[murraysmom]

Link to Associated Press article dated December 22, 2007:

http://www.pennlive.com/newsflash/pa/index...;storylist=penn

Quote from article:

"HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) Gov. Ed Rendell is set to unveil proposals that would strengthen and expand statutes and regulations to improve conditions for dogs in Pennsylvania kennels, a newspaper reported.

The governor wants to eliminate wire-floor cages and at-home medical procedures, and ban anyone convicted of animal cruelty from holding a kennel license, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Saturday, citing a draft copy of proposals provided by a person in the administration.

Rendell is expected to present the proposals next month in an effort to push bad kennel owners out of business and improve conditions for dogs in 2,600 commercial kennels statewide. If legislation is approved, the state would have the most stringent kennel laws in the nation, according to experts in animal law, the paper said.

Rendell pledged in 2006 to improve the lives of commercial breeding dogs. He fired the members of the Dog Law Advisory Board; hired more kennel inspection staff, a new deputy secretary and a special prosecutor in the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement; and proposed sweeping kennel regulations."

 

[Bassets3]

Very interesting article. Please keep us updated on the progress of this. I know some times when a bill on animal protection is brought up there are things thrown in that would end up hurting the hobby breeder. I hope this won't be the case with this.


Karen Caron

 

[murraysmom]

http://unitedagainstpuppymills.org/kregs.html

Karen-

You make a valid point.

The above link will take you to a page on the UAPM site which will link you to the proposed new kennel regulations, the response of the Internal Regulatory Review Commision, and UAPM's response (see page 5 of 26, number 3a(v) regarding exemption of small kennels).

This is a complicated issue, and has been going through the legislative process for almost 2 years.

I will continue to update as this plays out.

 

[Elvismom]

Bravo to Rendell for his work on these issues!

I am curious - it says the bill would ban certain at'home medical procedures. Do you have any idea what these are?

Thanks for keeping us updated on what's going on. PA may be a model for other states to follow!

 

[pinehawk]

this bill will effect the small hobby breeders that i know in Penn.( show & field breeders). it should be shot down as most of the sporting dog owners groups are against it. Puppy Mills? i'm all for them going after them,but leave the private breeders alone. Billy Milko

 

[murraysmom]

Elvismom- I think methods of euthanizing unwanted dogs is a specific issue, but the general unwillingness to spend money on basic veternary care and surgical procedures leads to alot of unnecessary suffering for dogs who live the bleakest of lives to begin with.

this bill will effect the small hobby breeders that i know in Penn.( show & field breeders). it should be shot down as most of the sporting dog owners groups are against it. Puppy Mills? i'm all for them going after them,but leave the private breeders alone. Billy Milko[/b]

Billy- the link to the Internal Regulatory Review Commision I listed further up in this thread discusses objections to the proposals- there's alot to wade through for people reading this who aren't involved in what's going on- can you just briefly explain the reasons for the objections of sporting dog groups to the proposals?

Mary Gottfried

 

[pinehawk]

well let's see...regulations that are contradictory or excessive for one.here's a few...mandates that rusty fences and cracked concrete be immediately repaired; dogs be kept in individual,veterinarian-approved cages;and air and floor surfaces be maintained at specific temperatures. Dog runs are to be flat and at the same time graded? So far regulators cannot find an existing kennel( any one with a kennel license,not just puppy mills) in compliance. Sportmen's groups have been trying to convince the Dept. of Agriculture to withdraw and rewrite to create a distinction between commercial and hobbyists. it's one size fits all and what may fit you will not fit me. There is new enforcement measurers for dog law violators. On Aug.15,the Attorney General's office granted a recent Dept. of Ag. request to allow prosecutors to try criminal cases dealing with the state dog law.The Dept. had been requiring law enforcement officials,not lawyers,to represent the State in such cases. There was a article in the Phila.Inquirer that stated" prosecutors have been acting strictly as advisors to dog wardens who have been unable to convict animal abusers,many of whom are represented by professional attorneys. While violators escaped justice, the department pursued restrictive new regulations that will apply to kennels statewide." these are the ones that they trying to enact now instead of seeing of how enforcement measures workout first. Billy Milko

