Pet Vet: Buyers' choices can collar 'puppy mills' The Minnesota Legislature is currently considering the passage of "The Dog and Cat Breeder Regulation Bill," or what has been accurately dubbed the "puppy mill bill."
Chicago's Oldest Pet Shop to Stop Selling Dogs and Cats From Mill Breeders In a move that dog advocates are calling historic, Chicago's oldest pet store has decided to stop selling dogs and cats purchased from mill breeders, a choice supporters hope will spread to other pet shops around the city.
Woman wanted for questioning in puppy mill Several different breeds of large and small dogs were being kept inside the house, outbuilding, carport and back porch of the residence.
In North Carolina, overwhelming support for puppy-mill rules A growing movement to end puppy mills has been sweeping the country, and it has landed in North Carolina, where an effort to enact common sense legislation to regulate the state’s commercial dog breeding facilities has taken hold.
Puppy mill owners charged with 723 counts of animal cruelty receive no jail time Back in November, more than 240 dogs were removed from a puppy mill in Maplewood, Ohio. A total of 723 counts of animal cruelty had been filed. Yet the judge ordered the three to complete mental evaluations and pay fines. They are not allowed to own animals for two years.
Lawmakers look to crack down on online puppy sales Lawmakers are looking to close a loophole that allows online puppy sales to go completely unregulated. Right now, unlike pets sold in stores, pets sold online are not guaranteed anything -- including food, water, protection from extremes of heat or cold, exercise, or a clean, safe place to live.
Great news! This week members of Congress reintroduced legislation to establish greater federal oversight of puppy mills and online dog sales.
The Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act would require commercial breeders who sell their puppies directly to the public, sight unseen, including via the web, to be licensed and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Currently, only breeders who sell dogs to pet stores or to puppy brokers are subject to federal oversight.
Many puppies sold online come from puppy mills and are commonly bred in unsanitary, overcrowded and often cruel conditions without sufficient veterinary care, food, water or socialization. While facilities that breed puppies for commercial resale through pet stores are required to be licensed and inspected, breeders who sell directly to consumers, via the Internet, newspaper classifieds or other outlets, are exempt from any federal oversight.
“As the ASPCA has seen firsthand, the photos of happy, healthy puppies posted on a breeder’s website often grossly misrepresent what conditions are really like for these puppies and their parents,” says Nancy Perry, Senior Vice President of ASPCA Government Relations. “Puppy mills are able to completely evade federal oversight by taking advantage of a pre-Internet loophole in current law, but the PUPS Act would change that.”
As mentioned in USA Today, the PUPS Act will require that any breeder who sells more than 50 dogs each year to pet stores or online must meet federal standards.
Loophole lets accused puppy mill operator sell dogs online A controversial commercial dog breeder who has been repeatedly fined, had her license suspended, and served jail time near Seattle for animal-related violations continues to sell dogs over the Internet because of a loophole in federal regulations.
Protesters want to educate public about puppy mills Leading a peaceful demonstration against a lack of laws prohibiting puppy mills in North Carolina… Up to 15 people at a time walked the sidewalk outside [Hanes Mall’s] grounds, carrying signs and attempting to hand out literature to motorists as they left the mall.
55 dogs seized from suspected 'puppy mill' Orangeburg County officials seized 55 dogs and two donkeys from a suspected “puppy mill” last Friday, County Administrator Harold Young confirmed Tuesday night. Two of the dogs later died.
We told you last week about our plans to have a booth at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show this year, so we wanted to make sure to let you know how it went. Our booth – which we used to raise awareness about our campaign to fight puppy mills – was a bit of an outlier at the event, as you might expect. But, with just a few exceptions, our booth was generally well received.
