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Support The Pet Safety and Protection Act (PSPA)
2009!
Call your
legislators and urge them to
support and cosponsor
the PET SAFETY AND PROTECTION ACT 2009!
Last Chance for Animals (LCA) urges you to call your Senators
and Representatives and tell them to support the
The U.S. Pet Safety and Protection Act (S. 1834/H.R. 3907),
which was reintroduced on October 21, 2009 by
Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii). The legislation is also
cosponsored by Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine), Frank
Lautenberg (D-New Jersey), Carl Levin (D-Michigan), and Robert
Menendez (D-New Jersey). The PSPA 2009 amends the
Animal Welfare Act and prohibits
Class B
Dealers and unlicensed individuals from selling dogs and
cats to research laboratories.
"We must stop stray and stolen dogs and cats from being
illegally sold to research facilities," said Senator Akaka. "It
will end the fraudulent and unethical practices of certain
dealers and the unnecessary suffering of dogs and cats in their
care."
LCA have been pushing for the passage of the
Pet Safety and Protection Act (PSPA) since 1997! Class B
Dealers are people who collect dogs and cats to sell to the
research industry. They often acquire these animals through
illegal and unethical means, such as responding to
"free-to-good-home" ad in newspapers, falsifying records to keep
the true origins of the animals unknown, and stealing pets kept
outside in yards. Class B Dealers also buy animals in bulk from
"bunchers" whose methods are even more questionable. Eliminating
Class B Dealers will also remove the profit motive of bunchers,
providing a much needed safety net to ensure that beloved pets
are not stolen or obtained under false pretences and sold to
facilities that test on animals. The PSPA would prevent dogs and
cats from being sold to research facilities by Class B dealers.
When the PSPA passed in both the House and Senate as amendments
in their respective 2007 Farm Bills, it was also known as "Buck's
Bill." Unfortunately, it was excluded in the final version
of the 2008 Farm Bill. The PSPA (a.k.a. "Buck's Bill), was
originally introduced as a direct response to LCA's undercover
investigations of Class B Dealers. Buck was one of the many
animals rescued by LCA during the 2003 raid of the nation's most
notorious
Class B dealer, C.C. Baird. Buck was very ill on the day of
his rescue, struggling with stage 3 heartworm disease, rocky
mountain spotted fever and parasitic pneumonia. Buck spent 7
months at a vet clinic before he was able to be moved to a
foster family. Buck died in foster care, succumbing to the abuse
he suffered at the hands of C.C. Baird. All who knew Buck fell
in love with him. May we never forget him.
The National Academies' Institute for Laboratory Animal Research
(ILAR) advises the federal government on issues related to
animals used in research. On May 29, 2009, they released their
report entitled
"Scientific and Humane Issues in the Use of Random-Source Dogs
and Cats in Research." This report finds that it is not
necessary to obtain animals from Class B dealers for National
Institute of Health research. All members of the National
Academy of Sciences committee viewed LCA's HBO film "Dealing
Dogs" as part of their deliberations, and LCA is recognized
on
page 76 of this report.
Please contact your senators
and representatives, urging them to support and cosponsor the
Pet Safety and Protection Act (PSPA).
Click here to contact your representative!
Click here to contact your senator!
Click here for more information on PSPA!
For more information on puppy mills, please visit:
www.BanPuppyMills.com
Interested in volunteering with LCA? Write to us at:
Info@LCAnimal.org
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