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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Harry Readshaw |
  
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Readshaw co-sponsors bill to eliminate Pa. puppy mills
HARRISBURG, May 13 – State Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Allegheny, is a co-sponsor of legislation introduced today that would fight the inhumane conditions under which some commercial dog breeders create "puppy mills" to turn out dogs at the lowest possible cost, resulting in conditions that promote suffering and ill health among the dogs and cheat the people who buy the animals.
Readshaw said the measure (H.B. 2525) would institute minimum standards for the health and care of dogs raised by and housed at commercial kennels in Pennsylvania.
Specific distinctions would be established between commercial kennels and other types of dog breeding and care facilities, such as pet shops; sporting, hobby and research kennels; and rescue kennels. Commercial kennels would be defined as those that sell or transfer dogs to dealers or pet shops, or those that sell or transfer more than 60 dogs a year.
The bill would put in place specific standards of care and protection for dogs in commercial kennels, including protection from injury and inclement weather; clean, adequately sized and heated enclosures; and equipping of kennel buildings with smoke alarms and fire extinguishers. Dogs over 12 weeks old would have to be provided more floor space in each primary enclosure and access to an exercise area. The bill also would institute a ban on the stacking of enclosures and use of wire flooring, and a requirement that dogs receive an annual exam by a veterinarian.
"Pennsylvania has the terrible distinction of being especially lax about the treatment of dogs in commercial kennels," said Readshaw. "This new bill would allow us to rectify the long-standing problems while ensuring that people who properly breed dogs for show, sport and other purposes are not penalized."
The legislation would also clarify the authority of the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement to enforce the law against unlicensed kennels while protecting due process rights for owners. It would also implement a fee structure that would allow the state to assess higher kennel licensing fees for larger-volume kennels.
Readshaw, long a champion of programs benefiting lost and homeless pets, emphasized that the measure would also protect consumers.
"Often, a dog that comes from an inhumane puppy mill may have underlying problems that don’t surface until well after they are in someone’s home, such as an undiagnosed illness or a congenital bone defect that doesn’t show up until they are fully grown," said Readshaw. "Dogs are meant to be man’s best friend, a source of enjoyment and companionship, not a source of stress and piles of veterinarian bills all because they were bred and initially raised in awful conditions."
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