Puppy mill bill gaining momentum

ROANOKE RAPIDS — A bill to regulate commercial dog breeding operations currently being considered in the General Assembly is generating some excitement among local animal shelters and concerned citizens, many of whom think it is long overdue.

Sometimes referred to as the Puppy Mill Bill, the legislation defines commercial breeding operations and provides specific guidelines for the operation of such a facility, a licensing requirement, an inspection process to ensure compliance, as well as penalties for failing to comply.

The bill, HB 733 in the House of Representatives and SB 460 in the senate, is sponsored by two area lawmakers, Rep. Lucy T. Allen and Sen. Ed Jones. At this time, the two other local representatives of the valley area, Michael Wray, in District 27  and Angela Bryant, in District 7, are not listed as co-sponsors of the bill and could not be reached to ask if they plan to support the bill.

Mike Markarian, executive president of The Humane Society of the United States, has written a letter to many N.C. animal shelters asking them to encourage their supporters to contact their representatives about supporting and voting for the bill.

“Puppy mills are breeding facilities that mass-produce puppies for sale in pet stores, over the Internet and directly to the public,” Markarian said in the letter. “Dogs at puppy mills are often stacked in filthy wire cages, often with little or no veterinary care or human interaction, and treated not like pets but like a cash crop. Mother dogs are constantly bred and kept in continual confinement. They are destroyed or discarded when they can no longer churn out puppies.”

Markarian said law enforcement raids of breeding operations have uncovered hundreds of dogs living in deplorable conditions, proving that puppy mills are a serious problem in North Carolina.

Allen has said she is passionate about getting this bill passed but wanted small, home breeders and hunters who breed sporting dogs to know the bill is not targeting them. Section Two of the bill clearly defines commercial breeding operations as “any person who, during any 12-month period, maintains 15 or more adult female dogs for the primary purpose of the sale of their offspring as companion animals.”

The definition goes further and states, the bill “shall not include those kennels or establishments operated primarily for the purpose of boarding or training hunting, sporting, herding or guide dogs.”

Donna May, one of the founders of Down East Animal Refuge (DEAR), a “no-kill” animal shelter in Scotland Neck, said she was thrilled by this new bill and is also urging everyone to support it. The DEAR shelter is full and cannot take in any more animals, so she is also passionate about slowing the number of unwanted or abused dogs in North Carolina.

“This is a great first-step in regulating the breeding of dogs in North Carolina,” May said, “But it (the laws regulating dog breeding) should eventually be more like our neighbor to the north, Virginia.” May said a large portion of the people who contact DEAR about adopting dogs are from Virginia because the stringent laws there have reduced the number of unwanted dogs in that state. She would like to see that happen in North Carolina soon.

“One female dog can have six to eight puppies in one litter and eventually generate 600 or more dogs in her lifetime, so something must be done to reduce the number of unwanted dogs and cats in North Carolina,” May said.

Local PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) representative Emily Allen said she didn’t know the details of the proposed legislation in N.C. but would support any regulation of commercial breeding operations in the state. The Norfolk PETA affiliate she works with operates an animal clinic in Emporia, Va. and transports dogs from the Roanoke Rapids area there for free or reduced cost spay and neutering, as well as basic veterinary care.

May also pointed out the numbers of unwanted animals has increased as the economy has taken a downturn. “The cost of pet foods has risen, sometimes dramatically and that is becoming a big problem, not just for pet owners, but for us as well. Many people find they can no longer feed their animals and begin looking for help in finding them a new home. We really need to do something to slow the numbers down and this is a good first step.”