[ SHOWGSD-L ] Fwd: Small and Hobby Breeders urged to oppose PA Dog Law bill
- From: Stormy435@xxxxxxx
- To: showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 25 May 2008 11:38:31 EDT
(JPermission to crosspost is granted.(B
(JSmall and Hobby breeders urged to oppose PA Dog Law unless it is amended(B
(JMay 23, 2008 (Pennsylvania)(B
(JFor more than a year, the Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs (PFDC), in (B
(Jconjunction with the American Kennel Club and representatives from national,
(B
(Jstate, and local dog clubs and individuals interested in the sport of dogs
have (B
(Jworked with the PA Department of Agriculture and members of the Governor's
Dog (B
(JLaw Advisory Board to educate them about the nature of our interests and
issues (B
(Jwith respect to the dog law regulations introduced in 2006 by the Department
(B
(Jof Agriculture.(B
(JAlthough the department claimed the regulations would have targeted only
$(D+$)M(B
(Jpuppy mills,$(D+$$B".(J they would have devastated hobby breeders,
conformation and (B
(Jperformance dog shows, sporting dog kennels, boarding kennels, rescue
kennels (B
(Jand more.(B
(JWhile working with the Department to try to get the regulatory proposals to
(B
(Jmake sense, we argued from the beginning that legislative action was needed
to (B
(Jcreate a clear-cut distinction in the dog law between substandard kennels
and (B
(Jthose operating properly. We have now succeeded in that the regulatory (B
(Jproposal has been withdrawn and the Governor and Department of Agriculture
are (B
(Jpursuing a legislative solution. However, the legislative proposals still
create (B
(Jmany problems for properly run kennels.(B
(JNew Legislation(B
(JThe new Dog Law legislation, sponsored by Representative James E. Casorio (B
(JJr., D-Westmoreland, has been introduced in the Pennsylvania House of (B
(JRepresentatives as House Bill 2525. The bill is improved over last
year$(D+$"o(Js proposed (B
(Jregulations and it clearly reflects the input of many stakeholder groups
that met (B
(Jwith the department before they finalized the legislaiton. However, it still
(B
(Jsubjects all dog owners, all hobby breeders, all show kennels, all sporting
(B
(Jdog kennels and all boarding kennels to overbearing and unnecessary laws.(B
(JThere are several major areas of concern. The most alarming is the fact that
(B
(Jthis bill sets the Department of Agriculture up with the power (1) to set
its (B
(Jown fees for individual dog licenses and kennel licenses and (2) to decide
who (B
(Jis in violation, whether they are guilty and what their punishment should
be. (B
(JPunishment includes fines and civil penalties set by the Department, (B
(Jforfeiture of dogs without compensation and even possible jail time for any
violation (B
(Jof the dog law or the yet-to-be-written regulations to enforce it. Since the
(B
(JDepartment receives no funds from the state budget, and all its revenue
comes (B
(Jfrom fees and fines, this provides the Department unfettered discretion in
(B
(Jraising money for its operation.(B
(JClear standards and criteria need to be established in law so that there can
(B
(Jbe an objective assessment as to whether the punishment handed down in a
case (B
(Jis reasonably related to the severity of the act. Both civil and criminal (B
(Jpenalties are permitted under the proposed law for violations, even the
least (B
(Jserious. There needs to be a clear hierarchy of penalties associated with
the (B
(Jviolation committed.(B
(JAdditionally, this bill decreases the amount of public input on changes to
(B
(Jthe dog law. It allows searches on residences not associated with the actual
(B
(Joperation of a kennel and it subjects license holders to state penalties as
a (B
(Jresult of local ordinances. This is especially troublesome with the recent
push (B
(Jby some legislators to permit local breed-specific dog laws in the State. (B
(JCurrently state law does not permit breed specific legislation.(B
(JFrom the beginning, our coalition of stakeholders has been of the view that
(B
(Jlegislation could be drafted that would effectively eliminate the abuses (B
(Jwithout endangering the existence of legitimate, properly run, kennels.
These (B
(Jconcerns should not be difficult to fix while still giving the Department
the (B
(Jenforcement ability it wants to have over substandard kennels.(B
(JTake Action Today!(B
(JThe time is now to take action to secure the future of the sport of dogs in
(B
(JPennsylvania. Legislators are being overwhelmed with pressure from the media
(B
(Jand others to pass a bill quickly. Unless they hear from us, legislators
will (B
(Jpass a bill that hurts all of us, even if it is unintentional.(B
(JA phone call or fax from you to your legislator is the best way to contact
(B
(Jthem. A phone call is harder to ignore and having their phone lines busy is
a (B
(Jgreat way to get their attention. E-mails and letters are OK, but are easier
to (B
(Jignore.(B
(J__._,_.___(B
(J**************(B
(JGet trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch "Cooking (B
(Jwith Tyler Florence" on AOL Food.(B
(J (B
(J(http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4&?NCID=aolfod00030000000002)(B
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