Oklahoma Cracks Down on Puppy Mills

State Representative Lee Denney (R)-Cushing has introduced a bill, the Pet Quality Assurance Act--a.k.a. the puppy mill bill--that was passed in the state House by a vote of 74-26.

"For too long, Oklahoma's lax regulation had fostered an environment where unlicensed dog breeders know they won't face serious penalties until they have completely crossed the line onto outright cruelty," said Denney.

Oklahoma is one of the largest exporters of puppies in the U.S. spreading thousands and thousands of dogs around the country. It is also the only state with a high number of breeders and no state regulations. This act would require the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to license and regulate breeders that buy or sell at least 35 dogs or cats in the state in a year.

It would also allow the agency to inspect facilities to ensure animals are receiving adequate care, based on federal standards, with violations resulting in fines between $50 and $2,500 per incident.

Some are in disagreement with the new bill, like the AKC (who has already been compared to the KKK). The AKC promotes breeders at any cost. Why? Because they make money, and a lot of it, off registering these puppies from what they like to call "high-volume breeders."

While they don’t actually inspect most facilities, or provide any type of guarantee about the health of puppies, they’re sure happy to take fees for registration.

In 2006 the American Kennel Club (AKC) registered 870,000 individual dogs and 416,000 litters. At $20 per dog and $25 per litter (plus $2 per puppy), AKC brought in well over $30 million in revenues from registration of dogs born in puppy mills, according to Best Friends.

Regardless of opposition from groups and individuals, puppy mills need to be stopped. A lack of legislation in this area is also placing an unfair burden on responsible breeders who have to compete with puppy mills.

And remember, every eight seconds an animal in a shelter is put to death because of the overpopulation of pets in this country, and 25 percent of those dogs were purebred. When people buy from places like pet stores, it’s just giving puppy mill breeders incentive to keep on doing what they’re doing.

While this bill still has to pass in the Senate, let’s hope the House vote is an indication of what’s to come so puppies and dogs like Eva can be spared a life of misery.

For info on what you can do, check out The Truth About Oklahoma Puppy Mill’s website.

http://www.care2.com/