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Reps. Patrick Meehan (R-PA) and Jim Gerlach (R-PA) visited the Francisvale Shelter for Smaller Animals, in Radnor, Thursday to promote legislation they said will clampdown on puppy mills and protect pet owners.
“There’s great concern about conditions when you’re looking at these kinds of animals not as pets, but as cash crops,” Meehan said.
The Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety, or PUPS, Act is aimed at stopping the inhumane treatment of dogs at large breeding kennels, not breeders who sell fewer than 50 dogs per year.
Gerlach said the bill will close a loophole in the Federal Animal Welfare Act used by puppy mill operators to evade reasonable regulations and standards by selling dogs on the Internet. Pennsylvania is one of the leading puppy mill states in the country, the representatives said.
Meehan said between two to four million dogs brought up in puppy mills are sold in pet stores each year.
The representatives said they have 110 co-sponsors on the bill in the House and they are also working with several organizations, like the Humane Society of the United States, to get the legislation passed.
The Francisvale Shelter for Smaller Animals, the site of the representatives’ news conference, is the country’s oldest no-kill animal shelter. Started in 1909, the non-profit no-kill shelter has a mission to accept adoptable cats and dogs and provide loving care while looking for permanent homes.
For more information about the country’s oldest no-kill animal shelter visit:
Francisvale Homes for Smaller Animals
328 Upper Gulph Road
Radnor, PA 19087
610-688-1018′
Read more here.
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