In 2008 Pennsylvania had over 300 commercial breeding (puppy mills) facilities. After 80 dogs were shot and killed at a puppy mill in Maxatawny Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania in July 2008, HB 2525 swiftly became our new Dog Law in October of the same year, better known as Act 119. This law was to assure that no dogs would be killed by gun shot in a breeding facility.
In 2013 a “Special Perfromance Audit of the Dep’t of Agriculture Dog Law Progam” by Auditor General, Eugene DePasquale, indicated there were over 300 commercial kennels in Pennsylvania. By 2011, there were less than 70 in existence. In the report, DePasquale states the “number of kennels issued commercial licenses has dramatically decreased. Many closed or decided to no longer be a commercial kennel and became licensed as a non-commercial type of kennel.”
Pennsylvania allegedly had one of the toughtest animal cruelty laws in the nation. The audit says otherwise. The Bureau of Dog Law failed miserably in its mission to uphold the law and protect dogs.
Today, there are approximately 50 commercial kennels in the Keystone state, according to my research. In a recent report, Pennsylvania has four of the worst kennels in the nation.
What happened to one of the nation’s toughest laws to protect man’s best friend and are there fewer than 75 kennels existing in this state?
I know people who have worked behind the scenes saving dogs in puppy mills for years. Ask one of them, and you will hear a different story completely than what was told in that audit.
Have the number of Pennsylvania’s puppy mills dramatically decreased as DePasquale suggested in his audit? Have they simply “closed” their doors?
The answer is NO.
Yes, there were over 300 commercial kennels in Pennsylvania in 2008. How many realistically exist in 2014?
The answer may surprise you. Nearly 75% of those commercial kennels exist today!
Roughly, 225 commercial kennels are still breeding dogs in Pennsylvania!
A very credible source has informed me that most of the “closed” kennels have either gone underground or have moved and are now hidden. I was told that the breeders were angry about our Dog Law and took matters into their own hands. Some kennels did actually close but nowhere near the number that is indicated in reports.
Not only did our new law fail miserably, puppy mills are thriving and thousands of dog are not even being monitored at all! How many dogs are suffering just as much, if not more, before Act 119 went into effect?
I knew many mills were still in existence but I wasn’t aware the percentage was at 75%!
Breeders also use the internet to sell puppies so it is even more difficult to find these hidden mills.
My source also informed that the process of locating all of the “former” kennels will be tedious and will take a long time to handle all of them.
We have failed the dogs miserably in puppy mills in Pennsylvania, once again.
Having a new Dog Law is not having an impact on puppy mills as we once thought. They are thriving.
One more important item: dogs are still being shot and killed in PA puppy mills.
It has been proven that laws don’t work to protect dogs in puppy mills. Puppy mills shouldn’t exist. Period. No law will ever close all puppy mills. It’s time to take a different approach to end the existence of puppy mills in this country.
I knew they still were operating. That number is staggering! Can you imagine how much they are suffering in this heat with no one checking on them? How many are dying as I write this? This is appalling!
How does the Bureau of Dog Law even exist when they don’t know how to do their job?
Go in , take the dogs and close their doors. What they’re doing is illegal. Why should that be so hard and tedious? I can see why it will take a long time if they’re hidden. Once you find them, SHUT THEIR DOORS FORFVER!
This bites. My heart breaks for all the dogs who suffer. They don’t follow the law. I can’t begin to imagine how the dogs are living in horrible, horrible filth and stench. Since no one is inspecting, it has to be worse than it ever was. God Bless their sould.
THANKS FOR THE TRUTH! Journalists who keep writing that most of our puppy mills were closed are living a dream world. Wake up people. If they were true journalists, they would’ve gotten to the truth a long time ago. Good going, Tina.
As someone who has helped dogs in puppy mills, I’m not shocked by this number. Many of us who work in this field of saving their lives work closely with the breeders so they allow us to save them. It’s common knowledge to us that many had gone underground. The law is completely ineffective. It didnt work and doesn’t work.
I agree that we need a different strategy to help these dogs. I’m tired of the blabbering from different animal groups (big corporations who think they’ve made the changes with them.
It’s digusting and dogs are dying!
Plus, dogs are also drowned or hit on the head with a rock. Do you really think they care about how they end a dog’s life?
Let me get my hands on them! They will be closed.
Laws will always fail especially if not they’re enforced. PA doesn’t enforce or protect dogs in puppy mills. They lead people to believe they do but in reality, they DON’T!
They sure do exist.
Incomprehensible and unbelievable. The Ag Dep’t wants us to believe they have closed these hell holes when in reality they’re still operating and these dogs are suffering more than ever. STOP BUYING FROM PET STORES!!!!!!!!!! How can we get this through people’s brains? Brainless people.
This pisses me off to no end! We’re celebrated a new law which did NOTHING to help dogs in puppy mills!
I enjoy reading and I conceive this site got some genuinely utilitarian stuff on it! .
I’ve driven back roads in Lancaster County and see the signs for all the puppies who are for sale. This is their money-maker. They won’t let their cash crop get away from them.
I know they exist but the Department of Agriculture and the media won’t put out the truth. It will make Pa look bad and wreck visitors wanting to visit here. Money comes before the welfare of dogs stuck in mills living out a miserable existence. Good to know their priorities.
Why am I not surprised by this? Thanks for telling the truth.