Puppy Profits: State laws lack bite
 |
An inspector with the American Kennel Club gathers a DNA sample from an English bulldog puppy. AKC spends $6 million annually to
monitor the quality of AKC kennels across the United States in addition to tracking the bloodline of pedigree dogs.
|
 
|
By OMER GILLHAM World Staff Writer
10/23/2007
Last Modified: 10/23/2007 9:20 AM
Related story: Puppy Profits: A state embraces reform
Search an inspection database of licensed breeders and brokers, view videos and a slide show and read previous stories in the series.
For 15 years, efforts to tame
puppy-mill operations have failed.
Oklahoma has a history of failed attempts to
legislate puppy mills, reaching at least to 1991.
For the past 15 years, Oklahoma lawmakers
have neglected legislation that would have
tamed puppy-mill operators while protecting
consumers against unscrupulous breeders.
Oklahoma is one of the largest puppy-producing
states without state regulations for commercial
breeders, records show.
Oklahoma ranks second in the nation in terms of the
number of dog breeders and brokers, with 645 federally
licensed breeders and 57 brokers, records show.
Missouri and Pennsylvania are roughly tied for first
place when considering Pennsylvania breeders licensed
by the state and
the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Rep. Lee Denney, R Cushing,
said the time
has come to reconsider
the puppy-mill issue in
Oklahoma. Denney has
requested an interim study
that could produce a puppymill
bill next year in the
Legislature.
In addition to being a
lawmaker, Denney is a
veterinarian and co-owner
of Veterinary Medical
Associates near Drumright.
‘‘We want to look at
legislation that would police
these large puppy mills
because they have poor
sanitary conditions that
promote diseases and harm
the animals,’’ Denney said.
‘‘If the breeders are not
going to police themselves,
and they appear not to be
doing so, then we are going
to do it for them.’’
The USDA regulates
Oklahoma breeders and
brokers through the federal
Animal Welfare Act. The
1966 act is enforced by the
USDA’s Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service.
Oklahoma has an untold
number of puppy mills
hidden in garages, sheds
and rural areas out of the
reach of the USDA, industry
officials said.
Meanwhile, the state has
many breeders registering
their animals with the
American Kennel Club, said
AKC inspector Stacy Mason.
The breeders agree to follow
guidelines of AKC’s Care and
Condition Program for their
animals.
A recent AKC inspection
included a quality kennel
owned by Rosemary Mounce
in Locust Grove.
“I don’t think people
realize the work it takes to
care for the animals and
to operate a quality facility
within the guidelines,’’ said
Mounce, who passed her
AKC inspection.
Mason inspected 360 AKC
kennels and individuals last
year as part of AKC’s care
and condition program.
‘‘Most of the breeders we
inspect do a good job, but it
just takes a few bad apples to
give everyone a bad name,’’
Mason said.
While federal regulations
require USDA breeders to
provide adequate housing,
food and veterinary care,
some uncaring breeders are
dodging the rules.
Federal regulations
address wholesale sales,
meaning that unlicensed
breeders can sell an
unlimited number of puppies
directly to the public and
avoid federal guidelines.
This has become known
as a loophole in the Animal
Welfare Act.
While the state interim
committee is gathering
information, the World has
obtained a rough draft of a
puppy-mill bill circulated by
individuals aligned with the
committee’s work.
Known as the Oklahoma
Pet Quality Assurance and
Protection Act, the bill would
establish state regulations for
Oklahoma breeders.
‘‘You have to understand
that this is a working
document and the wording
is up for revision,’’ said
Dr. Charles Helwig,
executive director of the
Oklahoma Veterinary
Medical Association. ‘‘This
is something that could look
very different when it is done.’’
Helwig said his office
is helping lead efforts
to regulate commercial
breeding in Oklahoma.
The current wording of
the measure would require
breeders to be licensed by
the state if the person sells
or gives away 25 or more
animals in one year. The
measure includes licensing
of pet stores, dealers and
rescue shelters handling 25
or more animals a year.
The proposal calls for
kennel inspections, fines
and a puppy lemon law that
would allow consumers
to seek a reimbursement
for puppies with a genetic
disorder.
Denney said lawmakers
may consider restricting
certain aspects of the bill
to improve its chance of
passage.
‘‘I am aware of the early
wording, but this is not a
puppy lemon law,’’ Denney
said. ‘‘And we are not going
after the backyard breeder
who has one dog and has a
litter for the kids to see and
to sell or give away.’’
A puppy mill is
characterized by numerous
breeding animals kept in
small cages in unsanitary
conditions with insufficient
food and veterinary care.
The dogs are usually small
breeds that save space and
bring huge profits for the
owners.
In the past, Oklahoma’s
puppy-mill legislation died
without making it out of
committee, Senate staff said.
