HARRISBURG – Dogs in commercial breeding kennels will benefit greatly with legislation that would raise the minimum standards for those businesses, Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff told a state House panel today. 

House Bill 2525, introduced last month, would strengthen current dog laws and provide better standards for the health and safety of dogs in commercial breeding kennels without affecting other types of kennels that house dogs. 

“Under current law, a kennel owner can choose to confine dogs in small, stacked, wire-floored cages with no heat, no opportunity for exercise, and no routine medical care.  There are commercial breeding kennels operating with those conditions today, and it is completely legal under the current Pennsylvania Dog Law,” Wolff told the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee.  “House Bill 2525 would help dogs in commercial breeding kennels live more comfortable, healthy lives.”

Among other protections for dogs, House Bill 2525 doubles the minimum floor space for dogs and requires solid flooring, as well as access to an outdoor exercise area twice the size of the dog’s primary enclosure.  The legislation would also mandate annual veterinary care, and eliminate the stacking of cages for adult dogs.

Current law treats all kennels the same, regardless of size or function.  The proposed legislation would allow the health and welfare needs of the dogs housed in large commercial breeding kennels to be addressed.

Requirements are virtually unchanged for other types of kennels, like sporting and hobby dog kennels, because they do not operate with the purpose of breeding large quantities of dogs to sell for profit.  Instead, they operate for the purpose of sporting, hobby, boarding or saving dogs. 

Wolff said that some opponents of the legislation have suggested that small, specialized kennels would be impacted by the new legislation.  Wolff clarified that only those kennels meeting the specific definition of a commercial breeding kennel would need to make cage size and exercise area improvements.  The only new requirements for other types of kennels would be the addition of fire extinguishers, as well as exercise plans approved by a veterinarian.

Wolff used the opportunity to set the record straight on some other recurring myths about the proposed legislation.  He assured the committee that the new standards would improve – not end – commercial breeding.

“I want to be clear that we are not seeking to end commercial breeding operations in Pennsylvania.  We, instead, are seeking to raise the bar on these operations, which are clearly different from other types of kennels,” said Wolff “Commercial kennels breed dogs in very large quantities, and the profit motive impacts the welfare of the dogs in many of these operations because our Dog Law allows it to. These dogs live permanently in these facilities as their many litters of pups are born and leave.  These are the dogs that need this legislation.”

Wolff said that some groups have erroneously described increased enforcement tools in the legislation as unreasonable. 

“House Bill 2525 includes enforcement changes that are absolutely critical in order to properly enforce the Dog Law,” said Wolff.  “I want to be clear with you that if you have been told these enforcement tools are unreasonable concepts, you have been misinformed.”

The changes to enforcement in House Bill 2525 include the ability to obtain an administrative search warrant for the purpose of inspecting a kennel, the ability to compel timely inspections by posting an order at the kennel, and statutory penalty improvements within the Dog Law.

Additionally, the legislation seeks to implement penalty amounts for criminal convictions.  Current, penalty amounts are not statutory defined, and often results in convictions that only amount to very small fines.  Wolff said these small fines are like a slap on the wrist when someone is selling dogs at hundreds of dollars per dog.  The legislation would also add civil penalties, providing the Department a less punitive option for addressing problem kennels.

The proposed legislation is a result of Governor Edward G. Rendell’s effort to improve living conditions for dogs in Pennsylvania kennels.  Since 2006, Governor Rendell has made improvements to the staffing and enforcement efforts of the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, which oversees the inspection and licensing of kennels.

For more information on the proposed legislation overhauling Pennsylvania’s Dog Law, visit www.DogLawAction.com

 

###