Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

USDA seeks change to regulate Internet pet sales
Associated Press ^ | May 10, 2012 | TRACIE CONE

Posted on 05/11/2012 5:43:22 AM PDT by Gennie

Dog breeders who skirt animal welfare laws by selling puppies over the Internet would face tighter scrutiny under a rule change proposed Thursday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The change would subject dog owners who breed more than four females and sell the puppies electronically, by mail or over the phone to the same oversight faced by wholesale dealers as part of the Animal Welfare Act.

That law, written in 1966, set standards of care for animals bred for commercial sale and research. Retail sales were exempt from inspections under the assumption that anyone who visited the store could see whether the animals appeared healthy and cared for.

The Internet opened a new venue for puppy sales, and thousands of large-scale breeders who advertise there have not been subject to oversight or inspection.

The proposed change seeks to close that loophole by ensuring that anyone who sells pets over the Internet, by phone or mail order can no longer do so sight-unseen. Sellers either must open their doors to the public so buyers can see the animals before they purchase them, or obtain a license and be subject to inspections by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

"We feel this is certainly a much-needed change to an outdated system," said Rebecca Blue, deputy undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs.

(Excerpt) Read more at google.com ...


TOPICS: Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: dogs; internet; netneutrality; puppies; usda
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-50 next last
It would not allow me to post the whole article...
1 posted on 05/11/2012 5:43:29 AM PDT by Gennie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Gennie

That is the big push.

They want to regulate speech. Badly.


2 posted on 05/11/2012 5:47:38 AM PDT by GeronL (The Right to Life came before the Right to Pursue Happiness)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gennie

Is this a federal responsibility? Or state? or county? or city?


3 posted on 05/11/2012 5:48:23 AM PDT by Rapscallion (For English press "3", or "4". Whatever.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gennie

That’s because AP is copyrighted material and should be excerpted.

Thanks,


4 posted on 05/11/2012 5:49:05 AM PDT by Admin Moderator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rapscallion

Well there are already state puppy lemon laws and regulations, sometimes county regulations too. This would be in addition to it, so a person could be legal in their municipality/county/state but be illegal federally.


5 posted on 05/11/2012 5:50:24 AM PDT by Gennie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Admin Moderator

I understand that, I only mentioned it so that people would know there’s more to the article, not saying it in a bad way :)


6 posted on 05/11/2012 5:51:15 AM PDT by Gennie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Gennie
This is something to take note of from the article:

"You need to open your home if you breed more than four dogs. That sounds appropriate to me," said Patti Strand, director of the National Animal Interest Alliance.
7 posted on 05/11/2012 5:52:22 AM PDT by Gennie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gennie
USDA seeks change to regulate Internet pet sales

Wouldn't it be easier and cheaper in the long run if government just did everything and decided everything from one central location?

You know, kinda' like cutting out the middleman?

8 posted on 05/11/2012 5:54:30 AM PDT by EGPWS (Trust in God, question everyone else)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gennie

So it won’t affect backyard breeders. And those are the ones in Amish country that need to be shut down. Stacks upon stacks of caged females having puppies over and over.


9 posted on 05/11/2012 5:57:39 AM PDT by arbee4bush (My Dad, My Hero. Love You Dad!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: arbee4bush

Wrong. It will affect more than just the Amish. You do realize that there are already state laws in place for puppy mills, right? I will give you an example. Someone that may want to show their dogs and have, let’s say, 5 females. That doesn’t necessarily mean they breed all their dogs at one time, but that they are intact. They may have two litters a year, because the number of litters are not specified, only the number of dogs. If they take a deposit OR ship their puppies (because people are purchasing them wtihout physically seeing them first), they would also need to be inspected by the APHIS OR only sell to people who will come to their residence. Unfortunately, this is not about animals, but control.


10 posted on 05/11/2012 6:01:10 AM PDT by Gennie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: Gennie

I used to work at USDA. It’s full of retards.


11 posted on 05/11/2012 6:01:10 AM PDT by YourAdHere (Spike Lee's films are boring and unoriginal.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: AnAmericanMother; Titan Magroyne; Badeye; SandRat; arbooz; potlatch; afraidfortherepublic; ...
WOOOF!

The Doggie Ping list is for FReepers who would like to be notified of threads relating to all things canid. If you would like to join the Doggie Ping Pack (or be unleashed from it), FReemail me.

12 posted on 05/11/2012 6:04:29 AM PDT by Joe 6-pack (Que me amat, amet et canem meum)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: EGPWS

After watching Animal Planet’s ‘Houston SPCA’ and checking Petfinders - it’s clear that the animal rescue centers are making a fortune by closing down puppy mills & confiscating abused animals, with the assistance of law enforcement.

Their adoption fees are equal or greater than pet shops and abusive breeders. Because of the mandatory spaying - owners of rescue dogs have no option to continue a pedigree line from their pets.


13 posted on 05/11/2012 6:09:28 AM PDT by sodpoodle (Newtrition - soul food for a starving America.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: sodpoodle
Their adoption fees are equal or greater than pet shops and abusive breeders.

Plus their write-offs and donations.

14 posted on 05/11/2012 6:13:08 AM PDT by EGPWS (Trust in God, question everyone else)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Gennie

This will have the effect of taking out many rare dog breeds. Breeders have a pair or 2 who do it out of dedication will just quit rather than risk a federal prosecution. So in the end more dogs will be gone....wait a minute what part of the world considers dogs to be vermin....right! that’s the muslim world, this is creeping SHARIA!!!!!! slow but sure


15 posted on 05/11/2012 6:17:08 AM PDT by ohiobuckeye1997
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Gennie

Oh for pete’s sake!


16 posted on 05/11/2012 6:21:08 AM PDT by Chickensoup (The Great O-pression.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: ohiobuckeye1997

Exactly, it will impact people who may not necessarily be large-scale breeders but have breeding dogs. It will impact me, I have German Shepherds, I only have one or two litters a year. As a default, if you ship your puppies (I do not), you would automatically have to be inspected. This will cause bloodlines to be fixated in certain areas, you would never have diversity, unless a person wishes to allow inspections. From glancing over at what they have outlined on the website, it looks above and beyond any state regulations.


17 posted on 05/11/2012 6:21:54 AM PDT by Gennie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: YourAdHere
I used to work at USDA. It’s full of retards.

They think puppies are "agriculture", so they can't be too bright.

18 posted on 05/11/2012 6:22:06 AM PDT by tacticalogic ("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: tacticalogic
They think puppies are "agriculture", so they can't be too bright.

HAH! Well I never knew they had a new sub-division called the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, which is what this falls under:

WASHINGTON, May 10, 2012--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing to revise its definition of “retail pet store” to close a loophole that has threatened the health and humane treatment of pets sold sight unseen over the Internet and via phone- and mail-based businesses.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom/2012/05/retail_pets_051012.shtml
19 posted on 05/11/2012 6:40:46 AM PDT by Gennie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Gennie

OK - cool beans.


20 posted on 05/11/2012 6:44:52 AM PDT by Admin Moderator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-50 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson