By Stephanie Edwards
In the shadowy world of Class B dog and cat dealers, an animal’s life can be harsh and unrelenting. Animals may suffer from crowded and unsanitary conditions, poor food, and insufficient water. Veterinary care may be nonexistent. They may not even survive their time in a Class B dealer’s hands.
So who are Class B dog and cat dealers? They're brokers who acquire animals from a variety of sources—including "pounds," flea markets, and newspaper ads—and then sell them to research institutions or veterinary schools. Class B dealers are regulated under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), which mandates minimum care and handling standards for animals in a variety of environments. But these dealers, putting profits before pooches, are regularly cited for violating the AWA and have long been a cause for concern for many.
Now, Dealing Dogs, a shocking HBO documentary that premieres February 21, exposes the inhumanity that can take place on Class B dealer properties. The documentary looks at Martin Creek Kennels—an Arkansas operation owned by former Class B dealer C.C. Baird—through the eyes of an undercover investigator who was employed as a kennel worker. The “kennel worker” was actually a member of the animal protection group, Last Chance for Animals (LCA), and in his investigation of Martin Creek, he videotaped a number of atrocities including the beating, shooting, and malnourishment of dogs.
The Martin Creek Kennels case proves to be the rule, rather than the exception, for Class B dealers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the agency that licenses and regulates Class B dealers, as well as animal protection organizations like LCA, Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), and The HSUS, have documented and investigated similar conditions at Class B facilities for many years. Collectively, the weight of these investigations have left many wondering why this class of dealer still exists.
“Time and again, we hear about inhumane treatment of animals at Class B dealer facilities," said Stephanie Shain, director of outreach for Companion Animals at The HSUS. "While Dealing Dogs focuses on C.C. Baird, admittedly the most notorious of the Class B dealers, we shouldn’t assume that his operation is an isolated case. Class B dealers continue to be a cause for great concern among animal welfare organizations.”
Class B Dealers: No Class Act
Licensed by the USDA, Class B dealers can buy animals, including dogs, from “random sources” (meaning animals not bred or raised on the dealers’ property) and sell them to animal research facilities for biomedical research, testing, and educational purposes. Research facilities don't exclusively rely on Class B dealers to acquire their animals. They can also purchase “purpose-bred” dogs from breeders (Class A dealers) or, in states that allow it, from animal shelters (a practice known as “pound seizure”). In fact, with only 15 Class B dog and cat dealers selling to research institutions in the United States today, many question why they exist at all. (A list of these and other dealers can be viewed at the USDA web site).
A Class B dealer’s “random sources” are indeed that. Dealers regularly buy dogs from auctions, flea markets, or "pounds." They also buy them from “bunchers,” another group of people who collect animals from random sources. Because they are not regulated by any agency at all, bunchers create an additional problem with enforcement. Class B dealers and bunchers have been known to snag lost, stray, or “free to a good home” pets. There have been cases of pets being stolen from their owners’ backyards.
One former commercial dog trader from the Midwest, interviewed by the AWI, admitted that many of the dogs in the research pipeline were clearly people’s pets. “Mostly hounds, gentle animals, house dogs, or pets. Y’know, something that wouldn’t bite you…They had collars with their name on them.” The trader went on to explain that his dogs would come from several states and that the people selling the dogs to the trader would write down fake names and addresses for the dogs.
To prevent Class B dealers from acquiring dogs through theft or from unknown sources, the USDA requires the dealers to obtain proof of ownership from anyone who sells or surrenders their animals to them. The dealer is required to keep on file the license plate number and driver’s license number of any person who sells to the dealer. However, some bunchers and dealers have been found to falsify information and/or fail to record this information, as in the case of C.C. Baird.
“Whether you have one dog or 100 dogs obtained illegally, it’s still too many,” says The HSUS’s Shain. “Current regulations make it all too easy for Class B dealers to falsify records if they want to. It’s not an easy paper trail to follow.”
The potential for fraud, not to mention animal abuse, are two reasons why legislators and animal protection organizations have been working to pass The Pet Safety and Protection Act (S. 451/H.R. 5229) introduced in the Senate in February 2005 by Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) and the House by Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Phil English (R-PA). The bill, currently pending in the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, seeks to ensure that every dog or cat used by research facilities was obtained legally. It also requires research facilities and veterinary schools to look to sources other than Class B dealers for their dogs and cats. Similar legislation has been introduced many times over the past 10 years, and has been stymied each time.
As the HBO documentary shows, a dealer may be licensed to trade animals, but that doesn’t make him a friend of the animals. The undercover investigation of C.C. Baird’s facility revealed shocking examples of animal neglect and abuse, including starvation, lack of basic veterinary care, and dogs left to die in overcrowded cages. 
Other cases have revealed similar mistreatment, including one dating back to 1966, when an undercover investigation of Class B dealer Lester Brown caught America’s attention and helped prompt the passage of the Animal Welfare Act after years of fruitless attempts.
Forty years later, despite some improvements, the current regulations for Class B dealers are clearly not enough.
What’s more, the USDA, which shares a concern about the treatment of animals at Class B kennels, just does not have the staff or funding to keep tabs on these dealers. The federal agency is charged with enforcing the Animal Welfare Act, which includes the regulation of Class B dealers, but it has been monstrously difficult for the USDA to track all the activities involved in obtaining and caring for the animals. According to AWI, dealers will often find out when an USDA inspector plans to visit and will “clean up” or hide any violations before the inspector arrives.
That’s where the Pet Safety and Protection Act would make a difference.
As far back as a decade ago, the USDA admitted that it would prefer to see Class B dealers phased out. During a 1996 Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing conference, W. Ron de Haven, D.V.M., then the USDA’s regional director for Animal Care and Use, discussed a possible proposal to phase out Class B dealers within two years. Ten years later, Class B dealers are still conducing business, and hours of USDA time and considerable funding are expended each year even as Animal Welfare Act violators continue to slip out of trouble.
The USDA did permanently revoke C.C. Baird’s Class B license and fine him $262,700 for mistreating animals and failing to keep accurate records. It was the largest civil penalty ever assessed, and paid, in an Animal Welfare Act case. Baird is not permitted to reapply for a Class B license. The dogs and other animals living in Baird’s kennels were relinquished to the USDA, so that the government agency could find suitable homes for them.
What You Can Do
While Baird may never trade in dogs again, other pets could fall victim to similarly horrific conditions as long as the B class of dealers continues to exist. But you can help change that. Contact your legislators, and tell them that Class B dealers are not an acceptable source of dogs and cats for research. Then ask them to support The Pet Safety and Protection Act (S. 451/H.R. 5229).
Also, be sure to protect your pets by keeping cats indoors and supervising your dogs while they are outside. Make sure your pet is always wearing proper identification and have them microchipped by your veterinarian or local shelter.
Stephanie Edwards is the outreach coordinator for Animal Research Issues for The HSUS.
