LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - January 11, 2016) - Last Chance for Animals (LCA), an international animal rights group, has fought for over three decades to stop Class B dealers who sell "random source" dogs and cats for medical testing. LCA's numerous undercover groundbreaking investigations into Class B dealers contributed significantly to their decline and now; new federal legislation finally eliminates this unscrupulous industry.
The $1.1 trillion Congress Omnibus Funding Bill signed into law just before Christmas stripped all funds for USDA licensing or re-licensing of Class B animal dealers, who accumulate animals from a wide variety of undocumented sources and sell them to research laboratories. These animals are often family pets, dognapped from yards, dishonestly "adopted" from shelters, purchased at flea markets, or obtained from "free to good home" ads.
"This victory is a long time coming for the dogs and cats ruthlessly stolen from their families and sold to labs for torturous experiments," said LCA Founder and President Chris DeRose. "After decades of fighting B dealers, I am thrilled to finally see a ban on the industry, and proud that LCA was a major player with investigations, prosecutions and campaigns that led up to this decision."
LCA was the first animal rights group to procure state and federal prison sentences for Class B dealers in 1991, and the group's undercover investigation of notorious B dealer C.C. Baird was featured in the 2006 Emmy-nominated HBO documentary "Dealing Dogs." Baird's facility, Martin Creek Kennels in Arkansas, supplied thousands of animals for years to research labs, including the University of Irvine and Iowa State University. The majority of the dogs were proven to be stolen pets.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) stopped funding research on cats obtained from B dealers in 2012, and adopted a similar ban on dogs in 2014. This was a heavy blow to the B dealer industry, and LCA was recognized in the report that led to the NIH decision. Now, the 2016 spending bill strikes the final nail in the coffin for B dealers selling dogs and cats to medical research, all of whom will be forced to shut their doors this year.
LCA's undercover investigations have shut down Class B dealers and saved countless thousands of dogs from being sold to research, including dealers Barbara Ruggiero, Frederick Spero, Ervin Stebane, C.C. Baird and Henry Lee Cooper. CLICK HERE for more information about LCA's Class B dealer investigations.
LCA believes that no animal should be subjected to medical testing and continues to work toward the end of animals in medical research.
Last Chance for Animals (LCA) is an international non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating animal exploitation through education, investigations, legislation, and public awareness campaigns. Since its formation in 1984, LCA has succeeded as one of the nation's pioneer animal advocacy organizations. LCA's Sam Simon Special Investigations Unit documents abuse in research labs, puppy mills, factory farms, and the entertainment industry, and works with prosecutors to put animal abusers behind bars. For more information, please visit http://www.lcanimal.org.
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