Source: The Tribune-Democrat, By PATRICK BUCHNOWSKI, Nov 15, 2008
The showdown between dog lovers and dog breeders ended when Gov. Ed Rendell signed into law a bill cracking down on ill treatment of dogs at large breeding kennels.
More than a month after HB 2525 was signed, those on both sides are digesting its impact.
Some are not happy, and say the animal-rights supporters went too far. Supporters of the bill say it protects the animals from neglect and abuse.
“Some provisions of the dog law are for all owners, but mostly it’s for larger kennels,” said D Black, executive director of the Cambria County Humane Society in Richland Township.
Animal shelters, mainly those in the state’s eastern region, end up taking in sick puppies and female dogs that are over-bred and no longer useful to kennels.
The law seeks to curb puppy mills that produce large numbers of purebreds, often under miserable conditions that can lead to birth defects and disease.
The new law made it illegal for dog breeders to:
n Use wire flooring in cages;
n Stack cages;
nSqueeze animals into cages that are too small.
The law requires exercise and twice yearly veterinary exams for dogs, and the new standards apply to anyone selling more than 60 dogs in a year or anyone selling a dog to a pet shop or wholesaler.
Officials say the changes affect roughly 650 of the 2,750 licensed kennels in the state.
Out of business?
Some say animal-rights supporters have an agenda.
“A lot of people are going to be put out of business because of this bill,” said state Rep. Bob Bastian, R-Somerset. “That’s definitely their agenda.”
Bastian, a retired veterinarian, said caring for the dogs should be left to the attending vet and depends largely on the breed and size of dogs.
“A one-size-fits-all bill is not going to work,” he said.
The bill’s signing comes in the wake of some high-profile raids of illegal puppy mills.
The shooting of 80 dogs at a Berks County kennel in August by a breeder who was ordered to provide vet care for flea bites is widely believed to be the impetus for the bill’s quick passage, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
In May, a state dog warden and a Somerset County humane society officer seized 17 dogs from an illegal Amish puppy mill near Meyersdale. The dogs were kept in wire cages in a dark barn, where the breeding females received little exercise.
The breeder, Bennie Hostetler, 41, told authorities said he sold the puppies for $150 each to a man who takes them to a pet store in eastern Pennsylvania, where they often sell for $500 or more.
“Those are the worst of the commercial breeding kennels,” said Chris Ryder, press secretary for the state Department of Agriculture.
“This will go a long way to shutting down puppy mill operations,” he said.
‘Breed for quality’
Dale and Lorri Barron breed Siberian huskies at Lauradale Kennel in Jefferson Township. Two of their dogs appeared a few years ago in the Disney movie “Eight Below.”
Lorri Barron called HB 2525 a good law but one that needs some changes.
The law, she said, requires animals be kept in 50-85 degree temperatures.
“Sporting dogs, sled dogs, Siberian huskies like the cold weather,” she said. “My point for commercial kennels is the temperatures should be regulated according to the breed of dogs.”
Barron said the law does not impact her business because they don’t breed 60 or more dogs a year and do not sell to pet stores.
“We try to breed for quality, not quantity,” she said.
But Ryder said the bill was amended before passage after sportsman’s groups and small breeder raised concerns.
The few new requirements to those breeders is limited to having fire extinguishers available and a vet approved exercise plan, he said.
“There is very little in this bill that will effect them,” Ryder said.
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