Since 1991, there have
been at least two legislative
studies on puppy mills.
One study identified the
Department of Agriculture as
the state agency that would
conduct kennel inspections.
Former Rep. Howard
Cotner, 81, was part of the
effort to pass puppy-mill
legislation in 1991.
‘‘I introduced the bill
because I had read stories
about puppy mills and I
saw the pictures and it was
sickening to see what was
happening,’’ said Cotner,
a Democrat, who served
26 years in the House.
‘‘I imagine not much has
changed since 1991. It is
probably worse since there is
no one to regulate it.’’
Seventeen states have
puppy lemon laws while 26
states have state licensing or
regulations on commercial
dog breeding, according to
the Humane Society of the
United States.
Pennsylvania is
considered a leader in
state regulations, spending
$7.6 million on licensing,
inspection and enforcement
and employing 53 inspectors,
state officials said.
Gary Phillips, president
of the Northeast Chapter of
Oklahoma Pet Professionals,
said state regulations would
have the effect of punishing
USDA breeders who are
already regulated by federal
law.
‘‘The problem with (state)
legislation is that they will
come after those with the
USDA license because they
have your address,’’ said
Phillips of Adair. ‘‘They will
take the easy fees but they
won’t put any money toward
going after the backyard
breeders and puppy mills.’’
Helwig said his office has
visited with breeders about
their concerns.
‘‘We don’t want to put
a burden on people doing
a good job,’’ Helwig said.
‘‘We hope to address that
concern.’’
Meanwhile, the Internet
has broadened the
retail loophole in USDA
regulations governing
commercial breeding,
said U.S. Rep. Sam Farr,
a congressman from
California.
Farr is a Democrat with
a long history of fighting for
puppy-mill regulations. He
was one of the authors of
California’s puppy lemon law
in the 1990s.
Farr said the Internet
has created a retail problem
that was not foreseen when
the Animal Welfare Act was
passed.
‘‘We have to close
that loophole so that the
consumers are protected and
the animals are treated safely
and humanely,’’ Farr said.
‘‘There were no noticeable
Internet sales 10 years ago,
so this is a new area. This
is all about consumers and
protecting them and the
animals.’’
At the federal level, Farr
helped introduce legislation
in 2005 to bring puppy mills
under federal regulations.
The bill failed to make it out
of committee.
Known as the Pet Animal
Welfare Statute (PAWS),
the measure would have
required anyone selling
more than 25 dogs or cats
a year to be licensed as a
breeder under the Animal
Welfare Act. Farr said he is
considering reintroducing
the measure this year.
‘‘If you pass a law like
this, I learned that the media
is really important to its
success,’’ Farr said. ‘‘We
passed the law in California
but the consumer reading
about it got the retailers’
attention.’’
While breeders tend
to be suspicious of new
regulations, not all Oklahoma
breeders oppose state
regulations if they are done
properly.
‘‘If they could take the
USDA regulations for
wholesale sales and apply
them to retail sales without
adding another layer of rules
to USDA breeders, it could
work,’’ said Carl Cannon, a
breeder from Centrahoma
and president of the South
Central Chapter of Oklahoma
Pet Professionals.
|
Report Comment
Another day, another attempt to paint small breeders as puppy mills. I repeat the question I asked last time. Is the Tulsa World going to return all that nasty money it made from the HUNDREDS of pet sales classifieds featured right here on this website, or is only bad for others to make money from puppy sales? Shame on you. Either you are being hypocritical in profiting from that nasty old puppy industry in Oklahoma, or you have grossly exagerated the actions of a few disreputable breeders for the sake of sensationalism and profit. Which one is it?
|
|
|
Report Comment
Arfy, (10/23/2007 8:01:56 AM)
When are you going to donate some of the money you made being a puppy mill # 1?
