Support the pet safety and protection act in the farm bill
Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:46 pm
If you agree with this, please pass along to your senator in an email. While the senator himself may not see the email, the staffers and interns do keep a count of 'for' and 'against' correspondence.
To Senator:
As the Farm Bill is finalized, let me urge you to keep the provisions to protect family pets in the bill. The versions of the Farm Bill passed by both the House and the Senate include language to protect companion animals from being sold to research facilities. Class B dealers acquire animals from a variety of sources - including animal shelters, flea markets, "free-to-a-good-home" ads in newspapers, and, sometimes, theft - and then sell them to research institutions. The long line of often undocumented exchanges makes it difficult for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to enforce regulations regarding the real source of each dog and cat.
The Class B system does not work. The HBO documentary Dealing Dogs recounted the seizure of 125 dogs from a Class B dealer in Arkansas. The dealer was cited for numerous violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), including atrocious abuses of the dogs.
There are only 10 remaining Class B dealers that sell live dogs and cats. Three of them are currently under investigation for AWA violations. The Pet Safety and Protection Act prohibits Class B dealers from selling live dogs and cats to laboratories and prevents stray or stolen animals - often family pets - from being sold to laboratories.
I urge you to support the Pet Safety and Protection Act, as already passed in the Senate and House versions of H.R. 2419.
To Senator:
As the Farm Bill is finalized, let me urge you to keep the provisions to protect family pets in the bill. The versions of the Farm Bill passed by both the House and the Senate include language to protect companion animals from being sold to research facilities. Class B dealers acquire animals from a variety of sources - including animal shelters, flea markets, "free-to-a-good-home" ads in newspapers, and, sometimes, theft - and then sell them to research institutions. The long line of often undocumented exchanges makes it difficult for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to enforce regulations regarding the real source of each dog and cat.
The Class B system does not work. The HBO documentary Dealing Dogs recounted the seizure of 125 dogs from a Class B dealer in Arkansas. The dealer was cited for numerous violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), including atrocious abuses of the dogs.
There are only 10 remaining Class B dealers that sell live dogs and cats. Three of them are currently under investigation for AWA violations. The Pet Safety and Protection Act prohibits Class B dealers from selling live dogs and cats to laboratories and prevents stray or stolen animals - often family pets - from being sold to laboratories.
I urge you to support the Pet Safety and Protection Act, as already passed in the Senate and House versions of H.R. 2419.