PA dogs need your help

From Cindy McDevitt, Best Friends Ambassador:

Dog lovers and lawmakers rallied at the State Capitol in Harrisburg, PA, May 14 to support new legislation for improving Pennsylvania's large commercial breeding kennels (puppy mills), targeting approximately 650 large-scale breeders. The bill defines commercial kennels as any facility that sells dogs to a dealer or pet shop, or sells more than 60 dogs a year.

Representative's James E. Casorio, Thomas R. Caltagirone and Gene D. DiGirolamo; and Special Deputy Secretary for Dog Law Enforcement Jessie Smith all spoke to the crowd with such enthusiasm and hope. People came in from the Lancaster area and even New Jersey.

A package of three bills: House Bill 2525, 2532 and 499 will mandate access to outdoor exercise areas which are to be twice the size of their (new) cage size, double the floor space and require solid flooring of cages, no longer allow any stacking of cages, clean water at all times, daily cleaning standards, lighting/ventilation standards, controlled temperature of 50-85 degrees, fire extinguishers in place.

They will also require some surgical procedures only be done by a licensed veterinarian, such as Cesareans and debarking. One sweet little puppy who was debarked by the practice of shoving a metal rod down her throat was present in the crowd.

As far as cruelty to animals, the legislation also requires owners of confiscated animals to pay for the costs of the animals care while it is confiscated, or give up ownership; increases the penalty for misdemeanor and felony animal cruelty; allows dog wardens to file charges of cruelty; and the dogs can no longer be shot after their money-producing days are over.

What you can do
The dogs still need YOUR HELP. These are fast acting bill -- they want to have them in force by June 30, which means that we need you to contact your legislators within the ASAP. They have a tremendous amount of support, but still need more!

For More Information
Please, visit the official PA website www.doglawaction.com to find out more, such as how to contact your legislator, or find a local newspaper to write a letter. You can also sign up for additional news and updates.