OHS Applauds Passage of Puppy Protection Act

June 2, 2009

 

 

OHS Veterinarian Roberta Porter with dog rescued Saturday from Washington puppy mill.

The Oregon Humane Society today applauded the Oregon State Senate for passing the Puppy Protection Act (HB 2470), a bill that sets caps on the number of fertile dogs, establishes space and exercise requirements and requires better record keeping for dog breeders.

 

It also protects consumers by requiring pet stores to disclose the source of dogs for sale and the number of litters sold by the breeder--information that will help customers know if they are buying dogs from a puppy mill.   With the bill already passed by the House, the legislation now awaits the Governor’s signature.

Sharon Harmon, OHS Executive Director, said the bill’s relatively modest measures are steps in the right direction, but still leave more work to be done. “We wish the bill was stronger. Dogs deserve more time out of the cage than just an hour a day,” said Harmon.

 

With the modest standards imposed, any reputable breeder should have no trouble complying with the new law. Large scale breeders with hundreds of breeding dogs stacked in cages with wire floors, like the recent case from Washington, have much to fear and we hope are forced out of business,” said Harmon. OHS recently accepted 95 dogs from a puppy mill that was raided by Washington police. A total of 371 animals were seized from one individual. The dogs were living in deplorable conditions and suffered from urine burns, parasites and a lack of medical care.  

 

Puppy mills are large-scale commercial dog breeding operations that mass-produce puppies for sale in pet stores, over the Internet and directly to the public. Focused solely on making a profit, these facilities keep dogs in crowded, filthy conditions where they receive little or no socialization, affection, exercise or medical care.   

 

Strong advocates for this bill include Rep.Paul Holvey, Rep.Chuck Riley, Senators Diane Rosenbaum, Suzanne Bonamici, Vicki Walker and Floyd Prozanski. 

OHS also thanks the Oregon House for approving a bill (SB 303A)  that establishes professional training standards for humane agents that are equivalent to those of police officers. “This enhances OHS standing with other law enforcement units, and makes available the latest training and standards for our Humane Special Agents and enables OHS to attract an retain the best law enforcement officers,” said Harmon. The bill will become law when signed by the Governor.