U.S. Senate Adopts Puppy Protection Act

The Humane Society of the United States
Wednesday, 13 February 2002

The Humane Society of the United States today praised the U.S. Senate for approving an amendment to the Animal Welfare Act that seeks to protect dogs from exploitation on commercial dog breeding operations, generally known as "puppy mills." The Senate approved the amendment, offered by Senators Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Richard Durbin (D-IL), during consideration of S. 1731, the Farm Bill, and was modeled after S. 1478, which the two senators introduced in October 2001.

"The U.S. Senate today recognized that female dogs are more than production units and puppies are more than marketable commodities in requiring new standards for the protection of dogs on commercial dog breeding operations," said Wayne Pacelle, a senior vice president with The Humane Society of the United States. "We are grateful to Senators Santorum and Durbin for leading this fight and working to establish meaningful protections for companion animals."

Specifically, the Puppy Protection Act:

- Creates a "three strikes and you're out" system that allows the U.S. Department of Agriculture to revoke the license of chronic violators of the Animal Welfare Act.

- Limits the number of litters for breeding females to give these dogs time to recover between litters.

- Mandates that female dogs be at least one year old before they are bred.

- Requires that dogs be adequately socialized with other dogs and with people, which enhances the dogs' well-being and helps to prevent behavior problems in the future.

Puppy mills are breeding facilities that produce purebred puppies in large numbers. The puppies are sold either directly to the public or are sold to brokers and pet shops across the country. Puppy mills have long concerned The HSUS, which has conducted undercover investigations documenting inhumane conditions at puppy mills. Over 3,000 puppy mills current operate in the United States, many of them despite repeated violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

Puppy mill dogs typically suffer from overbreeding, inbreeding, minimal veterinary care, poor quality of food and shelter, lack of socialization with humans and overcrowded cages. Consumers unwittingly purchase these dogs, who may have immediate veterinary problems or could be harboring genetically borne diseases that do not appear until years later.

"This legislation is by no means a total fix for animals or consumers, but it will impose new humane standards that breeders must observe," concluded Pacelle. "In a larger sense, people interested in having a pet should obtain the animal from a shelter or from a responsible breeder."

Representatives Ed Whitfield (R-KY) and Sam Farr (D-CA) have introduced a companion bill, H.R. 3058, which has 136 cosponsors. The House-passed version of the Farm bill, H.R. 2646, contains no language dealing with this issue. The final outcome will be resolved by a conference committee.

For more information, or to contact The Humane Society of the United States, see their website at: www.hsus.org