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Lehigh Valley Animal Rights Coalition
End the Crime of Stolen Pets
Out of five million family pets reported missing each year, as many as two million are stolen. The majority of these pets end up at research institutions because the multibillion dollar animal research industry creates the supply and demand for stolen dogs and cats. Many more pets are purloined from owners who take out "free to good home" ads. Often these dogs and cats wind up in the hands of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) licensed "B" dealers, who turn around and sell them to research facilities for hundreds of dollars each.
There are laws against this practice but that hasn't stopped the criminals. In 1990, Congress passed a law requiring "B" dealers to keep records verifying the legal sources of dogs and cats. But the USDA, with only 70 inspectors responsible for overseeing 13,000 different sites, has said that 52 % of "B" dealers' records are incomplete, incorrect or fraudulent.
On February 5, Representative Charles Canady (R-FL) introduced H.R. 594, known as the Pet Safety and Protection Act of 1997. The bill is designed to prohibit the sale of dogs and cats to research facilities by USDA Class B random source dealers. This is Canady's second attempt to eliminate this category of unscrupulous animal dealers. His effort last year led to a hearing before a House Subcommittee but no action was taken. Over three decades ago, the Laboratory Animal Welfare Act was designed to enhance the protection of all animals. It established laws for the proper acquisition and care of animals used by the research community for "necessary experimentation". In subsequent years, amendments to the Act have been added to help realize these objectives. H.R. 594 represents an important contribution to this process.
The National Humane Education Society and other national animal groups support efforts to eliminate random source dealers. To date, the Pet Safety and Protection act has 26 cosponsors in the House. Unfortunately, no equivalent legislation has yet been introduced in the Senate, so it is important to voice the need for development of a Senate version and to encourage your congresspersons to support H.R. 594. Remember, this bill would end the heartbreaking crime of stolen family pets being sold for research purposes.
Courtesy of The National Humane Education Society |
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