Changes

Introduced by Senator Richard Santorum of Pennylvania, a state long plagued with the problem of unregulated breeding operations (puppy mills); this reasonable bill classifies home breeders as dog and cat dealers if they produce more than six litters and sell more than 25 animals in a calendar year and ''require hobby breeders to meet standards of housing and care''. <ref>govtrack.us [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s109-1139 Text of S. 1139, 109th: Pet Animal Welfare Statute of 2005], accessed January 2009</ref> Further criticisms about this bill are failure to ''exempt individuals and organizations that rescue dogs and place them in new homes''. <ref>NAIA Trust [http://www.naiatrust.org/NAIA_Trust_Opposes_PAWS_S1139.htm Action Alert: NAIA Trust opposes (PAWS) S 1139/H 2669], accessed January 2009</ref> Incredibly, this ''animal welfare trust'', makes no distinctions between rescued animals and profitable breeding operations. Many commercial breeders are ''home-based'' and operating under no supervision or standards. ''Backyard breeders'' often keep their animals in cages, pens or on chains 24/7, exposed to the elements with no socialization or medical care. <ref>Jane Seymour [http://www.friendsofanimals.org/actionline/summer-2004/that-bulldog.html That Bulldog in the Window], Friends of Animals, accessed January 2009</ref> This bill never became law. <ref>govtrack.us [http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s109-1139S. 1139: 109th Congress Pet Animal Welfare Statute of 2005], accessed January 2009</ref> See also [[Puppy Millspuppy mills]].

The Animal Welfare Act (AWA) <ref>U.S. Department of Agriculture [http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/usdaleg1.htm Animal Welfare Act and Regulations], August 2003</ref> is the primary law covering laboratory animals in the U.S. However, the AWA only requires facilities to count the number of dogs, cats, primates, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, farm and other animals used. '''Rats, mice, birds and cold-blooded animals represent the vast majority of animals used in laboratories and are not protected under the AWA or even counted.''' <ref>In Defense of Animals [http://www.vivisectioninfo.org/faq.html The Truth About Vivisection: Frequently Asked Questions], accessed January 2009</ref>The Senate accepted an amendment introduced by the late Jesse Helms, a republican senator from N. Carolina; to bar the [[U.S. Department of Agriculture]] from including mice, rats and birds (and cold blood animals such as reptiles) under the AWA. These animals account for (approximately) 95% of all laboratory animals. <ref>Humane Society of the U.S. [http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/us_senate_passes_farm_bill_addressing_animal_fighting_puppy_mills_farm_animals_and_bears.html U.S. Senate Passes Farm Bill Addressing Animal Fighting, Puppy Mills, Farm Animals and Bears], February 2002</ref> See also [[Animal animal testing]], section 2.1.