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RELATED<\/small> <\/p>\n \u201cI introduced AB 485 to help save the lives of thousands of animals that would otherwise be put down,\u201d said O\u2019Donnell, who once brought a stray cat into his home and presently includes two rescue dogs as family members. \u201cMany of our furry friends never find their forever homes. More than 10,000 puppy mills, kitten factories and bunny bundlers<\/a>\u00a0churn out millions of unhealthy animals for profit, even while California taxpayers pay a quarter of a billion dollars annually to house and kill animals in local shelters.\u201d<\/p>\n Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell and rescue dogs<\/em><\/p>\n Puppy mills are defined by the Humane Society of the United States<\/a> (HSUS) as \u201cinhumane, commercial dog-breeding facilit[ies] in which the health of the dogs is disregarded in order to maintain a low overhead and maximize profits.\u201d\u00a0These facilities are usually overcrowded, with no consideration for the health of the parent animals or the puppies themselves. These baby animals are \u201cmass produced,\u201d according to HSUS, and then sold by the truckload to pet stores. Although puppies are the pets most frequently bred in these facilities, animals like kittens, rabbits, hamsters and parakeets that are sold commercially also come from mill facilities.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n HSUS recently responded to the Cabarrus County Sheriff\u2019s Office in North Carolina to assist in the rescue of approximately 105 dogs, 20 cats and three goats housed in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Many animals had untreated medical issues, were pregnant and in need of urgent veterinary care. Representatives from Cabarrus Animal Hospital provided veterinary expertise.<\/i><\/strong> Photos by <\/strong><\/em>Amie Chou\/The HSUS.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n The bill is sponsored by Social Compassion in Legislation<\/a> (SCIL), an organization that sponsors legislation to protect animals at the local, state or federal level. For the past eight years, SCIL has worked on local ordinances<\/a>\u00a0that ban animals bred in mills and promote adoption of shelter and rescue animals in pet stores. Successful campaigns in this effort have taken place in over 30 California cities, including Los Angeles, West Hollywood and Laguna Beach.<\/p>\n \u201cWe feel that we’ve reached a tipping point in support of these types of ordinances in California, and it\u2019s time to pass a statewide law,\u201d said Judie Mancuso, SCIL\u2019s founder and president. \u201cAnd Californians are on board with adopting from the shelters. This is especially true as the public becomes more and more informed about the poor treatment that animals coming from puppy mills endure. By moving these wonderful animals to storefronts with the help of the shelters and rescue groups, we increase the chances to unite these would-be adopters with their new best friend. The stores profit from services and product sale increases and also become a part of the solution of shelter overpopulation rather than part of the problem. It\u2019s a win-win for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n Among the supporters of AB 485 are the Lucy Pet Foundation<\/a>, the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter, the Sacramento SPCA and the State Humane Association of California. Locally, Friends of Long Beach Animals<\/a> (FOLBA), Healthy Spot<\/a>, spcaLA<\/a>, Fix Long Beach<\/a>\u00a0and Helen Sanders CatPAWS\u00a0<\/a>also stand in favor of the bill. [Disclosure:<\/strong> Author has volunteered for Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA), Fix Long Beach and Helen Sanders CatPAWS.]<\/p>\n \u201cThe Bill is straightforward, transparent and easy to understand,\u201d said Judy Crumpton, FOLBA member and former co-writer of The Scratching Post. \u201cIt goes straight to what it will accomplish: far more animal adoptions, less animal hoarding, and less euthanasia in animal shelters due to lack of homes, putting a much-needed dent in the inhumane business of cruel and filthy puppy and kitten mills that offer little to no veterinary care and a life of misery until the breeder animal either dies from exhaustion or is euthanized because he or she can no longer reproduce.\u201d<\/p>\n Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia also sent a letter of support for the bill.<\/p>\n \u201cBy prohibiting pet store owners from selling a live dog, cat, or rabbit\u2026unless the animal was obtained from a public animal control agency, non-profit shelter, or rescue group, AB 485 prioritizes and encourages animal adoption,\u201d Garcia wrote. \u201cThis legislation is consistent with a local ordinance that is already in place in Long Beach\u2026. Since the adoption of our local ordinance, Long Beach is proud to have many local pet stores working with our shelter and local rescue groups to adopt out animals in need.\u201d<\/p>\n Those in opposition to the bill include the California Retailers Association<\/a>, Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council<\/a> (PIJAC)\u00a0and English Cocker Spaniel Club of Southern California<\/a>. PIJAC\u2019s mission, as stated on its website, is to promote responsible pet ownership and animal welfare, to foster environmental stewardship, and to ensure the availability of pets. The organization develops educational programs for pet owners, the pet industry and industries related to pets, and governmental organizations that address all of these things. PIJAC has published guidelines<\/a>\u00a0for the retail pet industry and its employees.