Illinois SB1882 & HB2824: How Much for that Doggie?
Many of the vehicle transports at my local animal shelter
travel downstate in Illinois, or they journey as far as Texas, Arkansas, Ohio,
or Missouri to pick up orphaned animals scheduled for euthanasia in the next
few days or hours for lack of room.
Although we’re a small “Mom & Pop” organization, when cages are
empty in the “intake room,” we’ll send committed volunteers out on the road for
continual driving to save animals – most usually dogs. Still, as small as our no-kill shelter
remains, we save and adopt over 1000 orphaned animals each year to loving
families. Sounds miserable, but in the
end it’s good work.
But it’s puppy mills that test our endurances and resolve to
believe that there is any humanity in the world. We’ll get those calls on occasion when farm
families in Ohio or Missouri decide they’ve had enough of their cottage
industry in pushing out “designer” dogs – Pugs bred with Beagles, Chihuahuas bred
with Malteses, teacup Poodles bred with Yorkies.
Imagine a crazed Frankenstein who could care less about his
creations, only the numbers and profits.
A couple of years ago, one of our transports raced deep into
Ohio to retrieve as many breeder -dogs who were too old or finished as viable donors
before the local farmers began a collective target practice on any left
behind.
Feeling squeamish? It
gets worse, so skip ahead to the blue font.
Most are kept in cages so inadequately small they cannot
turn around. They walk on open cage lattice,
so their paws become splayed and unable to tread on normal flat surfaces. Their elimination falls directly below to the
cage and its occupant below and below that, and below that. Their noses are split and scarred by the
constant rubbing against the sides of the cage.
Some kept jammed in groups in smaller cages may be missing parts of
limbs or toes as a result.
When they arrive, we place the survivors in cages only 24
inches by 20 inches and 24 inches high.
To the dogs, this might as well be the Grand Canyon. They crawl to the back corner, frightened by
the expanse and the possible interaction of light and humanity.
A recent
report marked URGENT by the Puppy Mill Project as well as an editorial in the
Chicago Tribune warns “the pet store lobby is trying to get its paws on the
state Animal Welfare Act.” I cannot be
as pun-fully amusing as the Chicago Tribune, but I do appreciate their warning:
“Industry representatives are pushing an amendment – disguised as a mandatory
microchipping measure that would sweep aside local ordinances in Chicago and
Cook County that ban the sale of dogs bred in puppy mills.”
According
to the Puppy Mill Project, the two bills – appealingly entitled Animal Welfare
Micro-Chipping – are not at all what they appear.
“At
first glance, these bills appear to offer additional protections for animals –
and we share and support their stated
goals of protecting consumers, increasing
transparency in the sourcing of dogs and cats, and screening out
inhumane
breeders. We also support the bills’ microchipping requirements.
However, one section of these bills (Section 3.8) is
misguided and will be
extremely harmful to consumers and animals. Section 3.8 legitimizes sourcing
dogs from
inhumane breeding operations, relies on information that is no longer
available for its enforcement, and prohibits cities from enacting their own
laws regarding the sourcing and sale of dogs and cats in their communities.”
On the surface, the legislation appears
perfectly rational and humane, like requiring breeders to hold a USDA license
and clean record, just like the breeders in Ohio who tired of their “business.”
But Section 3.8 of the bill “allows pet
stores to source from inhumane breeders without any means of researching those
breeder.”
“Why is this legislation bad for animals
and consumers?
1. It
will not screen out inhumane breeders. This legislation offers
limited restrictions on where pet stores can source dogs and cats, requiring
breeders to have a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) license and
meet nominal inspection criteria – but a USDA license and clean record do not
mean that a breeder is humane. USDA standards are barely survival standards.
Dogs can live in cages only six inches larger than their bodies for 24 hours a
day. Stacked cages, mesh or wire flooring, and unlimited breeding are all
acceptable. These facilities tend to mass produce puppies and operate solely
for profit. USDA licensure sounds reassuring to a consumer but in reality it
accomplishes very little.
2. It
does not create transparency. This legislation ties its standards to
information that is no longer available.
