- Target:
- Pennsylvania Legislation
- Region:
- United States of America
- Website:
- www.kiwipup.com
There are over 2,100 commercial breeding kennels in Pennsylvania. In many of these kennels, these dogs are being over bred, abused, neglected, and often killed when they can no longer produce. Their living conditions are appalling.
Many of them are living in cages too small for their size with floors of chicken wire or rabbit fencing. They almost never get exercise and when they do it’s often not enough. Many of the dogs rescued from these kennels do not even know how to walk because their cages are so small that once rescued they must be rehabilitated to walk.
When they are puppies they have metal chains put on their necks and as they grow the chains do not and they often become imbedded in their necks. They are often kept in areas with no climate control and are exposed to the harsh winter conditions and the suffocating heat in the summer. Sometimes these dogs have vocal cord damage by a pipe in order to keep them from barking. The female breeding dogs often have tumors and cancer from over breeding and nursing.
The breeders who run these kennels see these animals as nothing more than a “cash crop”. To them they are like harvesting a crop in a field. They do not consider these animals to have feelings. Their idea of euthanizing and animal are often shooting them in a field. They do not understand the concept of letting a dog live in the house or in a family environment.
Save The Puppies & Support the Bills
Please Support Westmoreland County Representative James Casorio, Berks County Representative Thomas Caltagirone, and Bucks County Representative Gene DiGirolano have all proposed House Bills (2525, 2532, and 499) to create stricter kennel breeding conditions and stricter fines for those who break the law.
If these laws are passed only veterinarians will be able to perform medical procedures on the dogs (such as ear cropping, debarking, caesarian sections, and euthanasia), where as now it is not illegal for the breeders to perform these procedures in unsanitary conditions and while causing the animal great pain. The dog wardens who inspect commercial kennels will also be given the power to file cruelty charges against kennels who are not meeting the standards passed in these laws.
Dogs over twelve weeks old will have better living conditions such as: double the current size of cage requirements, exams by a licensed veterinarian once a year or during every pregnancy, solid floors to live on, adequate outdoor exercise space, and limits on the stacking of cages. For all dogs in the kennels they would require the dogs to be removed from cages when being cleaned, clean water always provided, temperatures to be kept between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, sufficient lightening and ventilation, and smoke alarms and fire extinguishers be kept in all kennels.
These laws will also impose stricter fines and punishments to those who perform any act of cruelty on these animals.
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Save the Puppies! petition to Pennsylvania Legislation was written by KiwiKoko and is in the category Animal Welfare at GoPetition.