All articles are here... just scroll down.. He cites the poor conditions at
By Amy
Worden Inquirer
The 14 members of
the board, which advises the secretary of agriculture on dog issues, were
notified in letters last week, but they can request reappointment if they
believe the dismissals were undeserved, Rendell's spokeswoman Kate Philips said
yesterday. "He did not think
the board was effective as a whole and that it was not serving the purpose that
it should," said Philips. So Rendell decided to "start from
scratch." It was the first
of a number of measures Rendell told The Inquirer in March that he was
considering to tackle a quarter-century-old problem, which has led to
The board includes
representatives from animal welfare groups, animal research establishments, dog
breeders, farmers, veterinarians, sportsmen and pet shop
owners. Several ousted
members said the board should not be blamed for inaction when they serve at the
pleasure of Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff, who has called only three
meetings since Rendell took office in 2003. Ken Brandt - a
lobbyist for commercial breeders, which by statute, is among the groups that
hold a board seat - said he did not agree with Rendell's decision to dismiss the
entire board, considering it has no rulemaking or legislative
authority. "It is a
reactionary group," Brandt said. "It is not the role of the advisory board to
say what we think should happen." At a Capitol rally
scheduled today, expected to draw 500 dog lovers, rescue groups say they will
applaud Rendell's commitment to the problem and urge him to do
more. ASPCA officials
said they want to demand that top officials in the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement
be fired for failing to enforce the dog law. The organization said the bureau
has failed to hire enough dog wardens or properly train them, failed to notify
humane society police officers of cruelty violations, and failed to obtain
veterinary support for inspections of kennels. As a result,
thousands of dogs are living in unsanitary conditions without adequate shelter
or sufficient food and water, the ASPCA said. "We are calling
for an overhaul in leadership in the Bureau of Dog Law," said Bob Baker, an
ASPCA investigator who helped draft the state's dog law. "We believe
In March, Rendell
said he was considering "a shake-up" in the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement.
Yesterday, his spokeswoman clarified that comment by saying the governor was
focusing on changes in policy and not personnel. Philips said that
the governor shares a lot of the ASPCA's concerns but
that "some are unfounded." She added, "The bureau has to work within the
confines of the regulations." In 2004, the
Department of Agriculture issued licenses to 378 kennels housing more than 100
dogs, almost one-third of them in Animals bred in
puppy mills are sold to pet shops throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast,
while adult dogs used for breeding are often housed for their entire lives in
tiny wire cages stacked on top of each other. In an effort to
strengthen the law and improve its ability to enforce it, the Department of
Agriculture recently issued draft changes to the law that are being met with
criticism from both dog breeders and rescue groups. Among the proposed
regulations is the requirement that dogs be provided housing with a roof and
four sides with "adequate protection from the cold and heat" and dry, clean
bedding. But the proposals did not require increased cage size, which animal
welfare advocates say is the single best tool the agency could use to improve
conditions. "We are
disappointed the department is not using this opportunity to improve kennel
housing standards," said Stephanie Shane, who runs the anti-puppy mill campaign
for the Humane Society of the As an alternative
to changing space requirements, the agency is proposing a daily exercise rule.
But some advocates say that would be impossible to enforce and burdensome for
rescue groups that house dogs only temporarily. Brandt, the
breeder lobbyist, said his members believe that the cage-size requirements were
adequate and that expanding them would be too costly for
breeders. In addition, Shane
said she was surprised to see a proposed regulation stipulating that dogs not be
kept in muddy or water-logged kennels and that weeds be trimmed around kennels."If a government agency has to tell kennels to cut
back weeds, that is telling," said
Shane. Rally for the
Dogs A rally supporting
efforts to improve conditions in large dog kennels is scheduled for
Contact staff
writer Amy Worden at 717-783-2584 or aworden@phillynews.com.
