The Pet Safety and Protection Act (HR 3187), introduced May 13 by Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ), would prevent companion dogs and cats from being acquired from random sources and sold for laboratory experiments by unscrupulous dealers. Historically, such “random source” dealers were notorious for obtaining dogs and cats through fraud, deception, and outright theft and for keeping animals in horrendous conditions.
Thanks to the persistence of Representatives Doyle and Smith—as well as that of Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), who has requested that language be added to spending bills each year to prevent the licensing of random source dealers—they have effectively been shut down. Nonetheless, the Pet Safety and Protection Act is very much needed to make this ban permanent and ensure that this abuse-ridden pipeline is closed for good.