Okay, here's my report. . it may need a little tweaking.
Thousands of animals are beaten, abused and killed everyday by theirowners. They may have prolonged agony, be kept in tight spaces or bredover and over in unsanitary conditions. Recent legislation, such asSenator Rick Santorums PAWS 2005 bill claims that new laws will put anend to this abuse. Instead, it will impact hobby breeders,shelters or rescues and wont be able to stop Puppy Mills. Thiscurrent bill is a revised copy of a withstanding law that, if allowedto pass, will do severe damage to hobby breeders and rescue agencies,meanwhile, mills will not be stopped.
Over thirty thousand members of the American Rabbit BreedersAssociation and the American Kennel Club alone could be affected ifPAWS is put into legislation. We believe that this legislation is goodfor purebred dogs and that, with our continued participation, it can bemade even better. said the AKC Legislation Liaison, Dr. James Holt. Insome types of animals purebred animals are not always the best. Meatrabbits may be crossbred to produce a better hybrid for the meatindustry. Dogs could also be crossed unintentionally and make somewonderful pets or working dogs. Without crossbreeding animals newbreeds would never be founded and, therefore, better animals would notbe produced. Basically, this new bill changes the classification of adealer to include any person who sells twenty-five or more dogs andcats, grosses over five hundred dollars, has six litter of dogs/catsannually or is paid for transportation of animals for research,teaching, exhibition, pet, hunting, breeding or even those whodetermine the price of these. Also, pet stores who sell animals for anyreason other than pets are deemed as dealers. For example, if a rabbitbreeder went to a pet store and found an excellent rabbit that they maywant to breed or show, the pet store would have to be a licenseddealer. All dealers must be licensed to be able to sell their animalsand to do so they must make out an application, be inspected and pay anapplication fee. This fee is determined by the inspector who mustreview all records of the dealers and match them with how much thehave to pay for a license. Each state may make up to four hundredthousand dollars annually on this fee alone. To be able to even applyfor a license, a dealer must be able to show records such as sales,transportation, identification and previous ownership for each animal.If the animal was purchased from another dealer a receipt with theprevious owners license number, name, address and the animalsidentification along with any distinguishing markings must accompanythe records. It is obvious that the over sixty pages of records wouldbe impossible for hobby breeder, who must sustain other jobs andsupport themselves as well as their animals, to accurately keep. PAWSalso calls for ridiculous requirements such as surfaces must beimpervious to moisture that even the best kept businesses would not beable to keep. To be considered a dealer you must meet the previousrequirements for raising cats, dogs, non-human primates, cavies,hamsters, rabbits and other warm blooded animals. However, birds, ratsand mice that are bred for research are not included and neither arehorses, livestock or poultry that are used for food or nutrition andbreeding research. Since this legislation would prompt zoning laws insome areas it would mean that a neighbor could veto a dealers licenseand some of the PAWS regulations such as a set area per dog wouldsignificantly lower property value. To be licensed a dealer must beconsidered humane and to be considered humane a dealer must providenecessary space for animals to exercise and be socialized so as tomaintain its psychological well-being. For some this would mean adwarf rabbit that is traditionally housed in a 24x24x18 wire pen tobe moved to a 36x36x18 hutch, which is considerably more expensive.Inspections will also be given to any licensed dealer at least annuallyand also when deemed necessary. Also, an inspector has no need tocontact a dealer before inspecting them. Over sixty pages of recordsmust then be given to the inspector. They may even destroy orconfiscate any animal they deem to be treated inhumanely and fine thedealer up to five thousand dollars and three years in prison. If adealer is reported by anyone, or there is reason to believe it is anautomatic twenty-one day suspension. During that time if any animal issold then theres a five thousand dollar penalty per animal.Responsible pet owners research the pet they wish to buy and then willpurchase them from a breeder if possible. This act will not stop theoverproduction of animals because, overall, hobby breeders make up asmall fraction of the industry. Commercial producers, where animals aretruly treated inhumanely will be protected. In 2003 the Doris DayAnimal Leagues suit to include Hobby Breeders to this same law wasover ruled in the Court of Appeals.
Throughout the United States there are several rescue organizationswhere caring people take in animals that have been abused previously.These rescues will probably be eliminated because theyll be unable tocomply with the harsh standards imposed on them. As the bill iswritten, they would be considered a shelter with kennels but they stillsell over twenty-five dogs and cats within a years time. PAWS doesnot make a separate legislation for adoption fees as of yet. If thisnew legislation is allowed to proceed, who will be able to care forthese poor animals? Even people who are moving or simply can no longercare for their pets must find someone who will take them in. If theycant, many of these drop the animals at farms or other houses whichcauses more of a problem. If a feral cat or dog shows up at a farm andkills someones livestock legally they cannot do away with the animal.If it chooses to come back consistently, the farmers are supposed totake the loss or call animal control. If animal control does actuallyshow up to take the animal, that will prompt an inspection on the spot.The majority of products bought in local grocery stores come from smallfarmers who are continually being paid less for their goods whileprices for the consumer rise. Small breeders and farmers should not beexpected to take the fall for the ignorance of others.
Senator Rick Santorum believes that by amending the existing PAWS billit can put a stop to commercial puppy and parrot mills when nothing canbe further from the truth. Studies show that ninety percent of puppiesin pet stores originated from puppy mills. Keep in mind, these areplaces where dogs are bred continuously in small pens until they areeventually bred to death. Many of these animals are also sold over theInternet so that their owners cant be caught. A mill in Missouri mayuse an address in Pennsylvania and the owners will never use their ownname. One should be cautious if an animal is bought via the Internetand its owner will not accompany its delivery. These places areextremely hard to catch and only after they have three strikes beforethey can be shut down. That is, they have to be reported and foundguilty three times before the animals are taken and put intorehabilitation. If this happens the owner will be fined up to fivethousand dollars per animal, have a permanent revocation of theirlicense, if they had one, and can even be put on an animal restrainingorder; but it takes three strikes just to get there!
Senators Rick Santorums PAWS 2005 must be opposed or there will be adomino effect with another pending issue called the NAIS, or NationalAnimal Identification System, and Americas Heartland of rural farmingand small towns will be destroyed. A stand must be taken forresponsible breeders who take the most extreme care of their animals asthey can but may not be able to afford it. Hobby breeders and rescueagencies cannot be trampled down because of the faults of lessknowledgeable people. On the other hand Puppy Mills must be stoppedbecause there is where the trouble really lies. Santorums regulationsare too strict on small timers and too loose on commercial industries.Inspections should be carried out but breeders should be able to keeprecords on their own accords as long as it passes by the inspector.This would delete commercial mills because of the obviousness of theinhumane treatment of their animals in comparison to the other two.Take a stand and tell the American government your opinion.
