Pet Safety And Protection Act

Floor Speech

* r. DOYLE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce the Pet Safety and Protection Act--legislation that I believe is essential to protect family pets, bring our nation's research policies into the 21st century, and end the unnecessary and illegal abuse of cats and dogs that's widespread in the Class B dealer system, which provides a number of animals to biomedical research labs.

* Class B dealers are licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to acquire animals from ``random sources,'' including individuals who claim to have bred and raised the animals, but oftentimes haven't actually done so. Then the dogs and cats are sold to labs across the country that conduct important biomedical research.

* Most scientists agree that animals with certain genetic characteristics or medical conditions are necessary for some types of medical research. So-called random sources are often the best sources for such animals. Unfortunately, the Class B dealer system that was set up to address this need has been plagued by widespread and flagrant violations of the Animal Welfare Act--including complaints that family pets have been swept up and sent to labs and used in biomedical research.

* While USDA has tried to monitor Class B dealers and make sure these laws are followed, it simply has never had the resources to ensure the dealers' compliance. USDA's efforts, have, however, resulted in a number of investigations that forced many bad dealers out of the business. Today, 7 of the 10 remaining licensed Class B dealers are being investigated for alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act. An additional dealer has had his license suspended for 5 years.

* That record should give anyone an idea of the magnitude of the problems that exist in the current Class B dealer program. If anyone still doubts the need for action, I urge them to watch a 2006 HB0 program documenting in graphic, disturbing detail the inhumane and illegal treatment of animals by Class B dealers. This remarkable documentary contains video footage shot undercover in a Class B dealer's facility. Among the abuses documented in this film are overcrowded cages, rotten food, food contaminated with feces, frozen drinking water, dogs with serious untreated injuries and diseases, and live dogs caged with the carcasses of dead dogs. This investigation also documented the beating, strangulation, and shooting of dogs by a Class B dealer.

* I have been working for a number of years to pass legislation that would change the way animals with random source characteristics are acquired for biomedical research. This legislation, the Pet Safety and Protection Act, would prohibit the sale of dogs and cats by Class B dealers for experimentation. Its goal is to stop the illegal supply of dogs and cats to laboratories--as was intended when the Animal Welfare Act was first adopted by Congress in 1966. The Pet Safety and Protection Act also provides an alternative to Class B dealers for acquiring such animals. Research labs could acquire them from Class A dealers, from certain publicly owned and operated animal pounds, and through donations from people who have owned the animal for at least a year. I believe that this law would end the abuses running rampant in the Class B dealer system and make the process for acquiring animals necessary for medical research far more humane.

* This legislation has the strong support of the Animal Welfare Institute and the Humane Society of the United States.

* In previous years, this bill has been derailed by concerns that it might prevent or delay life-saving biomedical research. Consequently, the 110th Congress directed the National Academies to examine the issue and determine whether the Class B dealer system should be continued. Earlier this summer, the National Academies released its report on the Class B dealer system. The National Academies concluded that:

Although random source dogs and cats represent a very small percentage of animals used in biomedical research, this small number is not commensurate with their potential value, and it is desirable to assure continued access to animals with random source qualities. This access can be accomplished with existing alternative mechanisms other than Class B dealers and can be assured with additional effort. The Committee thus determined that Class B dealers are not necessary for supplying dogs and cats for NIH-funded research.

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