Legislation aims to spare millions of animals from a life of torture
In other news: Federal Court tells USDA inspectors to protect dogs. Governor vetoes bill to keep people and their dogs together. Why meows change, but purrs never do. Do fewer wildlife workers mean protecting more animals? Health findings for vegan children. Children hate eating animals, until they don’t.
These are some of the stories making headlines in animal protection:
Federal Court tells USDA inspectors to protect dogs
A federal judge has ruled that inspectors with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) who visit dog-breeding operations can no longer conduct informal “courtesy visits” without reporting violations they observe. Under the decision, any inspection that uncovers animal-welfare problems must be documented and reported rather than treated as a voluntary advisory check-in.
The USDA is not doing its job in overseeing commercial dog breeders. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that the majority of complaints about inhumane conditions (69%) were not investigated promptly, allowing dogs to continue suffering. Even when the USDA inspected and found that breeders were violating the law, 80% of breeders failed to rectify the issues, leaving dogs to suffer from filth, a lack of veterinary care, and unsafe living conditions.
Moreover, the OIG found that the USDA ignored its own protocols requiring it to inspect high-risk facilities known for repeated violations more frequently. The USDA admitted it is failing on the job, offering little beyond a bevy of excuses. It is not the first time.
In a prior audit, OIG found that the USDA failed in its mission by choosing to “cooperate” with puppy mills rather than protect dogs by punishing abusers.
As a result,
The agency chose to take little or no enforcement actions against violators, including repeat violators. In one case, USDA inspectors found dead dogs and starving dogs that resorted to cannibalism, dogs that were entirely covered in ticks, kennels overrun with feces and urine, and food infested with cockroaches. At the facility in which the starving dogs were found, the [USDA] inspector did not remove the surviving dogs, and as a result twenty-two more dogs died.
Although the new ruling is welcome, protecting abused dogs has never been a priority for the Administrations of either party. This is why closing down markets by banning the online and retail sales of commercially-bred animals is essential.
In opposing bans on the sale of milled dogs in pet stores, these breeders like to argue that they are licensed and inspected by the USDA, but such oversight is clearly a sham. Not surprisingly, dogs are subjected to systematic neglect and abuse, leaving severe emotional and physical scars on the victims. One in four former breeding dogs has significant health problems, is more likely to suffer from aggression, and many are psychologically and emotionally shut down, compulsively staring at nothing.
Governor vetoes bill to keep people and their dogs together
