 |
|
| Four of the nine Class B dealers of random source dogs and cats in the U.S. are currently under intense scrutiny by the USDA. ©Last Chance for Animals |
|
Class B dealers. Their ranks have dwindled to less than a dozen. The research community continues to move away from the "random source" animals (animals not bred specifically for research purposes) who the dealers peddle. For more than 40 years, enforcement and undercover operations have exposed the industry's regular violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
While these unsavory middlemen still round up and dogs and cats for sale into research—a number of legislative and regulatory actions targeted at their industry could mean they won't be at it for much longer.
Three separate pieces of federal legislation addressing the issue have circulated in Congress this past year. So far, none have ended to the dealers' operations.
Legislation Targets Class B Dealers
The Pet Safety and Protection Act, which was re-introduced this past spring in both the House and Senate, would prevent Class B dealers from selling random source dogs and cats to research facilities. The legislation is currently pending in Congress with 128 cosponsors in the House and 20 cosponsors in the Senate. [Tell your Senators and Representatives to co-sponsor the bill»]
The Class B pipeline was on the verge of being shuttered altogether this past spring, but a section of the Farm Bill that would have phased out the use and sale of random source dogs and cats was dropped from the final bill, despite being passed in both of the respective Senate and the House Farm Bills, with broad, bi-partisan support.
Instead, language requesting the formation of an expert committee to study whether or not random source cats and dogs obtained by Class B dealers are necessary for research was substituted and subsequently included in The Senate Fiscal Year 2008 Labor Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee report.
Science, Accountability Agencies Study the Problem
The recently formed National Academies of Science (NAS) "Committee on Scientific and Humane Issues in the Use of Random Source Dogs and Cats for Research" is made up of 10 veterinarians and scientists who work with animals.
The HSUS participated in the NAS committee's first public meeting on October 7, made a statement and submitted information for the consideration of the committee members. The committee is slated to reconvene again in January 2009, and expects to issue its recommendations in an April 2009 report.
A second study—this one requested by the Senate Agricultural Committee—will be carried out by the Government Accountability Office and released in 2009. The GAO will compile statistics related to Class B dealers of random source cats and dogs and investigate the process used to verify whether or not animals obtained by the dealers are fraudulently obtained.
The findings of both the GAO and NAS studies are expected to influence Congress's future actions regarding Class B dealers of random source dogs and cats.
Dealers Under "Intense Scrutiny"
There are currently only nine licensed Class B dealers of live random source dogs and cats in the U.S. Amidst some controversy, the license of Henry Lee Cooper, an Oklahoma-based Class B dealer of random source dogs and cats, was suspended for five years by the United States Department of Agriculture in August, reducing the number of dealers from ten to nine. Four of the nine are currently under "intense scrutiny" by the USDA.
In the past, undercover investigators have documented Class B dealers of random source dogs and cats buying pets from "bunchers" (unlicensed dealers) who have stolen the animals from owners' yards, cars, and farms, and who have misrepresented themselves when responding to "free to good home ads" and "adopting" animals from animal shelters. In addition, investigators have documented Class B dealers abusing the animals they hold before selling them to research facilities.
For its part, the USDA has repeatedly documented the failure of Class B dealers of random source dogs and cats to comply with the minimum requirements of the Animal Welfare Act, including even the most basic requirements for food, water, shelter and veterinary care for the animals in their possession.
In one high-profile case, the 2006 HBO documentary "Dealing Dogs" brought attention to the fraudulent means that Class B dealer C.C. Baird used to obtain random source animals and the abuse and neglect endured by dogs held at his facility.
"Forty years of this mess is enough," said Martin Stephens, Ph.D., HSUS vice president of animal research issues. "At this point, we wouldn't back off even if St. Francis started running one of these B dealer operations. This dwindling industry has no place in 21st century science or society."
