Politics on the Hudson

‘Tis the season for gift giving and it’s not unheard of for that gift to be a new pet. To that end, state Assemblyman Greg Ball wants to make sure new puppies and kittens don’t come from an inhumane puppy or kitten mill. Such facilities have been decried by the Humane Society of the United States. I’ll let the assemblyman speak for himself after the break.

BALL URGES THE PUBLIC TO NOT BUY PETS FROM PUPPY/KITTEN MILLS

Urges Albany to Address Legislation That Would Protect Animals

With the holiday season upon us, Assemblyman Greg Ball (R – Carmel) met with
members of the Putnam County Humane Society and the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Westchester to urge the public to
refrain from buying pets that come from puppy or kitten mills.
Additionally, the Assemblyman announced his legislation that would further
protect pets by banning the sale or purchase of pets that are farmed at
puppy or kitten mills.

“I strongly urge everyone during this holiday season, and throughout the
year, to avoid impulse buying of pets without doing the research needed. Be
sure you are ready to take on the responsibility of a pet and that the
animal was bred under humane conditions. Pets are wonderful additions to
our lives, but purchasing a pet that was bred at a puppy/kitten mill
indirectly subsidizes these businesses that profit from dogs and cats that
are kept in cruel conditions.” stated Ball (pictured above with Yuonne
Szacki and a kitten at the SPCA of Westchester).

According to the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), puppy or kitten
mills are defined as facilities that produce animals in mass quantities,
often exceeding the public’s demand. The animals produced at these pet
factories are often sold on the internet, in newspaper ads, through brokers,
or through pet stores. These facilities have long been a concern to the
HSUS, because, despite the 1966 federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), many of
these facilities do not meet those minimal standards for animal care and, in
fact, many have been allowed to renew their licenses irregardless of
repeatedly violating animals’ basic needs, outlined in the AWA.

The documented problems with pets that are farmed at these pet mills are
staggering. These animals’ over breeding leads to physical and mental
health problems as a result of excessive inbreeding, the animals are given,
at most, minimal veterinary care, poor quality of food and water, lack of
human interaction, and overcrowded cages, which many of these animals stay
in for their entire lives because pet mills breed more animals than needed.
The worst of pet mills offensives is that upon reaching a certain age,
unwanted animals are euthanized, despite the continued breeding of more and
more animals.

For consumers who buy puppies or kittens farmed at pet mills, they sometimes
find that the animal has health problems caused from over breeding and their
pet dies within the first year of purchase. Those pets that survive from
these health issues can have conditions that require numerous veterinary
bills and/or have genetic problems that may not arise until many years
later. These health conditions can bring on emotional and financial burdens
onto the pet owner which may ultimately cause the pet to be given to a
shelter or worse euthanized.

To stop this growing problem, the Assemblyman worked with both the Putnam
County Humane Society and the SPCA of Westchester to create legislation,
which strengthens a previous measure he had created. Specifically, the bill
would add a new section of law that would ban the breeding of animals at
facilities considered as “pet mills,” and prohibit the sale, gifting, or
transfer of dogs and cats that are bred at these facilities by individuals,
brokers, research operations, or retail stores. The bill would also
prohibit any excessive breeding of dogs and cats that exceeds the demand for
these animals and would prohibit any purchase or acceptance as a gift of
dogs and cats without the written health approval of a certified
veterinarian.

Ball has worked hard in Albany to bring attention to animal protection. He
co-sponsored legislation to prohibit the slaughter of horses for the purpose
of human consumption. He also co-sponsored legislation to allow guide dogs,
hearing dogs, and service dogs to be allowed in public places during their
training. Currently, he is working to develop legislation to outlaw puppy
mills as well as to end the practice of using dog fur as trimming on coats
popularly sold in the United States.

Shannon Laukhuf the Executive Director of the SPCA of Westchester, which has
an expansive campus in Briarcliff Manor, which houses over 100 dogs and many
cats in need of a good home, said, “Pet mills are not healthy, these animals
are held in inhumane conditions and buying these pets perpetuates this
problem. Here at the SPCA, we see pets that come to us from these pet mills
and they have many problems that the pet’s owner could never foresee and is
not prepared to handle. This legislation would help stop that problem and
raise awareness to stop the impulse buying of animals that supports pet
mills.”

“Pet mills put their own profit over the quality of life and safety of
animals. Please write or call Albany and your local officials to support
this important bill and help ensure its swift passage. We must all work
together to stop these heartless businesses.” said Ball.

|  Email This