LOS ANGELES, May 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Last Chance for Animals (LCA), an international animal rights organization, applauds the reintroduction of the Pet Safety and Protection Act (PSPA), into the 117th Congressional session. The PSPA is important federal legislation that prohibits the sale of random-sourced dogs and cats by USDA licensed Class B dealers to research facilities. The Bill was reintroduced by Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ).
Class B dealers can be licensed by the USDA to sell random-source dogs and cats to research facilities. The random source “system” makes it difficult for laboratories that acquire dogs and cats through Class B dealers to know the true source of the animals they are acquiring, and the USDA has stated they cannot guarantee dogs and cats used in research are legally acquired.
“Class B dealers notoriously abused the law to buy and sell dogs and cats, often through illegal means and with many of these defenseless creatures used for painful experimental procedures,” said Congressman Doyle. “We must permanently ban the sale of random source dogs and cats by Class B dealers before any more animals are unnecessarily hurt. That’s why we’ve reintroduced the Pet Safety and Protection Act – to end this cruel pipeline into laboratories once and for all.”
“On behalf of LCA, we would like to commend Representatives Doyle and Smith for reintroducing the Pet Safety and Protection Act,” said Chris DeRose, President and Founder of Last Chance for Animals. “Since the inception of Last Chance for Animals over 35 years ago, protecting dogs and cats from the brutal and nefarious industry of Class B animal dealers has been a primary goal. The PSPA is vital legislation and will close the door on an industry Congress has fought to eliminate since passage of the Animal Welfare Act in 1966.”
LCA was founded on the issue of vivisection and has been investigating Class B dealers since 1988. Investigations have exposed elaborate pet theft rings; the severe neglect and abuse of animals by Class B dealers; and research facilities procuring lost and stolen dogs and cats from Class B dealers. Investigations by LCA have resulted in Class B dealers convicted of felonies; serving time in prison; and Class B dealer licenses permanently revoked. In 2006, HBO’s Genesis-award winning documentary Dealing Dogs was released. The documentary profiled LCA’s ground-breaking investigation and subsequent conviction of C.C. Baird, the largest Class B dealer in America. The documentary exposed the truth about Class B dealers’ abhorrent cruelty and spurred a national movement against the Class B dealer industry.
“Class B dealers routinely failed to meet even the most basic Animal Welfare Act standards – which is why NIH and other reputable research institutes did not use them,” said Rep. Smith. “While much progress has been made to prevent these dealers from exploiting and abusing animals, we must do more to put an end to the serious problems associated with Class B dealers and their troubled past. By closing them down once and for all, the Pet Safety and Protection Act will give people greater confidence in our research programs and go a long way toward ensuring that all animals are treated humanely.”
The problem of stolen pets being sold to laboratories for scientific research dates back to 1966, when Life magazine ran an article titled, “Concentration Camps for Lost and Stolen Pets: Your Dog is in Cruel Danger.” The article profiled animal dealers who sold random-sourced dogs and cats for scientific research, and exposed animals housed in filthy, squalid conditions and severely neglected. When the Animal Welfare Act was passed in 1966, one of its priorities was to put an end to lost or stolen companion animals being sold to scientific research by animal dealers.
Since 2010, language has been included annually in the Agriculture Appropriations bill that states any Class B dealer who supplies random-sourced dogs and cats to research facilities cannot renew their Class B license after expiry. Further, the National Institute of Health stopped funding laboratories that obtain random source dogs and cats from Class B dealers. Although these are important steps and the number of Class B dealers supplying dogs and cats to research has declined, passing the PSPA is the only way to solve this over 50-year-old problem.
ABOUT 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 groups. LCA's educational and public outreach programs have empowered the public to make positive changes for animals in their communities. For more information, visit https://www.lcanimal.org/.
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