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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Mike McGeehan |
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McGeehan says public can adopt from influx of dogs from closed puppy mills
HARRISBURG, Jan. 7 – When the new year rang in, Pennsylvania's new puppy mill law went into force, and commercial dog breeding operations that could not meet the improved breeding kennel standards had to close.
State Rep. Mike McGeehan, D-Phila., today said the result is that the public has an opportunity to benefit both themselves and the puppy mill survivors.
Now commercial breeding facilities must adhere to sanitation and cage size standards, along with specific levels of veterinary care, ventilation and fire detection.
Unable or unwilling to meet the new standards, more than 100 commercial operations shut down, hopefully ending Pennsylvania's reputation as a haven for commercial breeders that kept their breeding stock in filthy, crowded conditions in order to produce as many offspring as possible at the lowest cost. Not only was it inhumane for the animals, a large number of dog buyers later found themselves with beloved pets afflicted by chronic health problems related to puppy mill conditions.
McGeehan, who supported the tougher standards enacted in 2008, said many of the operators have turned their remaining dogs over to shelters, which are under strain to handle the sudden influx. Shelters have been screening the puppy mill refugees for physical and behavioral problems and providing treatment.
"The cost of adoption is minimal and usually involves just paying for spaying or neutering," said McGeehan. "With most of these dogs being pure-breeds, that's a great bargain, both in cost-savings and in the amount of love one will get back from a rescued dog.
"If anyone is seriously considering adopting a four-legged companion, they can visit a local shelter and see what I mean."
McGeehan added that for the locations of area animal shelters, one can go to the Web site of the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals at http://www.pspca.org, or can reach it through his Web site at www.pahouse.com/McGeehan.
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