Purpose: To amend the Animal Welfare Act to strengthen the ability of the U.S. Department of Agriculture to regulate the “pet” industry. The bill would require a U.S.D.A. license for breeders who breed 7 or more litters of dogs or cats per year. In addition, importers, Internet sellers and other non-breeder dealers who sell more than 25 dogs or cats per year would be covered by this bill, and it would assure U.S.D.A. access to the records of persons who acquire dogs for resale.
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Status: Referred to Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. Hearings held.
Action: SUPPORT. Please contact your two U.S. Senators and urge them to support S. 1139. Tell your Senators that this bill will help to protect cats and dogs by requiring that those who sell these animals commercially to consumers are licensed and meet fundamental standards of animal care.
Talking Points for your letter:
- S. 1139, the “Pet” Animal Welfare Statute of 2005, would amend the Animal Welfare Act to strengthen the ability of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to regulate the “pet” industry. This legislation would close a loophole in current law that allows some in the pet industry to operate below the acceptable care standards for “pets.”
- Wholesale dog and cat breeding facilities currently are licensed to operate by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and are required to comply with the rules and regulations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The AWA sets forth standards for humane handling and treatment of animals. However, under current law only breeders and others who sell animals at wholesale are regulated, which allows some commercial breeders and brokers of companion animals to avoid this government regulation by selling directly to the consumer. As a result, the USDA has a very limited ability to oversee the care and condition of animals in these facilities.
- The Pet Animal Welfare Statute calls for the regulation of large commercial breeders who sell directly to the public, however, this legislation does not affect hobby breeders or dog and cat fanciers. The legislation would require a USDA license for breeders who breed seven or more litters of dogs or cats per year. In addition, this legislation would encompass importers, Internet sellers and other non-breeding dealers who sell more than 25 dogs or cats per year. Under this bill, the USDA’s enforcement authority would be strengthened, and the USDA would be assured of access to records indicating the sources of dogs acquired for resale.
- As many as 2,000,000 dogs and cats may be sold to consumers next year in the U.S. This legislation would help to ensure that these animals are bred in facilities that meet minimal common-sense standards for their humane handling and treatment. This is the very least that consumers expect.
- S. 1139 would bring consistency to the dog and cat breeding industry by requiring the large facilities that breed animals for direct sale to the public to abide by the same standards as the facilities that sell to animal brokers and “pet” stores. All of these entities are engaging in the market for the retail sale of dogs and cats; for the sake of fairness, they all should be treated in the same manner and required to abide by the same basic requirements under the AWA.