Large scale, out-of-state puppy and kitten mills may have their business aspirations crushed in Oregon if the state legislature has its way.
State Representatives voted 41-16 Tuesday in favor of House Bill 2915. Proponents say the bill could seriously thwart mega-mills that keep animals in deplorable conditions by prohibiting them from selling to new pet stores in Oregon. Though Oregon observes strict breeding standards, current law does not restrict less-regulated out-of-state breeders from selling to pet stores in Oregon.
Detractors argue that the bill doesn’t go far enough to discourage wanton breeding practices since the bill grandfathers in six retail stores, allowing them to continue selling dogs and cats as pets. Conservative opponents say the bill curbs free enterprise.
Animal advocates hail the bill as a huge step away from the nightmarish conditions under which milled animals are bred and raised.
“USDA standards say that dogs can live in cages that are only six inches larger than their body. The USDA also allows dogs as young as six months — or whenever their first heat cycle is — to be bred,” Ashley Dale, the Executive Director of Animal Aid, told local ABC affiliate, KATU News.
Carol Lee of Albany lamented the early life of her now deceased Westland terrier, Kayla MacDuff Lee: “She spent her first five years in a cage so small and dark that, when she was rescued, she barely knew how to walk,” Lee told the hearing. “The mill owners cut her vocal cords. They did this so they could pack as many animals as possible into a facility without drawing the attention of authorities. Before being rescued, the only identity she had was as breeder number 10.”
At a public hearing on Monday, Shauna Sherick, a Newberg Veterinary Technician, told lawmakers that dogs and cats coming from mega-mills are plagued by health issues.
“I could name off a long list of zoonotic diseases we see come through our hospitals each month that are a direct result of the public purchasing animals from pet stores, that 99 percent of the time receive their animals from puppy and kitten mills,” Sherick said.
Violators may be fined up to $500 per incident. The bill also allows local governments to adopt resolutions, enact ordinances and/or take other legislative action imposing more stringent requirements and penalties on violators. HB 2915 would not stop people from buying from established breeders in or out of state.
Oregon lags behind much of the country in anti-mill legislation. California, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, New York and Washington currently lead the pack with full-site bans.
The bill now moves to the Oregon State Senate.