Following the signing by Governor J.B. Pritzker, HB1711 will amend the Illinois Animal Welfare Act to stop the sale of commercially raised puppies and kittens in Illinois pet stores. Illinois will then become the 5th state in the country to tell pet stores and puppy mills that their cruelty is no longer welcome. Many people think that what we have just described is already illegal – but it is not. The Federal Animal Welfare Act regulates some, but not all, livestock farms. Plus, federal standards are nowhere near what most people consider humane and are nothing more than simple survival standards for dogs. More importantly, poor enforcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture means that thousands of dogs suffer inadequate and inhumane conditions year after year, even in state-licensed facilities. Interrupted by the pandemic, the OIG scheduled on-site inspections of USDA-licensed dog breeders to ensure compliance with the Animal Welfare Act. This audit also followed the OIG`s last audit report, completed 10 years earlier, in May 2010, entitled Animal Care Program Inspections of Problem Dealers. This is where the dogs lose. We are also working to influence demand with a consumer education and awareness program that encourages the adoption or purchase of dogs only from responsible breeders. Our public relations efforts provide positive reinforcement to pet stores that choose not to sell puppies.
We also offer assistance to those who sell puppies and help them transition to a business model that encourages adoption. By offering puppies from shelters or rescue services instead of commercial breeders, stores can save the lives of animals looking for a home and ultimately help save breeding dogs captured in puppy mills. So far, the 22 stores we`ve converted have adopted over 3,000 dogs and puppies. Contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the agency responsible for inspecting commercial farms, to promote stricter enforcement and laws. You can also contact your U.S. senators and congressmen to express your concerns. In Massachusetts, if you don`t know who represents you, visit www.wheredoivotema.com. Banning pet retail is a powerful way for people to combat puppy mills in their own communities. Preemption laws wrongly interfere with the ability of local governments to protect their residents and animals. Instead of passing pre-emption laws, states should ban the sale of commercially raised animals nationwide. In 2018 alone, at least six state legislators (Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania) are considering such legislation.
It is almost certain that other States will follow in the future. As the USDA struggles to enforce the laws it creates, many states have begun to create additional regulations and enforce them within their jurisdictions. However, these organizations are often poorly funded and provide minimal assistance. You can check out the Animal Legal Defense Fund to find information about your state`s laws. There are at least two ways puppy mills harm dogs: physically and mentally. Common physical conditions include skin and tooth diseases, including matted hair and rotten jaw bones. Tangled hair can stick limbs together and even prevent dogs from completing bowel movements. Dogs rescued from puppy mills were more than twice as likely to be afraid of strangers as other domestic dogs in an animal welfare study with more than 1,000 pet dogs with pet dogs. Puppy mill dogs were also more likely to be afraid of other dogs and other non-social stimuli such as bicycles and sounds. In cases where local authorities are empowered to conduct investigations, the sheer scale of the problem may place an exceptional burden on human, material and financial resources. Step 1: Please take your puppy to a veterinarian as soon as possible if you have not already done so.
Keep all records and receipts. Educate your friends, family and colleagues about large breeders and how the decision to buy a pet from a pet store supports these operations. Ask your friends to pledge not to support puppy mills. Inexpensive training materials are also available online and can be ordered and distributed. Visit the HSUS website for more resources. Commercial livestock facilities are legal and federally regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) requires that all wholesalers and brokers (those who sell to pet stores and brokers) be licensed and inspected by the USDA. The AWA also sets minimum standards for the maintenance of these facilities (visit the USDA website for more information on the AWA). Unfortunately, USDA inspectors cannot inspect frequently or thoroughly, so some facilities fall through the cracks and get away with conditions that constitute violations.
This ineffective application was described in detail in the 2010 audit (mentioned above). The cruelty of puppy mills also overlaps with the broader problems of animal husbandry. In 2015, the filmmakers of “Dog by Dog” discovered that many puppy mills were USDA-subsidized agricultural producers of goods such as dairy products, as well as USDA-licensed dog breeding facilities. The fact that puppy mill owners place profit above animal health is typical of breeding practices. We`ve seen USDA/APHIS fail time and time again in its dog protection work. This bill is named after Goldie, a dog in a commercial kennel in Iowa. She was #142 at a puppy mill in Iowa that suffered from gross neglect and veterinary care for months. Goldie is dead. She is just one example of how the USDA and APHIS are failing in their work to protect dogs. “Puppy mill” is a term often used to describe a large commercial breeding facility where dogs are kept in conditions that the public would not consider humane, and where dogs are repeatedly bred to produce as many puppies as possible for retail and the online pet market. Although all 50 states have anti-cruelty laws designed to prevent dog neglect and abuse, most large breeding facilities continue to operate in ways that mock these laws. In many cases, dogs are kept in puppy mills in physically and mentally harmful conditions that a single dog should never suffer from.
Anti-cruelty laws are rarely enforced at puppy mills as long as the animals have the rudimentary basics of shelter, food and water. Puppies Factory dogs are often treated as agricultural “crops” rather than pets. Large breeders supply pet stores with puppies. If you buy a pet on the Internet, from a puppy broker or in a pet store, the dog most likely comes from a puppy mill. No responsible breeder would sell a dog or cat to a pet store, broker or on the Internet. Responsible breeders care about the welfare of their animals and want to place them in loving and carefully selected homes. Responsible breeders also monitor the health of the animals they sell to identify possible genetic conditions they need to be aware of when making future breeding decisions. Consumers should also be wary of large breeders who present themselves as a “salvation”. For more information on how to make informed decisions when choosing a new pet, visit our adoption pages. We also have information on finding a responsible breeder.
Yes, there were dog breeding laws in the United States when Congress passed the Animal Welfare Act in 1966, which created several minimum grooming rules and standards for dogs and several other pets. It also requires certain breeders to obtain a license, but these rules are easy to circumvent and difficult to enforce, so it is not difficult for a puppy mill to set up and create dogs of low-cost design. Please note that operating a commercial kennel may not be illegal in your area. However, if you`ve seen specific evidence of cruelty or neglect, the first agency you should contact is a local agency with enforcement powers, such as the local humane society, animal control agency, police, or sheriff`s department. Someone who runs a puppy mill probably doesn`t say it is a company that has given up on the health of the dogs in its care, and might instead use terms such as “commercial breeding facility,” “high-volume breeder,” “large breeding facility,” or “professional kennel” to describe what they do. The HSUS Puppy Mill Task Force Reporting Line, 1-877-MILL-TIP, is accessible to anyone who has information about a possible crime involving puppy mills – especially information from people with “insider knowledge” or law enforcement officers who may have knowledge of such operations. If you have personally witnessed deplorable conditions and would like to file a complaint with HSUS, please call or report 1-877-MILL-TIP. You can also file a complaint with the USDA.