On August 15, the public comment period ended for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed new regulations that would require large-scale commercial breeders that sell pets to consumers sight-unseen (e.g. over the Internet or telephone) to be licensed and inspected under the federal Animal Welfare Act. More than 350,000 citizen signatures in support of the new rules were presented to USDA, thanks to a huge collaborative effort by various individuals and groups dedicated to protecting animals.
President and CEO of Human Society of the United States (HSUS) (which alone gathered 111,000 letters of support) had this to say: “We asked the public to speak up for dogs in unlicensed puppy mills – and hundreds of thousands responded. This level of support shows the intensity of concern about the humane treatment of animals…. We thank the Obama administration and USDA for proposing this change and encourage them to make it final in short order.”
Some puppy mill opponents have surmised that Lambriar, Inc., a giant breeder in Mahaska, Kansas, shut its doors in July in large part due to the USDA’s impending tighter rules. Citing the bad economy, too many regulations, and “animal rights activists” as the chief causes for their premature retirement, owners Roger and Darlene Lambert thanked their employees and told their local newspaper they are looking forward to sitting on the porch.
Lambriar Kennels had been in business for 44 years and was one of the largest breeding operations in the country, shipping a huge number of “products” to pet stores around the country. Roger Lambert was quoted as saying that while there used to be over 100 large-scale puppy breeders in the nation, now there are only three. While Lambert apparently feels this is an unfortunate turn of events, we at Bay Woof celebrate the fact.
An August raid on a North Carolina breeding operation illustrates why. Approximately 160 dogs were confiscated by animal rescue professionals, and the owners were taken into custody by local law enforcement officers. The head of the local humane society told the press she was horrified by the atrocious conditions in which the animals were housed. The County Sheriff commented that the situation was the worst he’d ever seen.
We at Bay Woof support the swift passage and implementation of the new regulations, which would go a long way toward stopping the horrific abuse perpetrated at puppy mills.
Puppy Mills: Facts and Figures 2012 Compiled by the Humane Society of the United States
10,000: Estimated number of puppy mills in the U.S. (both licensed and unlicensed)
2,586: Number of USDA Class A licensed breeding operations
855: Number of USDA Class B licensed dealer operations (some are also breeders)
13,000+: Estimated number of dogs kept solely for breeding purposes in USDA licensed breeding facilities
84,000+: Estimated number of female dogs kept for breeding at USDA licensed facilities
9.4: Estimated number of puppies produced per breeding female per yer
2 million: Estimated number of puppies sold annually who originated from puppy mills (USDA licensed and non-USDA licensed)
25%: Estimated percentage of dogs in animal shelters who are purebred
3 million: Estimated number of dogs and cats euthanized by shelters every year in the U.S.
$4 – $7: International City/County Management Association budgeting recommendation, per capita, for animal control programs
$500,000: Estimated cost of a puppy mill bust involving 250 animals
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Main article photo by: Courtesy ASPCApro
