Texas Puppy Mill Law Upheld
Every once in a while, Texas surprises me in a pleasant way. In 2011, the legislature passed, and Rick Perry signed, the Dog and Cat Breeders Act. The law requires state licensing and inspections of pet breeders who keep 11 or more breeding females or sell 20 or more puppies or kittens a year. It also establishes minimum standards for the humane handling, care, housing and transportation of dogs and cats by commercial breeders.
The “Responsible Pet Owners Alliance” challenged the law, arguing that it violated the constitutional rights of breeders. The Federal Court disagreed and upheld the law. Article by the Texas Tribune here. Amusingly-titled article in the Dallas Morning News blog here. (Obviously, it’s all about those liberals in Austin, so we headline it as an “Austin Court,” not a federal court.)
While the law’s protections are minimal, it’s something, especially in Texas where animals are property and profit. Texas is notoriously one of the top ten puppy mill states, and that’s based just on the “known” puppy mills. I’d bet that the number of backyard breeders (or highway sellers) probably put it in the top five.
Not surprisingly, the Responsible Pet Owners Alliance is an American Kennel Club State Federation for Texas. Also not surprisingly (come on, this is Texas), the plaintiffs are chirping that the supporters of the law are vegans and PETA types. Ha!
Now that the law has been upheld, I wonder if some members of the Responsible Pet Owners Alliance will be dumping dogs this week? (Dallas Morning News blog post on just two of dog dumps that happened when the law took effect, here.)