Centre Daily Times AP Wire 5/12/2006 Activists say
PA does not enforce law against Puppy Mills MARC
LEVY Associated
Press The state's Bureau
of Dog Law Enforcement, which is housed in the Department of Agriculture, has
inspectors who do not understand or enforce crucial aspects of the 24-year-old
state law, some activists say. "The law itself is
good," Bob Baker, the former chief inspector of the Humane Society of the
Baker and about a
hundred other activists - including Annemarie Lucas, an ASPCA law enforcement
officer in New York City and a regular on the Animal Planet reality TV show,
Animal Precinct - gathered Friday on the steps of the Pennsylvania Capitol
building. Wearing T-shirts
and holding signs that said "No Puppy Mills," they introduced Aidan, a
two-year-old West Highland Terrier and former breeding dog whose leg they said
had been cut off by its owner to free it from a wire
fence. "Some of the abuse
we've witnessed is unbelievable," said Bill Smith, of Main Line Animal Rescue, a
shelter in The dog-law
advisory board was designed to give opinions on any matters related to the state
law on the handling and licensing of dogs, but was rarely convened by state
Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff. Members of the
advisory board, which includes representatives from animal welfare groups,
animal researchers, dog breeders, farmers, police, county treasurers,
veterinarians, sportsmen and pet shop owners, received notice of their firing
last week. Rendell's press
secretary Kate Philips said the governor dismissed the advisory board members
because of the board's overall "direction," and has instead convened an ad-hoc
advisory group that is helping the administration develop a broader response to
the puppy mills. "This isn't a
problem that's unique to Baker said the
puppy mills took root on southcentral
The Internet has
fueled their success, allowing breeders to sell purebred puppies to an array of
customers who never see where their dogs come from. The Humane Society accuses
some of the facilities of overbreeding and inbreeding,
giving substandard food and shelter, overcrowding cages and supplying inadequate
veterinary care. Pittsburgh Post Gazette Rendell Fires State's Dog Law Advisory Board Seeks to reverse image as puppy mill capital of East Coast http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06133/689908-85.stm May 13, 2006 By Tracie Mauriello and Tom Barnes, Post-Gazette Harrisburg Bureau HARRISBURG -- Trying to rid Pennsylvania of its reputation as the "puppy mill capital of the East Coast," Gov. Ed Rendell has fired all 14 members of the state Dog Law Advisory Board. Mr. Rendell, a pet lover who owns two golden retrievers, said the board, an advisory panel to the state Agriculture Department, was ineffective. He plans to name new members who share his concerns about poorly run breeding facilities, his spokeswoman, Kate Philips, said yesterday. Animal welfare groups had been pressuring the governor to take action to reduce animal cruelty and improve conditions at commercial dog-breeding operations. Groups such as the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty of Animals claim Pennsylvania dog wardens have been dissuaded from filing cruelty-to-animals charges, from closing kennels that don't meet state standards and from allowing the operation of so-called puppy mills that provide inadequate food, shelter, cages and veterinary care. "It's well-known in the animal industry that on the East Coast, the puppy mills in Pennsylvania are the worst," said Annemarie Lucas, a special investigator with the ASPCA in New York City and star of Animal Planet's reality TV series "Animal Precinct." Lancaster County, in particular, is notorious for such operations, characterized by mass production, inbreeding of dogs and poor kennel conditions, she said. The firings were one step in his larger effort to improve the treatment of animals in Pennsylvania, Ms. Philips said. "The governor is not interested in placing blame; he's interested in finding a solution ... and righting what has been a terrible situation in some parts of Pennsylvania," said Ms. Philips. The board has no real enforcement ability and serves only to advise the Department of Agriculture. If the board hadn't been effective enough for Mr. Rendell, it's because it wasn't called to service often, especially in recent years, said fired member Nina Schaefer, of North Huntingdon. It last met in July 2005. "When we found out we were fired for being inactive we said, 'What? You didn't ask us our opinions in the first place," said Mrs. Schaefer, who had represented the Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs on the board. "We had no opportunity. We were never called into session." Meanwhile, animal-rights activists who rallied at the Capitol yesterday called for an enforcement overhaul. The Agriculture Department and Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement have not provided enough dog wardens, failed to provide adequate inspections and allowed unlicensed kennels to operate, animal-rights advocates said during yesterday's rally. Mrs. Schaefer, though, says the bureau doesn't have enough money to hire more dog wardens. "You can't say do more unless you give them more money, and given the budget constraints, they do a pretty good job. The commercial puppy breeders have improved enormously," she said. The current general fund budget allocates $6.8 million to the bureau, up $52,000 from the previous budget. The governor has proposed ramping up funding to $9.1 million next fiscal year. Tracie Mauriello can be reached at tmauriello@post-gazette.com or 1-717-787-2141. Tom Barnes can be reached at tbarnes@post-gazette.com or 1-717-787-4254. 