(Columbus) – Despite assurances by Pennsylvania’s administration that new kennel proposals are not intended to burden sportsmen, recent proposals to address abusive commercial dog breeders will continue to put sporting kennels and hobby breeders at risk.
Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration recently unveiled revised dog care regulations and a legislative package aimed at commercial breeding kennels and animal abusers. The proposals will continue to classify many sporting dog kennels as commercial breeders, which will mandate restrictions that will make it nearly impossible to maintain such facilities.
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance, along with members of its Sporting Dog Defense Coalition, alerted the administration of this and other flaws found during an initial review of the draft. The USSA will issue complete comments after analyzing the entire 100-page proposal.
Officials within the Rendell administration have agreed to consider sportsmen’s concerns. The USSA remains hopeful that these issues will be addressed as the process proceeds.
For nearly a year, the Sporting Dog Defense Coalition has been working with Pennsylvania’s sporting dog community and other dog interests to wage an education campaign aimed at the original dog law regulations introduced in 2006 by the Department of Agriculture. While the department claimed the regulations would have targeted only “puppy mills,” the regulations would have devastated sporting dog kennels, hobby breeders, boarding kennels, rescue kennels and more.
From the beginning the sporting dog community has argued that the problem must be addressed by the legislature where a clear cut distinction can be made in the dog law between large commercial operations and private kennels.
The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is a national association of sportsmen and sportsmen’s organization that protects the rights of hunters, anglers and trappers in the courts, legislatures, at the ballot, in Congress and through public education programs. For more information about the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and its work, call (614) 888-4868 or visit its website, www.ussportsmen.org.