<\/p>\n \u201cWe in our industry have a responsibility to educate prospective pet owners,\u201d said Mike Bober, PIJAC\u2019s president. \u201cResponsible pet ownership begins with finding your ideal animal\u2014that is the best way to increase the chances of a lifelong relationship that cuts down shelter intake and euthanasia rates.\u201d<\/p>\n Bober said that with guidelines in place and by working directly with USDA to facilitate appropriate enforcement, AB 485 is not necessary. Furthermore, he said, the law would limit the availability of pets to loving homes.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, these laws don\u2019t accomplish what sponsors want them to, which we believe is to protect pets,\u201d Bober said. \u201cNationwide, only about five percent of dogs come from pet stores. Those stores, especially the ones based in California where there are regulations protecting transparency, the animals that are sold through pet stores actually provide the greatest level of consumer protection. Effective law requires that pet stores under federal law may only source dogs from USDA-licensed inspected breeders and only from breeders who are too small to qualify for licensure by USDA. More than anything, we\u2019re saddened by this, because the reason they choose to lump all breeders together as irresponsible harms efforts to address truly bad or unscrupulous breeders.\u201d<\/p>\n Bober also feels that if the bill passes, animals purchased from pet stores will no longer be covered under the state warranty law and purchasers will no longer have this protection. He added that breeders who break the law by evading USDA law certainly exist and agrees that it\u2019s cause for concern. However, he strongly questions the number of mill-type facilities cited by O\u2019Donnell.<\/p>\n \u201cThe suggestion that there are 10,000 puppy mills in the country we really think is disingenuous,\u201d Bober said. \u201cThe USDA\u2019s ability to oversee breeders helps to protect consumers. When groups say that all breeders are bad breeders, it takes attention from what we\u2019ve all agreed on. Breeders that retailers are allowed to work with are those who follow the law.\u201d<\/p>\n John Goodwin, senior director of HSUS\u2019s Stop Puppy Mills Campaign<\/a>, took issue with Bober disputing the estimated number of puppy mills across the country.<\/p>\n \u201cWe actually think it\u2019s a conservative estimate,\u201d Goodwin said. \u201cI also noticed that they heavily touted the fact that commercial breeders who supply pet stores are supposed to be USDA licensed and inspected. The pet industry waves around \u2018USDA licensed\u2019 as a sales pitch but neglects to mention that the USDA standards are incredibly weak. And what I am taking issue with is PIJAC\u2019s promotion of USDA licensed dog breeders. Most people would call 911 if they saw the sort of awful living conditions for puppy mill dogs that the USDA permits. A puppy mill can keep a dog in a wire cage that is only six inches longer than her body, for her entire life, and that is entirely legal. In addition to the standards being weak, the penalties are anemic as well. You know there is a problem when a puppy mill can let a dogs teeth rot, never get her vet care, and the penalty is less than a parking ticket.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Donnell\u2019s office further pointed out that the USDA recently removed the inspection reports and other information documenting animal abuse and neglect and now requires anyone requesting information about an entity fill out a request in compliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Critics say that this adds an extra step to anyone wanting to obtain information about animal practices by an entity.<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cReplacing a searchable database with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests is the antithesis of transparency and will endanger the lives of animals,\u201d spcaLA President Madeline Bernstein said. \u201cThe USDA works for American taxpayers. We have the right to know how our tax money is spent\u2026.Now more than ever, the animal welfare community must come together to protect those most vulnerable: animals used for commercial gain.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The English Cocker Spaniel Club did not respond to a request for a statement. O\u2019Donnell furthermore clarified that the Pet Rescue and Adoption Act is not directed at reputable licensed breeders.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to see why a breeding club would oppose this bill,\u201d Mancuso said. \u201cIn fact, the breeding club’s own code of ethics states that they do not condone the sale of its registered animals to pet shops.\u201d<\/p>\n Assemblymember O\u2019Donnell\u2019s office and SCIL are urging supporters of AB 485, the Pet Rescue and Adoption Act, to send letters of support to his office. A sample letter is available here<\/a>. For quick reference, a fact sheet about the bill is accessible here<\/a>.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\nAssemblymember O\u2019Donnell Introduces Legislation to Curtail Puppy and Kitten Mills<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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