Puppy Mill Dogs Need YOU to Speak Up!

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing that the Agency NOT schedule inspections of puppy mills, as mandated by the federal Animal Welfare Act, if third party entities such as the American Kennel Club (AKC) and other dog breeding industry groups such as the Missouri Pet Breeders Association approve of the facility.

AKC inspections are not even comparable to USDA inspections as AKC standards of care are even less stringent than those required by USDA. Shockingly, AKC requires less living space for show dogs than USDA requires for dogs confined in puppy mills.

PLEASE SPEAK UP FOR THE ANIMALS!

Contact the USDA and tell them not to rely on the AKC for puppy mill inspections.

1. Send an email to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue or leave a message at 202-720-3631.
2. Tell him:
   • not to help puppy mills circumvent USDA inspections by allowing AKC or other industry groups to perform inspections for the USDA
   • that USDA is mandated by federal law – the Animal Welfare Act – to perform inspections of dog breeders to ensure that the animals are being treated humanely
   • that the president of the MPBA, Kevin Beauchamp, was recently fined $6,000 and issued a cease and desist order for violations of the Animal Welfare Act for repeatedly failing to provide veterinary care to sick and injured animals.
   • that USDA should continue to perform all inspections of dog breeders and not to rely on the AKC and other dog breeding affiliated groups, with serious conflicts of interest, to conduct inspections and to monitor conditions at federally licensed dog breeding facilities.

Thanks to you, thousands of comments from animal welfare advocates send powerful messages to our legislators and the Department of Agriculture on the critical need for the strict oversight of puppy mills. Thank you for your continued support!