For those of us who have been on the front lines of dog rescue and fighting Puppy Mills, we have great news.
Governor Ed Rendell just signed HB 2525 into law. This is the proposal that could radically change the way the dogs are treated as they are inhumanely breed in captivity.
Why Ed Rendell? Pennsylvania is known as the Puppy Mill capitol of the east. Most of the puppies you find in pet shops in malls and Main Street are from there.
The regulations regarding the handling of “your” puppy’s mother, were extremely lax, and millions of exhausted, over bread dogs were just beaten to death when they stopped producing.
HB 2525 doubles the cage space required for dogs in commercial breeding facilities, prohibits wire flooring and the stacking of cages, mandates exercise and twice-yearly veterinary exams for all dogs, and requires that animals be humanely euthanized by licensed veterinarians. Current law does not require dogs to ever be taken out of cages, much less given access to exercise areas.
For some of us, this law represents years of lobbying several local states to change their laws.
Here is a Puppy Mill body storage area for the bitches that slow down in production. [pictured right]
Joining the ASPCA in their organized efforts, we finally have victory in Pennsylvania. Three years of effort and thousands of Emails and petition signatures sent to the Department of Agriculture will force an increase in enforcement and upgrade the standards of care for dogs in the state’s commercial kennels.
While so many people are focused on the GOTV in Pennsylvania, Many others were spending much of the past several months in Harrisburg, the state capital, promoting the bill to legislators. I didn’t have the free time, but of the few I knew that went down…thank you.
4 comments:
Our own laws in NYS are a disgrace.
Animal hoarding in NYS and in Ulster County in particular is a problem as well.
The laws on our books were written at at time when animal hoarding is not the serious problem that it is today.
Republicans and Democrats need to join together to protect animals.
Great job Kingston Progressive, and I'm a Republican. I might even consider voting for a Democrat who works for the rights of animals like this.
I want to cry. I love my dogs and treat them like my own kids. We all put this reality of animal abuse out of our minds as we live our lives, but when its in our face, I cant help but get angry at the heartless greedy scum that do this to harmeless dogs.
Cant we just get these commercial breeding mills shut down completely?
My thanks go out to you and the others active in this effort as well. Great work and coverage Mike. You continue to impress me! (Smile)
Animal hoarding is a problem everywhere. The abuse cases in this region have raised public awareness of the issue, enough that the UC Legislature has had discussion on it. Other counties are taking up the issue as well.
Our own Brian Shapiro is now running the SPCA in the Town of Ulster. They have their work cut out for them.
Note to everyone: get your dogs and cats spayed and neutered.
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