'REALLY BAD' State breeds scorn as puppy mill haven http://tinyurl.com/fdkmk Saturday, May 13, 2006 BY FORD TURNER Of The Patriot-News When it comes to puppies, Pennsylvania's reputation is not warm and fuzzy. The state has solidified its status as a haven for "puppy mills," commercial breeding operations where hundreds of dogs are produced in unsanitary and inhumane circumstances. In human terms, fathers are bred to daughters and brothers to sisters, said Marysville veterinarian Alan Kirmayer. The pups often suffer abnormalities from inbreeding -- such as hip deformities and heart defects -- and spend the first part of their lives in deplorable conditions. "The hygiene is horrible. The pens themselves are chicken wire," Kirmayer said. Lancaster County, with a concentration of commercial dog breeders, has garnered most of the attention. Anti-puppy mill billboards have cropped up. Hollywood actress Linda Blair and rock musician Rikki Rockett of the group Poison took part in a puppy mill-awareness day there last year. But Perry and Lebanon counties have puppy mills, too, said Kim Moreland, executive director of the Humane Society of the Harrisburg Area. Their customers are pet stores, which sell to a public that has little inkling of how the puppies were conceived. "The puppy mills are in operation for money only," said Rose Brumgard, a breeder of miniature collies and miniature poodles in Adams County. They are located on farms, often run by members of religious groups referred to as "plain people" who view production of dogs as "a cash crop, just like their pigs and chickens," she said. Laura Mullen, a dachshund breeder in Adams County, said Lancaster County is the "puppy mill capital in the United States." Tanya Myers, who breeds miniature schnauzers in her home near Marysville, said she worries the "really bad" situation in Pennsylvania will produce a backlash against law-abiding hobby breeders such as her. Gov. Ed Rendell has circulated a draft version of regulations that would increase scrutiny of commercial dog breeders. Last week, his administration dismissed the 17 members of the state Dog Law Advisory Board, which advises the Agriculture Department's Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement. The dismissal letters indicated Rendell wants to convene an all-new board. Rendell spokeswoman Kate Philips said the previous board did not take enough action on puppy mills. Some level of large-scale, inhumane dog breeding occurs, she said, but the perception that Pennsylvania tolerates it is an equally important problem. Karen Steinrock, who has written the "Pet Lovers Forum" column for The Patriot-News for six years, said the state's reputation for puppy mills is so bad that the tourism industry might be threatened. Barry Wickes, president of the Pennsylvania Tourism & Lodging Association, said he has heard nothing about potential boycotts. But he said he does not doubt the passion of animal-rights activists. He recalled the Hegins pigeon shoot, a Labor Day event in Schuylkill County held annually for 65 years until 1998, when it was canceled amid a barrage of national publicity and animal-rights lawsuits. "I couldn't believe the letters I got," Wickes said. By law, breeders who possess 26 or more dogs during a year must be licensed as kennels. Mary Bender, director of the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, said there are 2,500 kennels of all types in the state, and many hold special licenses for breeding. Such licenses are held by 33 of the 57 kennels in Cumberland County, 16 of the 42 in Dauphin County, and eight of the 19 in Perry County. Statewide, 53 dog law wardens enforce kennel code violations. Bender said they also must investigate complaints of loose dogs, dog bites and dog attacks on livestock. Separately, humane society police officers enforce animal cruelty statutes. A lack of manpower and a lack of willpower are responsible for lax enforcement in Pennsylvania, said Charlotte Grimme, executive director of the Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania. "The illegal business has been able to thrive in Pennsylvania because the inspections aren't what they should be," Grimme said. Recently, Aaron K. Lapp, a Lycoming County resident, served jail time after he was cited by a dog warden and humane police officers for violations at his kennel, according to Vickie Stryker, executive director of the Lycoming County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Last month, Attorney General Tom Corbett filed a lawsuit that accused Berks County kennel owner Traci Murai of selling diseased dogs. Lancaster County resident Jackie Keeney said her cousin runs a puppy mill. She is part of a group called United Against Puppy Mills. Keeney said puppy mill operators are secretive. "They won't let you in the barn," she said. "Even me, who is a relative of one of them." FORD TURNER: 255-8486 or fturner@patriot-news.com |