Have you always wanted to STOP puppy mills in Oklahoma, but never knew what YOU could do? Now is your chance!

Did you know over 600 Class A and Class B dog dealers exist in Oklahoma, making us the second largest puppy producer in the country behind Missouri? Please Please Please come out and voice your opinion on November 6th at the Capitol at 10:00 AM in Room 412C. The meeting will be filled with Class A and B dog dealers,we must have a presence or this bill will not be introduced! Do not expect changes to occur in Oklahoma unless you are actively there to create change.

Read below for details on the legislation. This is the beginning of our opportunity to create change.

HIGH VOLUME BREEDER FACTS

·USDA regulations cover only those breeders and dealers who supply dogs on a wholesale basis for resale to a third party AND who own three or more breeding females.

·Entities that sell, adopt, or otherwise place companion animals directly to the public in OK are therefore not covered by any regulations, even those with hundreds of breeding dogs or cats.

·Most states with a high number of breeding establishments have state regulations covering the facilities not covered by USDA regulations.

·However, Oklahoma has no state regulations of facilities not required to have a USDA license. Many animals fall through the cracks.

·No mechanism exists for addressing facilities that are obligated to obtain a USDA license and choose not to do so. These clandestine breeding operations avoid animal welfare regulations, taxes and plague consumers.

·USDA regulations may cover less than one third of all high volume breeders in OK.

·Class A dealers, sometimes called ‘puppy mills,’ produce dogs to sell wholesale, usually to pet stores.

·Class B dealers, obtain ‘random source,’ dogs and are often associated with pet theft or theft by deception (fraudulent responses to ‘free to good home’ ads), mainly selling dogs to research labs.

Concerned citizens, and Oklahoma based animal welfare organizations, want regulations to compel all facilities including breeders, dog dealers, and private shelters selling or placing over 25 dogs or puppies per/yr to meet, at a minimum, USDA standards for housing, feeding, cleanliness and record keeping. Some breeders complain that the standards are too restrictive and could put them out of business.

Are These Standards Too Restrictive?


USDA standards call for each dog to have a cage size at least equal to its’ length from nose to base of tail, plus six inches, times the same length. This means an average beagle could spend its’ life in a 30” X 30” cage. Each breeding cat under 8.8 pounds is entitled to a minimum of 3 square feet of floor space (96 square inches), or 18” by 24”. Cats over 8.8 pounds are to have six inches more. There are recommendations for exercise, but exercise IS NOT MANDATORY.

USDA standards call for each animal to be fed daily and offered water at least twice daily.

USDA standards call for minimal record keeping.

Each week another ‘puppy mill,’ is seen in the paper. Many complaints come in regarding facilities claiming to be rescue organizations that operate as unlicensed Class B dealers. These tragedies appear in the news and in the courts. Common sense standards can stop animal suffering.


Voice your opinion on November 6 at the capitol at 10 am.