 

[pinehawk]

i just went and read uapm link. i went by some of what i read and from what i was told by reliable people i know. after reading some of the stuff from what i can figure to is if you do any breed rescue work and have 26 or more dogs go through your kennel/ private house,you will have to meet all of the same regulations also. So even if you are doing the right thing and helping out a rescue you are being brought into it also. the costs for meeting all these new regs. would cripple most of the breed rescues i feel. Billy Milko

 

[murraysmom]

Billy- thanks for summarizing-

quote from Billy's post:
"On Aug.15,the Attorney General's office granted a recent Dept. of Ag. request to allow prosecutors to try criminal cases dealing with the state dog law.The Dept. had been requiring law enforcement officials,not lawyers,to represent the State in such cases. There was a article in the Phila.Inquirer that stated" prosecutors have been acting strictly as advisors to dog wardens who have been unable to convict animal abusers,many of whom are represented by professional attorneys. While violators escaped justice, the department pursued restrictive new regulations that will apply to kennels statewide." these are the ones that they trying to enact now instead of seeing of how enforcement measures workout first."

UAPM presented a petition to the governor a year and a half ago asking for the removal of the Bureau of dog Law from the Dept. of Ag.- they were requesting that the Bureau report directly to the governor because of the Dept. of Ag.'s dismal record of doing anything to help shut the puppymills down.(I volunteered with UAPM to gather signatures for that petition)
The Dept. of Ag. has been a stumbling block for enforcement- having prosecutors deal with criminal cases as you mentioned above will help get some convictions. Also, Rendell's appointment of Jessie Smith as Deputy Director of Dog Law Enforcement and the removal of Mary Bender was a huge step in the right direction.

Quote from Billy's post:
"Sportmen's groups have been trying to convince the Dept. of Agriculture to withdraw and rewrite to create a distinction between commercial and hobbyists. it's one size fits all and what may fit you will not fit me."

I agree with you on the "one size fits all" approach- in my opinion, it's the biggest problem with the proposed legislation, and needs some work. But to quote a Lancaster Sunday News article dated Sept. 30, 2007:" Jessie Smith continues to meet with representatives of sporting groups such as the U.S. Sportsmens Alliance to reassure them that hobby breeders and sporting events are not being targeted."


I've volunteered with UAPM and think they've done a much needed job in raising public awareness to the problems with the puppymill industry and the issues involved- in June of 2006 when I traveled to a busy dog walking trail outside of Philly to get signatures for the petition, I was amazed at how many dog lovers didn't even know about the puppymill industry sitting on their doorstep here in Lancaster County. If I went out to that same dog trail today, I think it would be a different story.

After decades of indifference in Harrisburg, I'm happy to see a governor who is taking an active interest in shutting this industry down. Enforcement has been stepped up dramatically because of his intervention. I'm just not sure enforcement is enough (it hasn't been in the past- will it be enough when Rendell's gone?)- and that's the main issue right now: are the new regs really needed, and if so, how can they be written so that they do what they are intended to do.

This has been an emotional debate for everyone involved- it's far from over- I'll keep posting updates as it plays out-

Mary Gottfried

 

[pinehawk]

Mary please keep posting updates because i would like to see how it plays out. I was looking to move to Pennsylvania and with this going on i'm thinking i will not be because of the crazy laws that would be applied to a hobby kennel like mine.Some of the things they want kennel owners to do,i would never be able to go to work to put food on the table for my family let alone feed the dogs.Unless my wife gets a real good job and than i can stay home and take care of the hounds!!! AHHH,i can only dream

 

[murraysmom]

Mary please keep posting updates because i would like to see how it plays out. I was looking to move to Pennsylvania and with this going on i'm thinking i will not be because of the crazy laws that would be applied to a hobby kennel like mine.Some of the things they want kennel owners to do,i would never be able to go to work to put food on the table for my family let alone feed the dogs.Unless my wife gets a real good job and than i can stay home and take care of the hounds!!! AHHH,i can only dream [/b]

:lol: ! :lol: ! :lol: ! OK Billy, will do!