 Regulation that
IS Working:
 Governor Edward G.
Rendell of Pennsylvania has been working hard for regulation of the infamous
pet breeding industry there, with a great deal of success. Given the ties that
many Wisconsin "dog farmers" have to Pennsylvania, we thought it
especially appropriate to bring your attention to the new PA regs that are in
the works. Even though the proposed new regulations are not yet laws, changes
have been made to make existing laws easier to enforce, and to create incentive
for communities to crack down on animal abusers such as the infamous Lancaster
County puppy millers.
Our
friends at the North Penn Puppy Mill Watch tell us: "Making good on his
promise to reform the Bureau of Dog Law, along with the standards that regulate
the commercial breeding kennels in Pennsylvania, Governor Edward G. Rendell
continues to move forward with newly proposed Dog Law Regulations.
"Due
out in late 2007/early 2008, the second draft of the the regulations has been
fine tuned to encompass many of the suggestions provided during a previous 90
day public comment period.
"By
way of departmental appointments, as well as reassignments, new focus has been
placed on better and more effective ways to enforce the current laws until such
time that the new regulations can better and more clearly prescribe standard of
care requirements for all canine kennels. Over the last 11 months Lancaster
County, home to the highest concentration of PA breeding facilities, has
experienced a 143% increase in citations issued during recent kennel
inspections."
The following is taken from a press release issued by the Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture on 3 October 2007. You can read the entire release
here.
On
Oct. 17, 2006, the Governor of Pennsylvania announced sweeping changes to that
state’s dog law and regulations. Since then, several key components of the
Governor’s plan have been successfully implemented.
Fulfilling
one of the Governor’s initial goals, former Beaver County assistant
district attorney Jeffrey Paladina was appointed special prosecutor for dog law
enforcement. In August, the Office of the attorney general granted Mr. Paladina
the power to represent dog wardens in district court.
In
May 2007, Pennsylvania garnered national attention as the first state to post
timely, complete inspection records for the state’s 2,600 licensed dog
kennels online. A new inspection and data management tool, PA Dogs, allows more
accurate record-keeping and better data analysis than outdated paper and
electronic records.
In
December 2006, the Department of Agriculture published proposed changes to the
existing dog law regulations, designed to enhance the department’s
enforcement ability by closing loopholes and more clearly defining acceptable
practices. There had been instances when cases could not be prosecuted due to
dog law regulations that weren't clear enough to bring about convictions, or
that simply weren't strong enough. Jessie Smith, special deputy agriculture
secretary for dog law enforcement, said the proposed regulations would help
eliminate certain practices that the department has to this point had no choice
but to allow.
-- excerpted
from
A YEAR LATER, GOVERNOR RENDELL SAYS DOG LAW
INITIATIVE IS SUCCEEDING
To
read this article in its entirety, please
click here. There is also a provision
on this link for you to email the article to others, including your state
legislators -- get their email addresses
here (click on "Who Represents Me" in the
middle of the page).
For
more information on Pennsylvania’s dog law, and to access online kennel
inspection records, visit
www.agriculture.state.pa.us/padoglaw.
Wisconsin
Puppy Mill Project thanks the North Penn Puppy Mill Watch for their help
explaining the legislative process in Pennsylvania, and invites you to visit
their site for updated information on the Pennsylvania anti-cruelty
initiatives: http://www.nppmwatch.com
Let
Wisconsin Legislators know that Protection Works in OTHER States! Why not here
in Wisconsin?
|
Just because the current
legislative session is over does NOT mean that we're taking a vacation from our
work on a bill that will license, inspect, and regulate Wisconsin Puppy Mills.
NOW is the time to prepare for the 2009/2010 legislative session
that will begin in January 09.