We know the drill. We’ve heard it repeatedly. The USDA fails over and over again to enforce
Animal Welfare laws. Puppy mills and bad actors get fines dismissed, continue to operate with no loss of income, the animals sit in filthy cages, sick, wounded, dying, and the USDA just keeps shuffling paper.
John Woestendiek of Ohmidog! said a new report released May 26 by the USDA’s Office of the Inspector General blames ”lax enforcement” noting an Oklahoma case where 27 dogs died at a puppy mill. The place had been inspected on multiple occasions and was cited for 29 violations in less than one year. What kind of horrific infraction must occur before puppy factories are shut down?
When an inspector returned to the Oklahoma facility, and before any enforcement had taken place, he found 5 dead dogs and other starving dogs had resorted to cannibalism. This two-year review, between 2006 -2008, showed that more than half of the large commercial puppy mills were repeat offenders.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack distanced himself saying he was not in office during the period of inspection, pledging changes in operating and training procedures to include immediately removing dogs who are sick and/or dying.
The Federal report states that Department inspectors thought that through educating the dealer they could reach compliance. Even after years of no results? That would assume some integrity–on the part of the puppy millers and the inspectors themselves.
Whatever inspectors handed out 29 citations without removing animals…what do I say, hooray for you, at least you handed out citations? I would guess there are plenty of some good people employed in this effort. I would love to hear them blow whistles on those not interested in doing their jobs or point to those embroiled in any back room deals with the commercial puppy mills involved. There are plenty of people out of work who would like a decent job.
The report from The Boston Globe mentioned that the Inspector General made it clear that many commercial breeders were circumventing the law due to a loophole in the Animal Welfare Act. The loophole allows them to operate online without a license and therefore without inspection. He mentioned 112 breeders in 8 states were being monitored .
Late news, Senator’s Dick Durbin of IL. and David Vitter of LA are co-sponsoring a bill in the Senate to close the loophole in the Animal Welfare Act that allows the unlicensed sale of pets over the internet. They have announced their joint effort, the PUPS Act (Puppy Uniform Protection Statute S3424) and the House is not far behind. We’ve been hearing about someone doing something to stop this practice for months, and it may be, since they can’t agree on anything else, the bill has a good chance of passing.
Photo: MEHaight, TN Puppy Mill Dog, at Anti-Cruelty, Chicago
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I guess I'm heartened by the new bill co-sponsored by Durban and Vitter; I hope it passes. But I'm not holding my breath that, even if it does, that things will improve any time soon. The report of the USDA failure — plus the pictures of oil-soaked birds from the Gulf — have really been disturbing. Two steps backward, one step forward isn't going to get us anywhere is it?
Gloomily yours…
I know what you mean about the gloomy bit…it's why I sometimes run to funny videos for relief! And to underscore your sign off, it's been my experience that these bills are great flags to wave, but the puppy mill stakeholders like the AKC, partnering with NRA for these efforts, lobbyists for the big commercial puppy mills, and members of Congress cowed and financially supported by these groups will gut whatever bill tries to make it to the floor. What's worse is that they just get shelved. No one who gets a buck from these groups seems willing to go against their own economic interests in favor of being humane to animals. Groan.
Well, now I'm going to read up on those links you provided in your post today on music Through a Dog's Ear, and calming effects, esp for the anxious and fearful. Calming effects are what I need! Thanks for stopping in, Edie! (yes, I did get some of those pics LA's oil soaked coastlines shared on my FB page. There was one with a dragonfly whose tail and a bit of the wings got coated.)
In cases like this, I'd really like to see an "eye for an eye" punishment. Let's lock theses people up in small cages, let them starve, and provide no oversight about the conditions of imprisonment. Wow, that felt good to say!
Yes, it's really hard not to think dark thoughts about people who allow abuse to happen–thought the idea was that once we knew better, we would do better…I think they should hire people like us to do this job. Nobody would get away with a thing if there were enough of us in the Department!
I'd like to believe otherwise, but unfortunately I think as a race, we humans have not evolved far enough to understand and apperciate the value of animal life. After all, they're just dogs aren't they?
I was the guest on DogTalk tonight, and we were talking about the problem of employees in jobs they could care less about (like gvt run Animal Care and Control). These agencies need to hire those who can't be bought and who won't just "sit down and shut up" about animal abuse and laws being broken. Thanks for stopping by, Jim!
I was at a veterinary recertification meeting last week run by USDA, and one of the (very nice) USDA vets said about puppy mill inspection being a branch of USDA, "Unfortunately, I think things sometimes get put in our department because the government doesn't know where else to put them." The focus of many Nebraska pet advocates the last few years has been yelling about keeping ENOUGH inspectors in the system to stay on a routine inspection (instead of emergency only) system, and get puppy mills in the state shut down. I am sad that Nebraska is known as one of the big puppy mill states. I hope that changes soon.
*whispering* Great job at #dogtalk Mary!
Thanks Dr. Shawn for sharing that experience:) I know the gvt just piles stuff on agencies and with what seems an obvious conflict of interest, you'd think they'd put that responsibility elsewhere. Maybe it's time for public-private partnerships to get the job done. And thanks re DogTalk – moves so fast! You'll have fun being the guest next week!