Puppy Mill Legislation

A SPATE of law-enforcement raids on local dog breeders in January uncovered horrific conditions as well as the news that Washington had no statewide law to crack down on puppy mills. State lawmakers corrected this oversight with a strong bill passed by the Legislature this week. The bill prohibits breeders from possessing more than 50 non-neutered dogs older than 6 months at one time. It sets standards for kennel size, exercise and sanitary conditions. The bill's language is a clarion call for basic humane treatment of dogs. Breeders will have to provide clean food and water, keep cages clean and allow dogs to leave their cages for at least an hour a day. Violators could be charged with a gross misdemeanor.

Even though I prefer no legislation of this type, it is probably inevitable that this kind of law would be proposed. The problem is that once it becomes law, then it will, over time, be amended. And amendments are always more and more restrictive. The number of dogs allowed will be reduced, the standards will get tighter and tighter. And eventually, dog breeding will become pretty much illegal.

Hmmm... Not Sure On This One

The Supreme Court agreed Monday to take up an unusual free-speech case to decide whether the government can make it a crime to sell or own videos portraying dog fighting or other acts of animal cruelty.

I have a problem with these types of laws. Yes, I know they are used to fight child pornography... But, I'm not too happy with restrictions of free speech. I guess it matters what the courts and legislatures will consider animal cruelty. Is a vet cropping dog ears, tails or dewclaws engaging in animal cruelty? In some countries, the law says 'yes'. Is dog training with a chain or prong collar animal cruelty? In some places, the law says 'yes'. Is putting a dog in an airline crate animal cruelty? Possibly. Some cities are passing laws defining the enclosure sizes for animals. So, a lot of the criteria for 'animal cruelty' is pretty arbitrary, and when we are talking about penalties that might include prison, I'm not happy with these types of laws.

Arizona Dog Owners - Be Responsible!

YUMA, Ariz. - The Imperial County Sheriff's Office plans to pursue charges against the owner of the pack of dogs that fatally mauled a man last month near the California-Arizona border.

Look, you need to properly contain and supervise your dogs. There is no more 'one free bite' rule anywhere. There are times when a dog bite is justified, such as if the dog is being teased or the owner is being attacked by a criminal... but otherwise, you are in trouble if your dog bites someone. It is more important than ever these days to properly socialize, train, supervise and manage your dogs.