Thank PA Governor for cracking down on puppy mills

Puppy mills are large-scale commercial dog breeding operations where profit is given a higher priority than the well-being of dogs.

The health of the dogs is disregarded in order to maintain a low overhead and maximize profit. The female dogs are housed in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions often times without adequate food, water, veterinary care or socialization. They are caged their entire lives and bred at every opportunity until they are no longer physically able to reproduce. After the dogs are no longer profitable they are commonly killed or abandoned.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and some states license and inspect puppy mills, but the puppy mills often get around licensing requirements by selling directly to consumers and some simply rely on the limited reach of the law.

Recently, PennsylvaniaÂ’s Governor Edward G. Rendell dismissed members of the Pennsylvania Law Advisory Board in an initial step toward cracking down on inhumane conditions in the stateÂ’s puppy mills.

Pennsylvania is often referred to as the puppy mill capital of the east with Lancaster County having the highest concentration of puppy mills of any county in the country.

Governor Rendell made an important step in transforming this industry that deserves to be recognized. Please join the ASPCA in sending a message of support to Governor Rendell to let him know that his efforts are not going unnoticed! Perhaps with our encouragement, other leaders will follow in his footsteps.