Make Puppy Mills Obey the Law
Home Defining No-Kill No-Kill Resources Shelter Law
 
 

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.