Pet Safety and Protection Act

The Problem

Random source dog and cat dealers, licensed “Class B” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), collect as many companion animals as possible and sell them to research facilities. Some animals are acquired by theft from their guardians’ yards, cars and farms, while others are purchased for cash from strangers. The dealers exploit a loophole in the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) that allows them to buy dogs and cats from virtually anyone, as long as the “seller” states he or she bred and raised the animal (which is inherently impossible to prove). The animals are then sold at highly inflated prices – literally hundreds of dollars each – to laboratories. 

The AWA, passed in 1966, was intended to stop the sale of family pets for experimentation.  Yet more than 40 years later, illegally acquired dogs and cats continue to be bought and sold by Class B dealers. The animal victims are often hauled across at least one state line, making it nearly impossible for their families to find them.  Dealer records are often incomplete or falsified to keep the true origin of the animals unknown.

Too often, dogs and cats are handled abusively and exposed to harsh weather while held at a dealer’s premises.  The dealers routinely deny the animals sufficient food, water, veterinary care and clean, dry cages. The USDA is spending over a quarter of a million tax dollars every year trying to regulate this appalling situation. Yet, if a scofflaw dealer is finally driven out of business, one of his cohorts is able to become licensed and carry on in his or her stead.

According to the USDA of the approximately 90,000 dogs and cats used for research each year, about 3,200 come from Class B dealers; the vast majority comes from breeders (Class A dealers); and a small number come directly from pounds. Many research facilities have adopted policies against the acquisition of random source dogs and cats from Class B dealers.  A minority of facilities continue to use them and merely ignore the dealers’ misdeeds – until the situation is exposed and another tragic tale is revealed by the media.

The Solution

Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and Congressman Mike Doyle (D-PA) recently reintroduced the Pet Safety and Protection Act (S. 1834/H.R. 3907) to accomplish the following:

• Prohibit the sale of random source dogs and cats to laboratories by Class B dealers;
• Prevent stray animals, who may be lost family pets, from being sold to laboratories;
• Remove the financial incentive to illegally acquire dogs and cats who would then be sold by Class B dealers to research laboratories; and
• Establish integrity in the provision of dogs and cats for research purposes.

The Pet Safety and Protection Act will not prevent Class A dealers (breeders) from supplying animals to laboratories.  It will not prohibit research facilities from establishing breeding colonies and supplying dogs or cats to other research facilities. It will not prohibit individuals from donating their own animals to laboratories for research purposes.