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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. James E. Casorio, Jr. |
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Casorio's new Dog Law leads to rescue of 250 dogs in Lehigh County
HARRISBURG, June 24 – State Rep. James E. Casorio Jr., prime sponsor of Pennsylvania's improved Dog Law, said he hopes that a raid yesterday by Pennsylvania state dog wardens that permanently closed the Almost Heaven Kennels in Lehigh County and rescued 250 dogs from horrific conditions is just the first of many aggressive enforcement actions that will take place under the new law.
"This raid and the closing of what amounted to a torture facility for many of these dogs is an indication that the new dog law works, and that it will help end the suffering of many dogs in Pennsylvania that are warehoused in horrid conditions in many commercial kennels in Pennsylvania," Casorio said.
"There will be no more years and years of breeding and warehousing dogs even after a license has been revoked," he said. "Violating the new dog law means you get shut down and your dogs get taken away."
Casorio said Almost Heaven Kennels was refused a state license for 2009 after inspections in 2008 revealed significant violations of the new dog law. The kennel's owner appealed the license revocation, but both the secretary of Agriculture and Commonwealth Court upheld the decision. The 250 dogs were removed from the kennel yesterday and taken to the state Farm Show Complex and Expo Center in Harrisburg, where they will be examined then offered for adoption.
Previous versions of the dog law could have allowed the kennel to stay in operation for an extended period of time even after its license was revoked. However, the new law, which Casorio introduced in 2007 and the governor signed into law in October of last year, prohibits kennels that have had their licenses revoked from obtaining new dogs, boarding dogs or breeding dogs, which makes it impossible for them to operate as usual, even during appeals.
The new law also makes it clear that dog wardens have the authority to seize dogs and shut down kennels as soon as their appeals are exhausted.
"The new enforcement provisions are a huge improvement over the law that was in place before, and this week's action in Lehigh County shows that the new law is going to help save many, many dogs," Casorio said.
In addition to the improved enforcement provisions, Act 119 of 2008 also institutes new health and welfare requirements for dogs housed in large, commercial kennels. The many new protections for dogs contained in the improved law include a doubling of minimum floor space for dogs, a prohibition on wire flooring in cages and mandatory exercise in an area that is at least twice the size of the dogs' primary enclosure.
The previous law did not require commercial kennel owners to ever let dogs out of their cages, which were often stacked several high and were too small to accommodate the dogs that were kept in them.
The new law also requires veterinary examinations for all dogs in commercial kennels at least twice a year.
"The new dog law is focused on protecting the welfare of the animals, not the profits of breeders," Casorio said. "I commend the Agriculture Department for the strong action it has taken this week. I believe it is a good sign of this state's new commitment to protecting the thousands of dogs that are kept and bred in commercial kennels, and putting those kennels out of business quickly once they break the law."