|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
|
State
Rep. James E. Casorio, Jr. |
   
|
Casorio bill to improve Dog Law goes to governor
HARRISBURG, Oct. 8 – The state House and Senate have passed legislation sponsored by state Rep. James E. Casorio Jr. that would improve conditions for breeder dogs in commercial kennels in Pennsylvania.
The bill (H.B. 2525) now goes to the governor, who has pledged to sign it into law.
Casorio, D-Westmoreland, worked for most of the past two years, along with House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Hanna, D-Clinton/Centre; the Rendell administration and officials at the Department of Agriculture; and numerous supporters and stakeholder groups, to draft and shepherd the legislation through the House and Senate. He said the bill will substantially raise standards of care for dogs in commercial kennels, which the legislation defines as kennels that sell or transfer more than 60 dogs in a year.
"The conditions that breeder dogs are kept in at many of these large kennels in Pennsylvania are deplorable – warehoused in tiny cages for years on end with no exercise and inadequate care, forced to breed over and over again until they are no longer useful, then killed or disposed of," Casorio said. "The people of Pennsylvania demanded a Dog Law with teeth, one that would protect these dogs and ensure they are treated in a humane way and not simply as a cash crop.
"This legislation, while certainly not perfect and not as strong as many of us would have liked to see, nevertheless is a huge step forward for the tens of thousands of dogs currently living in commercial kennels in Pennsylvania," he said. "We could not afford to wait any longer to help these dogs, and this is legislation that we can build on in the future."
The bill requires commercial kennel owners to provide regular exercise and semiannual veterinary exams for dogs; doubles the minimum cage size for dogs; prohibits the stacking of cages; requires adequate heating, lighting and ventilation; prohibits wire flooring in cages; and prohibits commercial kennel owners from euthanizing their dogs.
The final version of the legislation gives most commercial kennel owners up to a year to make the required improvements at their kennels.
"Throughout this process, our supporters helped us to face down tremendous efforts to sabotage and even outright kill this legislation," Casorio said. "This is an important victory for the thousands of dog owners, animal lovers and supporters in Pennsylvania who helped us fight hard for this legislation, but it's an even more important victory for the tens of thousands of dogs in commercial kennels in this state. Rest assured, I will continue working to ensure that all dogs are protected from inhumane treatment and conditions in Pennsylvania."
###