Posted Thursday, June 26, 2008, 6:33 p.m., EST

The House Judiciary Committee cleared House Bill 2532, while the Agricultural Committee approved House Bill 2525.

Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff said the House of Representatives can help improve Pennsylvania’s commercial breeding kennels , defined as those that sell more than 60 dogs per year, with swift passage of the bills.

Introduced in May, the bill would mandate stricter standards for commercial breeding kennels, including increased space and an outdoor exercise area.

“Currently, a kennel owner can choose to confine dogs in small, stacked, wire-floored cages with no heat, no opportunity for exercise and no routine medical care,” Wolff said. “There are commercial breeding kennels operating with those conditions today, and it is completely legal under the current Pennsylvania Dog Law. The bills voted on this week will help dogs in commercial breeding kennels live more comfortable, healthy lives, and I applaud the committees for moving this important legislation forward.”

Opponents of the legislation, including sporting dog organizations, said that while something must be done about the state’s “puppy mill” issue, the bill goes too far.

H.B. 2532 calls for improvements to the welfare of dogs under animal cruelty law. Mainly, debarking, the practice of cutting a dog’s vocal cords, would only be done by a veterinarian, as would surgical birth. <HOME>