You can help kill puppy mills

Nathan Winograd, a highly regarded animal advocate who leads the No-Kill Advocacy Center, tells me the Pennsylvania Senate has a bill that could cut the heart of the state’s misery-inducing puppy mills.

I’ll let him speak here:

“Legislation introduced in Pennsylvania would make it illegal for retail stores to sell commercially-bred puppies, kittens, and rabbits. If passed, the state would join roughly 400 cities nationwide and two other states — California (whose ban also includes rabbits) and Maryland — which have done the same.”

By “commercially-bred,” Nathan means puppy mills, which supply most pet shops.

If you don’t know, puppy mills are, in essence,  inhumane “factories” for the mass production of dogs, caging female dogs, keeping them pregnant in perpetuity. They are disgusting, and the puppies — the “product” — delivered to the pet shops often are not healthy.

Sadly, Pennsylvania is a leading state for puppy mills, most of which are located in our back yard — Lancaster County. 

If pet shops were banned from selling animals from puppy mills, would they be put out of business?

Not at all.

What they would do is partner with shelters, such as ACCT Philly or the Pennsylvania SPCA, which always have dogs for adoption, or with local rescue groups, which also have dogs for adoption — cats, too. 

The Pennsylvania bill, Senate Bill 234, is called Victoria’s Law, in the name of a German Shepherd who gave birth to — hold on to something — 150 puppies before she was rescued from the mill.

Can you imagine that? 150 puppies!

Victoria had a genetic disease, which eventually left her paralyzed and in need of being humanely euthanized, and — unbeknownst to unsuspecting consumers — passed that disease to her offspring.

“Although Pennsylvania animal lovers have tried before, this time they are optimistic, even though past efforts have stalled, noting legislation takes an average of six years to become law from when it’s first proposed,” says Winograd.

If you live in Pennsylvania, please make your voice heard by contacting your state senator and ask them to cosponsor and vote Yes on SB 234, Victoria’s Law. This is how to find your state senator. Tip: The email address is usually the senator’s last name (at) pasenate.com

A couple more animal issues:

[] While SB 234 is in the hopper, animal advocates are asking lawmakers to increase the price of a dog license for the first time in 24 years to increase funds for the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, the department charged with inspecting the previously mentioned commercial breeding operations. The increase would be from $6.50 to $10. The trick, of course, is enforcement, which is practically non-existent. 

[] After years of struggle, ACCT Philly is reporting a 92% live-release for animals in the city shelter. The story reports ACCT Philly accomplished that despite a $890,000 funding cut due to the pandemic. 

I have been following the animal shelter since my October 2004 expose blew up what was then called PACCA, with its 20% save rate, and abusive treatment of animals. 

It’s taken 16 years, and it still has some problems, but the agency has achieved what some regard as functionally no-kill status. Some, but not the previously mentioned Nathan Winograd. I side with his idea that the only animals to not be adopted out are those too sick, or with intractable behavior problems.