News
Sports
ENLARGE
Oregon has no statewide laws to regulate or limit puppy mills. Our state must do better for man’s best friend, and the Oregon House of Representatives can do so Tuesday with the passage of H.B. 2470, the Oregon Puppy Protection Act.
This new bill creates one of the most effective and comprehensive puppy mill laws in the nation. It would cap the number of breeding dogs in mass breeding facilities and require basic humane care standards including provisions that dogs be allowed out of their cages daily, and be kept in clean, well-ventilated facilities. The bill will not affect responsible hobby breeders.
Puppy mills are breeding facilities that mass-produce puppies for sale in pet stores, over the Internet, and directly to the public. Dogs are kept in filthy wire cages or kennels, often with little veterinary care of human interaction, and they are treated not like pets but like cash crops. Mother dogs are constantly bred and kept in continuous confinement. They are destroyed or discarded when they can no longer churn out puppies.
In the past few years, five notorious puppy mills in Oregon were investigated and shut down by law enforcement authorities. In all five cases, dozens or hundreds of dogs were discovered living in filthy, crowded and inhumane conditions. House Bill 2470, the Oregon Puppy Protection Act, will accomplish four things:
• First, it restricts dog breeding operations to 50 sexually intact dogs over two years of age kept primarily for purposes of reproduction. By capping the size of these mass-breeding operations, the legislation will enable humane investigators and law enforcement to more effectively and efficiently deal with complaints about dogs living in squalor and receiving inadequate care. This is why the Oregon Animal Control Council, representing animal control officers and humane agents from throughout Oregon, has endorsed HB 2470. It is also why animal control officers and prosecutors have testified to the Legislature that a cap is absolutely necessary to investigate these facilities and take necessary action to protect animals in facilities that do not comply.
• Second, it establishes modest, common-sense minimum care standards so that dogs are provided with a minimum amount of space and exercise. Simply put, the bill requires that dogs be allowed to stand up, turn around, and lie down in their enclosure. It also requires that dogs be given at least one hour of exercise outside their cages every day.
• Third, it requires pet breeders and dealers to provide consumers with information regarding a dog’s place of origin, history, registration information, and any medical conditions or treatment.
• Fourth, it provides buyers with specific legal rights if they purchase a puppy that has medical, congenital, or hereditary conditions at the time of sale.
Breeding dogs at puppy mills are forced to live a life devoid of the things that dogs need: Exercise, clean living space, medical care, and the love and attention of people. These facilities may not always be illegal, but they are almost always inhumane, and the puppies are often sick of suffering from hereditary defects and lack of necessary veterinary care.
A broad coalition of groups and individuals have spoken in favor of HB 2470, including the Oregon Humane Society, Oregon Animal Control Council, veterinarians, dog breeders, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and individuals who live with dogs that originated at puppy mills.
Throughout the bill’s journey through the House, it has become clear that few, if any, reputable breeders in Oregon keep more than 50 breeding dogs. That means only puppy mill operators – the intended targets of this legislation – will be affected.
The Humane Society of the United States encourages those looking to buy a puppy to thoroughly research a breeder, and to personally visit the breeding facility to confirm that the conditions are humane. Visit www.humanesociety.org/puppy for more information on how to locate a responsible breeder.
Scott Beckstead, who lives in Sutherlin, has been senior Oregon director of The Humane Society of the United States of since June,2008. His e-mail address is sbeckstead@humanesociety.org
This new bill creates one of the most effective and comprehensive puppy mill laws in the nation. It would cap the number of breeding dogs in mass breeding facilities and require basic humane care standards including provisions that dogs be allowed out of their cages daily, and be kept in clean, well-ventilated facilities. The bill will not affect responsible hobby breeders.
Puppy mills are breeding facilities that mass-produce puppies for sale in pet stores, over the Internet, and directly to the public. Dogs are kept in filthy wire cages or kennels, often with little veterinary care of human interaction, and they are treated not like pets but like cash crops. Mother dogs are constantly bred and kept in continuous confinement. They are destroyed or discarded when they can no longer churn out puppies.
In the past few years, five notorious puppy mills in Oregon were investigated and shut down by law enforcement authorities. In all five cases, dozens or hundreds of dogs were discovered living in filthy, crowded and inhumane conditions. House Bill 2470, the Oregon Puppy Protection Act, will accomplish four things:
• First, it restricts dog breeding operations to 50 sexually intact dogs over two years of age kept primarily for purposes of reproduction. By capping the size of these mass-breeding operations, the legislation will enable humane investigators and law enforcement to more effectively and efficiently deal with complaints about dogs living in squalor and receiving inadequate care. This is why the Oregon Animal Control Council, representing animal control officers and humane agents from throughout Oregon, has endorsed HB 2470. It is also why animal control officers and prosecutors have testified to the Legislature that a cap is absolutely necessary to investigate these facilities and take necessary action to protect animals in facilities that do not comply.
• Second, it establishes modest, common-sense minimum care standards so that dogs are provided with a minimum amount of space and exercise. Simply put, the bill requires that dogs be allowed to stand up, turn around, and lie down in their enclosure. It also requires that dogs be given at least one hour of exercise outside their cages every day.
• Third, it requires pet breeders and dealers to provide consumers with information regarding a dog’s place of origin, history, registration information, and any medical conditions or treatment.
• Fourth, it provides buyers with specific legal rights if they purchase a puppy that has medical, congenital, or hereditary conditions at the time of sale.
Breeding dogs at puppy mills are forced to live a life devoid of the things that dogs need: Exercise, clean living space, medical care, and the love and attention of people. These facilities may not always be illegal, but they are almost always inhumane, and the puppies are often sick of suffering from hereditary defects and lack of necessary veterinary care.
A broad coalition of groups and individuals have spoken in favor of HB 2470, including the Oregon Humane Society, Oregon Animal Control Council, veterinarians, dog breeders, prosecutors, law enforcement officers, and individuals who live with dogs that originated at puppy mills.
Throughout the bill’s journey through the House, it has become clear that few, if any, reputable breeders in Oregon keep more than 50 breeding dogs. That means only puppy mill operators – the intended targets of this legislation – will be affected.
The Humane Society of the United States encourages those looking to buy a puppy to thoroughly research a breeder, and to personally visit the breeding facility to confirm that the conditions are humane. Visit www.humanesociety.org/puppy for more information on how to locate a responsible breeder.
Scott Beckstead, who lives in Sutherlin, has been senior Oregon director of The Humane Society of the United States of since June,2008. His e-mail address is sbeckstead@humanesociety.org
