USDA to regulate the sales/breeding of ALL pets - not just dogs, but mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, FARM ANIMALS!

USDA seeks change to regulate Internet pet sales

...

The change proposed Thursday covers dog owners who breed more than four females and sell the puppies online, by mail or over the phone. They would be subject to the same animal welfare oversight facing pet stores.

The change does not affect small-scale breeders who only sell puppies from physical locations. It's designed to ensure that the pets are healthy and genetically sound.

...

More at [link to www.businessweek.com]

USDA seeks to close loophole in animal welfare law to cover breeders who sell pets on Internet


By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, May 10, 2:44 PM AP

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.

...

“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.

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More at [link to www.washingtonpost.com]


Now the kicker, from the US Department of Agriculture site:


The proposal will restore the definition to its original intent so that it limits the retail pet store exemption to only business and residences:
• where buyers physically enter to observe the animals available for sale prior to purchasing them, and
• where only the following animals are sold or offered for sale at retail for use as pets: Dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, rats, mice, gophers, chinchilla, domestic ferrets, domestic farm animals, birds, and coldblooded species.



[link to www.aphis.usda.gov]



What this means is that if you have 4 or breeding animals, be it dogs, cats, RATS, birds, horses, etc. and you have an internet website, or you sell through a classified ad and answer the telephone, you cannot sell to people "sight unseen" and ship whatever animal it is, even if they have seen pictures or video of the animal beforehand.

What is ironic is just by physically seeing the parents, you have NO IDEA if an animal is "genetically sound".


5/7/2013 update:

Sounds like they are going through with some form of this!!


Federal Informational Update: USDA/APHIS Rule Impacting Small/Hobby Breeders Advances For Executive Review

The AKC has learned that United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has completed a full review of all public comments on proposed changes to federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations affecting “Retail Pet Stores and Licensing Exemptions”. A final version of the rule has now advanced to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for further review and possible changes ahead of publication as a final rule by USDA. Typically, it takes 30-90 days for the OMB to review a final rule before it is returned to the USDA. Once a rule is published, there is generally a period of months before any changes to existing law are implemented.


More at [link to www.akc.org]




* As an update, this did happen and was published in the Federal Register on September 18, 2013. It will be implemented on November 17, 2013:

[link to www.gpo.gov]

Unfortunately this will not actually help ensure welfare of animals, but instead cause the US government to continue to grow and exert more power. The creators of the regulation were the HSUS and PETA, whose end-goal is to stop the breeding of ALL animals.

Last Edited by Laura Bow on 10/04/2013 09:22 AM