Prior to January 2017, USDA breeder
inspection records were publicly accessible through an online search
tool.
However, these records have now been removed from the USDA website indefinitely.
Even more troubling, the
legislation states that a pet store is considered in
compliance even if the USDA records are unavailable. These
bills were
introduced after the USDA search tool had been removed – rendering the bills’
purported safeguards
meaningless. There is currently no means for a consumer to
research a breeder’s USDA record.
This legislation denies cities and towns in
Illinois the authority to make their own laws protecting consumers and
animals. These bills would overturn ordinances in
Chicago, Cook County, Waukegan, and Warrenville –similar to legislation passed
in more than 200 municipalities across the United States. These cities have
determined that the sourcing and sale of dogs and cats is an issue of local
concern for their communities and
Illinois home rule units should be able to
pass their own legislation as appropriate.”
I was
astounded to find my Senator Emil Jones on the list of sponsors and I contacted
him immediately.
Here are
more names and directions from the Puppy Mill Project:
“What can you do?
Contact the sponsors and co-sponsors of
these bills in the Illinois House and Senate and tell
them that you appreciate their efforts and concern for these issues, but
Section 3.8 must be eliminated in its entirety.
Tell them that removing the home rule
provision (Section 3.8(e)) is NOT ENOUGH – keeping the rest of Section 3.8
explicitly allows pet stores to source from inhumane breeders without any means
of researching those breeders.
Contact your own representative and senator
(even if they are not sponsors of this bill) and tell them that animal welfare
is important to you and that there is dangerous legislation (SB 1882/HB 2824)
pending that you do not support.
If you live in Chicago: Call your alderman.
Tell him or her that there is state legislation that will invalidate a
city
ordinance and deny Chicago’s home rule authority on an issue that is very
important to you. Ask them to voice their
opposition to SB 1882/HB 2824 and
stand up for Chicago’s right to regulate the source of dogs and cats sold in
our
community. You can also do this for your Cook County Commissioner if you
live in Cook County.
How
to Contact your Representatives
Illinois House of Representatives Contacts:
State Representative Jerry Costello,
II (representative who introduced the bill, representing the 116th
District): (618)
282-7284 or staterepcostello@gmail.com
Lawrence M. Walsh Jr. (chief co-sponsor,
representing the 86th District, including Joliet): (815) 730-8600 or
statereplarrywalshjr@gmail.com
State Representative Norine Hammond
(chief co-sponsor, representing the 93rd District): (309) 836-2707 or
rephammond@macomb.com
Randy Frese (chief
co-sponsor, representing the 94th District): (217) 223-0833 or repfrese@adams.net
State Rep John C. D’Amico (chief co-sponsor,
representing the 15th District): (773) 736-0218 or johnd@ilga.gov
State Representative Margo McDermed
(chief co-sponsor, representing the 37th District): (815) 277-2079 or
McDermed@ilhousegop.org
Copy & paste to email them all at once:
staterepcostello@gmail.com; rephammond@macomb.com; repfrese@adams.net; johnd@ilga.gov;
statereplarrywalshjr@gmail.com; McDermed@ilhousegop.org
Illinois Senate Contacts:
Michael E. Hastings
(senator who introduced the bill, representing the 19th District including
Joliet and other
communities): (815) 464-5431 or http://senatorhastings.com/contact-me
State Senator Jil Tracy
(co-sponsor representing the 47th District): (217) 223-0837
Senator Emil Jones III
(chief co-sponsor representing the 14th District): (773) 995-7748
or http://senatoremiljones.com/contact-us
Senator William R. Haine
(co-sponsor representing the 56th District): (618) 465-4764
or http://www.senatorhaine.com/contact-us
New co-sponsor added, State Senator Sam McCann (representing the 50th District):
(217) 245-0050 or
SenatorMcCann@gmail.com
Locate your State Senator and State
Representative: http://www.elections.il.gov/districtlocator/addressfinder.aspx
City of Chicago Alderman Lookup:
https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/mayor/iframe/lookup_ward_and_alderman.html
For more information, contact The Puppy
Mill Project at info@thepuppymillproject.org.
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