The Pet Animal Welfare Statute
(PAWS)
Friends of animals and opponents of
cruelty,
Here's an opportunity to materially, substantially help
abused dogs, cats, and other companion animals, with very
little effort. Some of you may have already seen this email
alert from the Humane Society of the United States, about a
pending piece of legislation that would enable USDA
inspectors to see the ugliness of puppy mill operations up
close. At any time, please click on the link in the "Take
Action" paragraph, and urge your Senators and Representative
to support PAWS, because it provides a basis for the USDA to
prosecute puppy mills that engage in animal cruelty.
Dear Friend,
If you could put a federal inspector inside a puppy mill
-- one of those large, unsanitary and largely inhumane
breeding operations that has never known regulation
before -- would you? Well, now's your chance.
The Pet Animal Welfare Statute, or PAWS, will allow the
U.S. Department of Agriculture to inspect puppy mills
that are currently beyond the reach of federal law.
These mass commercial breeders are taking advantage of a
loophole in the Animal Welfare Act that allows them to
sell puppies directly to the public and avoid all
federal oversight. This means that no matter how
horrific the conditions may be at the puppy mill, the
USDA is not permitted to even look at the animals.
[My comment: This is crazy. It makes a mockery of the
law.]
PAWS would change all this. Carefully written to avoid
covering smaller "hobby breeders," PAWS would make sure
that large breeding operations (those that sell seven or
more litters in a year) are subject to the minimum
requirements of the AWA.
Despite the bill's humane intentions, businesses that
profit from mass producing puppies are opposing PAWS.
These individuals have launched an aggressive
misinformation campaign to scare animal rescue groups
into believing that they would be covered under PAWS.
Nothing could be further from
the truth. Don't let those who profit from the
factory-style breeding of puppies win in their effort to
keep the doors shut on puppy mills.
1. Take
action. Contact your Senators and Representative
and urge them to co-sponsor and strongly support the Pet
Animal Welfare Statute (PAWS).
Click here to contact your legislators now.
2. Make
a call. The puppy mill lobby is working hard to
scare and confuse rescue groups into opposing PAWS. Your
voice is needed NOW to help dogs in puppy mills. Please
take a moment to make a short phone call urging your
Senators and Representative to co-sponsor and strongly
support the PAWS legislation.
Click here for a sample phone script and to look up
your Senators' and Representative's phone numbers.
3.
Spread the word. Every single U.S. Senator and
Representative needs to hear from constituents who care
about animals. Ask your friends and family to call their
Senators and Representatives as well.
Click here to tell five friends to take action now.
Without PAWS, mass breeding operations will continue to
escape federal oversight, and the animals will continue
to suffer.
Thank you for taking action and for all you do on behalf
of animals,
Wayne Pacelle
President & CEO
The Humane Society of the United States
Do you see the similarities between puppy mills and factory
farms? Puppy mills are just mini-factory farms. The animals
are mere things. The owners have no empathy for their
"property." They do the minimum possible to get the product
to market. They fight animal welfare laws and evade
inspections because they'd rather reap bigger profits than
treat their animals well. They keep normally energetic,
playful, social, and intelligent animals in cramped, filthy
cages.
Puppy mills flood the market with mass-produced puppies and
kittens. Shelter animals have to vie for attention with
these pedigreed products of misery, and they die because of
the increased competition. Too many homeless animals, too
few homes.
PAWS won't eliminate puppy mills, but it may get rid of the
worst of the worst, and force minor improvements in the
rest. Please let your elected officials know that you
support this welcome and long overdue enhancement to the
Animal Welfare Act. You don't have to write a long letter. A
two-sentence email or 30-second phone will do just fine.
The next step after passage of PAWS is to greatly increase
the number of USDA inspectors, so that inspections are
frequent enough to enforce the minimal requirements of the
law.