Doris Day Animal League Accuses USDA of Sanctioning Puppy Mills and Ignoring the Animal Welfare Act With Proposed New Rule.

Business Editors

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 22, 2000

The Doris Day Animal League expressed outrage today in response to last minute legislative efforts from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to circumvent the intent of the Animal Welfare Act by creating a new rule which would exempt non commercial pet store (puppy mills), hunting and security dealers from complying with the Act and enabling the USDA to dodge a current lawsuit filed by the DDAL and other humane organizations filed May 11, 2000.

In its latest move, the USDA proposes a new rule which, according to Holly Hazard, Executive Director of the Doris Day Animal League, "changes the regulations to exempt all dealers of breeding, security or hunting dogs from the regulations because the agency has arbitrarily defined them as `stores.' This new language will make their current illegal policy a regulation. It is an outrage that the only federal agency charged with specifically protecting these animals will formally continue to not only ignore documented cases of chronic animal cruelty BUT create new policy which will encourage horrific conditions."

The agency will review objections to the proposed changes in the Act, and all comments must be received by Feb. 2, 2001. DDAL is urging the humane community to formally object to the proposed new changes in writing by sending four copies of a letter To Docket No. 99-087-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Suite 3Coe, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, Md. 20737-1238.

The Animal Welfare Act was passed in 1966 to ensure that dog breeders provided humane care and treatment for animals, including adequate housing, ample food and water, reasonable handling, basic disease prevention, decent sanitation and sufficient ventilation. Despite countless documented cases of animal abuse and a current lawsuit filed by the Doris Day Animal League and other animal protection organizations, the USDA has continued to violate the Animal Welfare Act by exempting dealers of hunting, breeding and security dogs from compliance, therefore continuing documented abuse in the puppy breeding industry. There is currently no federal recourse for the animal or the people who purchase the animals, because dealers selling them directly to the public are not regulated by the USDA.

The Doris Day Animal League was founded in 1987 by Doris Day to seek permanent changes in local, state and federal legislation to protect animals and has successfully sponsored numerous bills. For more information on the Doris Day Animal League, visit their Web site: www.ddal.org.