Puppy Protection Act Removed from Bill
by Nancy Winemiller
The Puppy Protection Act, a measure intended to improve conditions at commercial dog breeding facilities, was recently removed from a bill pending in the United States Congress by members of a House of Representatives-Senate conference committee.
Many
animal welfare advocates hailed the legislation - HR 2646 and S 1731 - as a significant step toward countering overcrowding, overbreeding, inbreeding, poor nutrition and insufficient
veterinary care at breeding facilities.
The American Kennel Club, however, opposed the bill because "no hearings were held, no debate occurred, and no opportunities were offered to discuss puppy protection issues and enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act."
The Act would have:
* required that female dogs be at least one year old before being bred
* allowed the breeding of female dogs no more than three times during any two-year period
* required dogs to be socialized with people and other dogs
* made mandatory the revocation of a breeder's license if he or she were cited for three or more violations of the Animal Welfare Act
The Act was introduced in the Senate by Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Richard Durbin (D-IL). A similar measure was introduced in the House by Ed Whitfield (R-KY) and Sam Farr (D-CA).
President Bush has indicated that he will sign the pending legislation.
© 2002 Animal News Center, Inc.
http://www.anc.org
