect me to provide them a healthy puppy. I, like hundreds of good, honest breeders, will not be able to continue doing what we love to do, because we can NOT do this and loose money consistantly....that would be a business that does not support itself, which is all I ask of my business. If it can not pay for itself, I will close it down, and everyone that COULD have bought one of my babies, will go to a pet store and get their baby....PROVIDED BY A PUPPY MILL!!!!!! |