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Indianapolis - An Indiana Senate committee has advanced a bill to regulate large-scale dog breeding operations in the state, but some want stricter requirements on breeders.
The Senate civil matters committee changed a House-passed bill on Tuesday to eliminate specific proposed standards for dogs in breeding facilities, such as sanitary conditions and an hour of exercise a day. Instead, dog breeders would fall under certain regulations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Senate panel unanimously supported the revised bill, saying current animal neglect laws that simply require dogs to have food and water are not enough for prosecutors to go after so-called puppy mills.
Dog breeders in a packed Statehouse meeting room told lawmakers they approved of the Senate change and supported the USDA regulations. They said the proposal could discourage irresponsible, large-scale breeding facilities.
But several veterinarians and others opposed to the change, saying the USDA standards were made for livestock - not companion animals. Opponents said the standards would allow dogs to be kept in cramped cages, with feeding dishes cleaned out only every two weeks and water bottles attached to cages similar to a hamster cage.
Michael Staub, a veterinarian from Terre Haute, said livestock animals like hogs spend time at farms until they are slaughtered for food. Under USDA regulations, dogs could be treated the same way even though dogs used for breeding are kept in the facility for a longer time.
"These puppies live in these facilities for years and years, breeding each heat cycle, never seeing the outside, never seeing the light of day, never being on grass, never having a whole lot of human contact," Staub said. "That falls in compliance with USDA regulations."
Beth Topie, who works with an animal rescue group in Mooresville, told lawmakers that her organization has been trying to find homes for dogs taken from a Morgan County breeder with more than 300 dogs. She said most of the dogs have social problems because they are not used to human contact.
"If they saw a person, they would cower in the corner and shake," she said.
The House version of the bill would have required breeders to provide natural or artificial light in areas where dogs are kept, as well as ventilation to help reduce odors and moisture. Adult dogs would have had at least an hour of exercise a day in an area at least twice as big as their cage, and wire cages would be prohibited. Animal rights groups say it can be difficult or painful for dogs to stand in wire cages and spend their entire lives in cramped quarters.
Some breeders opposed those specific provisions. Nakole Weber of Kosciusko County said she's a responsible breeder who supports her family with money from selling poodles and Pomeranians. She has about 30 female dogs and about 5 males for breeding, she said, and uses wire cages because they easily allowing waste to fall through, preventing disease. She said her dogs have never had health problems because of wire cages, and said her dogs get exercise in her fenced yard.
Weber supported the revised version of the legislation and said supporters of the House bill want to put some breeders out of business.
"They want to see all of the shelter dogs distributed instead of purebred dogs," she said.
Committee chairman Sen. Brent Steele, R-Bedford, said the House bill had elements of over regulation and would have hurt the dog breeding industry in Indiana. The bill now heads to the full Senate for consideration. If it passes, it could undergo more changes as the GOP-controlled Senate and Democratic-led House try to reach a compromise.
Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Elkhart, estimated there are more than 3,000 large breeders in the state, and said its a multimillion dollar industry. Surrounding states have enacted stricter dog breeding laws, she said, but Indiana has become a haven for irresponsible breeders because the state has not changed its law. She said the bill was a good start to give authorities more power in going after irresponsible breeders.
"One bill won't solve this problem," she said. "What one bill will do is provide us an infrastructure."
Puppy Pipeline - Read a 13 Investigates report from 2007 on puppy mills.
Thinking about a new pet?
If you are thinking about purchasing or adopting a new pet, here are some resources to check out:
Humane Society of Indianapolis
7929 Michigan Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46268
(317) 872-5650
Indyhumane.org
Indiana's Bureau of Animal Health
Animal Legal & Historical Center
Humane Society of U.S. website on Puppy Mills
USA Today Article on "Puppy Lemon Laws"
Humane Society of U.S. Puppy Buying Guide Tips
(Marion County) Animal Shelter
Indianapolis Animal Care & Control
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