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These dogs were two of the 52 dogs rescued from an Indiana puppy mill Oct. 8, 2008. ©Crump/The HSUS |
Life just got better for dogs in Indiana when Indiana passed new legislation (H.E.A. 1468) that provides upgraded penalties for animal abuse, and basic care standards for dogs at large-scale production facilities known as puppy mills. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond.
What It Means For Dogs
The new legislation requires that dogs in puppy mills be let out of their cages at least once per day for exercise and increases the minimum cage size and bans painful wire cage flooring. These protections will curb some of the worst abuses at large-scale puppy mills and do not affect responsible home breeders who already raise dogs humanely.
The bill also upgrades the Indiana animal cruelty code by strengthening penalties for animal cruelty and authorizing courts to prohibit convicted animal abusers from owning other animals in the future. The legislation makes it an offense to neglect animals by failing to provide them with shelter or medical treatment. Upon enactment, Indiana will join nearly 40 other states with shelter requirements in their anti-cruelty codes.
How It Passed
The House had overwhelmingly approved Rep. Lawson's more comprehensive version of the bill, but Sen. Brent Steele (R-Bedford) fought to weaken the measure in the Senate on behalf of puppy mill interests. A conference committee reached a compromise last night on the House and Senate versions of the bill, which passed both chambers just before the legislative session adjourned and now goes to Gov. Mitch Daniels for his signature.
"This has been one of the most frustrating, but rewarding bills that I have ever worked on," said Rep. Linda Lawson. "Puppies and dogs are better off today because we decided to make Indiana a better place for them to live. It is not as much as we wanted, but we have a frame work to start the mission of protection and safety."
"We commend Indiana lawmakers for getting this important anti-cruelty bill over the finish line, and we especially thank Rep. Lawson for her tireless work to protect man's best friend from harm," said Anne Sterling, The HSUS's Indiana state director. "The anti-cruelty laws of a state are a reflection of our basic values and these reforms represent a measurable step forward for Hoosiers and our animals."
Recent Puppy Mill Battles and Victories
- On April 3, a coalition of humane organizations filed a "friend of the court" brief in a lawsuit brought by the Professional Dog Breeders Advisory Council ("PDBAC") challenging Pennsylvania's Act 119 of 2008. Act 119 amended Pennsylvania's Dog Law to require that puppy mills comply with basic humane requirements in the care of the dogs kept in their facilities.
- Virginia's most notorious alleged puppy miller, Lanzie "Junior" Horton, faced new charges April 24 and The Humane Society of the United States urged the commonwealth's attorney to prosecute him to the full extent of the law if warranted by the evidence.
- After weeks of planning and coordination among local law enforcement and animal welfare groups, hundreds of neglected dogs were rescued in March from squalid conditions at a puppy mill in Logan County, Ark.
What's A Puppy Mill?
Puppy mills are factory-style dog production facilities that keep dogs confined, often in squalid conditions without exercise, socialization or meaningful human interaction.
Puppies from puppy mills are sold in pet stores, online and directly to consumers with little to no regard for the dogs' health, genetic history or future welfare. Meanwhile, the parent dogs are often forced to live their entire lives in small cages, only to be destroyed or discarded when they can no longer churn out puppies.
To learn more about puppy mills, visit humanesociety.org/puppymills.
