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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Mike McGeehan |
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McGeehan updates puppy mill dog adoption opportunities
HARRISBURG, Jan. 8 – State Rep. Mike McGeehan, D-Phila., today said feedback he has received about the need for people willing to adopt dogs from puppy mill facilities has prompted him to provide more information about ways the public can help.
More than 100 commercial dog breeding businesses in Pennsylvania shut down when a law with new kennel health and safety standards went into effect Jan. 1. The law, which McGeehan supported, was crafted to end Pennsylvania's reputation as the home of many inhumane large-scale dog-breeding operations.
As a result, many puppy mill owners, rather than meet the basic standards in the new law, chose to close and take their remaining animals to shelters or rescue organizations.
"Just in the 24 hours since my communication to the public on the need for homes for the surviving animals was sent, I've learned from the Federated Humane Societies of Pennsylvania that the influx of dogs to animal shelters did not end on January 1, but is continuing, and more are expected into next week," said McGeehan.
Ann Irwin of the Bucks County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is keeping tabs on the federation's puppy mill dog adoption situation in southeastern Pennsylvania. Irwin reports most are smaller-sized adult purebreds. Due to the conditions in which they lived, some may provide more challenges to ownership than a puppy. The cost of adoption through a shelter is minimal, usually just to cover spaying or neutering.
Irwin said the Federated Humane Societies have developed an informal network of organizations working with breeding dogs from Pennsylvania commercial kennels to make them available for adoption. Some dogs are able to be adopted directly from a shelter into a new home, while others are being evaluated and assisted in their transition.
If you are interested in opening your home to a former puppy mill dog, these groups in the region are working with the breeder-donated dogs and placing those that are ready for adoption:
Animal Rescue League of Berks County, Mohnton, Pa.; Phone: 610 373-8830
Bucks County SPCA, Lahaska, Pa.; Phone: 215 794-7425
Hillside SPCA, Pottsville, Pa.; Phone: 570 622-7769
Humane League of Lancaster, Lancaster, Pa.; Phone: 717 393-6551
Humane Society of Berks County, Reading, Pa.; Phone: 610 921-2348
Last Chance Ranch, Quakertown, Pa.; Phone: 215 538-2510
Montgomery County SPCA, Conshohocken, Pa.; Phone: 610 825-0111
Ruth Steinert Memorial SPCA, Tamaqua, Pa.; Phone: 570 345-3510
Women’s Humane Society, Bensalem, Pa.; Phone: 215 750-3100
"Getting the law enacted to counter commercial breeders that kept dogs in abominable conditions took years to bring about," noted McGeehan. "Getting the surviving dogs into new and caring homes should be the final chapter."
More information on puppy mill dog adoption can be obtained through the Web site of the Bucks County SPCA at www.bcspca.org , which can also be accessed through Mcgeehan's Web site at www.pahouse.com/Mcgeehan.
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