Preliminary Recap of Two Different Bills to Regulate Puppy Mills in Minnesota
    by Mike Fry

    For two consecutive legislative sessions, Senator Don Betzold has introduced bills that would, for the first time, allow the State of Minnesota to regulate dog and cat breeders. Opposition to his efforts has been fierce, and has come from some surprising places. Most specifically, some of Minnesota's leading experts on puppy mills felt Betzold's bill in 2008 focused resources in the wrong place: it did not require large, wholesalers of puppies to comply with new care standards to be developed by the State. Additionally, the bill defined a commercial breeder as one with as few as 6 breeding animals.

    Having small hobby breeders, with as few as 6 breeding animals, grouped together with large-scale puppy mills, like Kathy Bauck and Gary McDuffee, created a large rift between supporters of the bill and small, responsible breeders, and understandably so.

    Breeders working to preserve threatened or endangered dog breeds, for example, make no money from their efforts. Any money taken in through the sale of puppies goes back into genetic testing, preserving DNA samples of the best of the breed, and providing outstanding care for their animals. The best of these breeders tend to keep small numbers of animals, and may produce a litter of puppies every year or every other year.

    It is easy to see why categorizing these breeders in the same group as large-scale, commercial operations where a thousand or more dogs may be packed into small, wire cages, stacked 3-high, and where puppies are considered nothing more than commercial commodities, might raise the hackles of the responsible breeders. Deeper analysis of the opposition to past bills shows why offending these small breeders turned out to be the kiss of death for proposed legislation.

    Another important group active in defeating past legislation may have been the AKC, or American Kennel Club. A quick review of the legislative action section of the AKC Web Site suggests the organization will oppose any form of regulation of the dog breeding industry. According to their own spokespeople, AKC takes in millions of dollars annually in registration fees for puppy mill puppies. However, with public opposition to large-scale dog factories growing, it is hard for AKC, and others like them, to use puppy mill operators as foot soldiers in their anti-regulation fight.

    By categorizing commercial breeders (a.k.a. "Puppy mills") as those with as few as six animals, authors of previous "puppy mill bills" in Minnesota have pushed away the small, responsible hobby breeders and handed their opposition everything they needed to effectively kill the legislation. It should come as no surprise, then, that the bills that have been presented have barely gotten hearings in the House or Senate, and that opposition from small, hobby breeders has been strong.

    Senator Betzold has announced plans to introduce a revised version of "The Dog And Cat Breeder Bill" that he introduced last year. Though some concerns about last year's bill are reportedly going to be fixed in this new version, the overall approach and strategy of the bill has not been changed. Additionally, the bill is reported to continue grouping small, hobby breeders in with the mega-breeding factories, so it is hard to see how the dynamic or the conversation around the bill will change at the legislature during the upcoming session.

    As someone who believes passionately that Minnesota needs to effectively regulate large-scale puppy mills, it is frustrating to see this dynamic played out over and over, with the same outcome each time.

    This year, Animal Ark has been working with a growing group of veterinarians, animal welfare advocates and small, responsible breeders on a new puppy mill bill we are planning to have introduced during the 2009 legislative session. This bill will address the concerns of past bills. It will focus oversight and enforcement resources on the larger breeding facilities in Minnesota. We believe that by doing so, we will have a strategically more viable puppy mill bill, and a bill that will result in a more enforceable law when it is passed. The primary objectives of this proposed legislation will be to:

      • Provide an application fee/permit fee structure for large-scale breeders that will fully fund oversight and enforcement activities
      • Ensure compliance with all existing laws and regulations governing the industry
      • Provide a framework with which animal welfare advocates may continue strengthening care standards in future legislative sessions
      • Provide support to local enforcement officials, that currently lack the resources needed to effectively regulate the large-scale facilities
      • Gain support from the smaller breeders and breed clubs to help ensure the bill can be passed

    With a more inclusive and strategic approach to puppy mill legislation, I am hopeful that Minnesota will once and for all pass a bill that will help the state to begin cleaning up this dirty industry. You can support the effort by donating to our Put a Stop to Puppy Mills Fund.

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