|
|
|
Report Comment
Joe, Tulsa (10/23/2007 8:03:15 AM)
This series of articles has so far focused on a lot of bad and very little good. To say all breeders are bad is wrong and to as with this article, we see people starting to carve out little niches for themselves, it's ok to regulate the other guy but not me, or not the individual back yarder, or the guy who says he is a hobby breeder etc.. Most concerning is the author does not seem to demonstrate a working knowledge of what is legal and what is not, Even as far to say Pennsylvania leads the nation in regulation and inspection, is so far from the truth, the validity of the reporting is becoming suspect. Inconsistencies within the regulations of the USDA and even from inspector to inspector, has long been a problem. Lets us not forget, the government can not always be trusted to do a good job for us, they usually do a good job on us. Most Americans who live in the Midwest are honest, independant,and self reliant who reject governmental intervention of any kind. Mention was made of the PAWS bill this was an attempt by the AKC and the HSUS to become appointed as the nations dog police. Which in our thinking is an excellent example of how far off base and uninformed the public actually is about the organizations. First the AKC is a "DOG Registry", nothing more and nothing less, The HSUS is one of the most successful fund raising organization in the United States, second only to the Red Cross, On closer review you will find huge salaries and expenses and very little as a percentage of the money ever goes to the benefit of any animal, We must give credit to the HSUS and the SPCA where credit is due, they successfully brutally kill more companion animals than anyone world wide. Legislators who are looking forward to grabbing some press should remember the consequences, suffered by Sen. Sanitorium, PA he was the primary sponsor of PAWS. He has since been sent home in defeat... good riddance Animal lovers nationwide sent millions in contributions to anyone who would run against him. The message here is clear "Don't mess with the rights of Americans to have and own pets." Not wanting to stray to far from the subject of Oklahoma's problems. We need to see a logical study of the entire industry, and the pitfalls as they exist. Caution needs to be taken when you start to put things on paper. and we must maintain respect of the individuals rights and his property rights. We must remember that while we as a people love our companion animals, we must not forget the fact that these animals are domesticated animals, what makes us think a dog or a cat is more important than a horse or a cow. The major difference is we don't eat cats and dogs here in America To an intelligent thinker, you can see the problems presented in regulation expand rapidly, Who is the problem? Where do you start? Who is going to pay for it in the end? There are far to many venues to allow one group to dominate input, Breeders need to be involved in the regulations for breeders, a statewide oversight organization for regulation input should be created and the committee should consist only of professional breeders who are in good standing. Self regulation is the key to successful development of any organization, when you start bringing in people with hidden agendas to destroy an industry segment, you will never have meaningful reform. Local cities need to have local mandate for animal control in their jurisdiction. Each city or township needs to establish the regulations to be consistent with the needs and thinking of their community. A good example would be dog licensing and spay and neuter laws, community specific. The local cities need to over see and implement a local policy to allow shelters to kill or "Not Kill" Stray animals. Dog dumping and abandonment needs to be addressed with a mandatory microchip program so when a dog or cat is found to be abandoned the expenses for their rescue and or demise will be born by the owner of record, plus
|
|
|
Report Comment
Abby, Tulsa (10/23/2007 8:46:58 AM)
Instead of advertising all of these puppy mills, why doesn't the Tulsa World do the right thing and do a feature on animal rescue groups? Take a couple of weeks and recognize the real heroes. The rescue people who have to clean up the messes that these breeders leave behind. There are so many good rescue groups in the Tulsa Area. ARF, HALO, Animal Aid, Tulsa Boxer Rescue, Small Paws, Lab Rescue, Poodle Rescue, and many others!!!!!!!!!!!! Those are the people who need the publicity!!!!!!!!!!!!
|
|
|
Report Comment
I was quite excited to see the beginning of this series on Sunday...now, I'm just more irritated and completely fascinated by the misquided ignorance that appears to run rampant through Oklahoma and other states. The main purpose of any regualtion should be for the WELFARE of the animals...not to further pad the pockets of the so-called "breeders". If you can't abide by the rules to come, then get out of the business! You're not in it for anything other than the thousands of dollars uneducated and unsuspecting consumers will spend to get that cute little puppy. I also a wee bit disgusted with Rep Denney's comments regarding the "backyard breeder" or the family who wants the kids to see the birth of puppies...it's exactly THOSE kinds of people along with the commercial breeders that contribute to the overwhelming pet population. Little Joey sits on 71st street to sell the puppies to pad the pockets of mom and dad. Meanwhile, puppies go home with unprepared families who pulled up to a stoplight, saw some dogs and decided to buy one! Folks, there are so many DOGS and CATS at PetsMart that need homes...and guess what, they're cheaper, they come with updated shot records, heartworm treatments and are spayed/neutered so that YOU won't further contribute to the pet problem. All of my pets are fixed, I'm not a breeder, I don't need my kids to watch "the miracle of birth" in person, I don't show my dogs and I'm not even sure if they are the best examples of their breeds both health-wise and look wise. So why wouldn't I fix them? I am not against organized, regulated dog breeding....I think that it should be monitored. I'm not sure if the USDA is exactly the right organization to monitor the pet industry, but I desperately believe that someone needs to speak for the animals....I agree that breeders should be the voice for the regulations, but I think the true definition of breeder needs to be thoroughly thought out. I'm not sure that Joe Schmoe should be considered a compasionate, educated breeder because he has 10 different breeds of dogs that spit out hundreds of puppies each year...he's exactly the sort of person that needs to be booted out!
|
|
|
Report Comment
Could anything make Oklahoma more white trash than a bunch of dogs all in one pin barely getting fed. I am so tired of people making money off of poor animals. If you cant afford to take GOOD care if your pets then DONT get them.
|
|
|
Report Comment
Ester, Sapulpa (10/23/2007 10:43:09 AM)
Curiously, | |
