PENDING LEGISLATION WOULD HAVE SAVED  DOGS KILLED BY BERKS KENNEL OWNERS

Current Law  Allows Commercial Breeders to Shoot Dogs
HARRISBURG  - Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Dennis Wolff  released the  following statement in response to the shooting of 80 dogs at two Berks County  kennels:
The recent  shooting of 80 dogs at two Berks County kennels is
saddening.
The decision  by commercial breeders to kill healthy dogs instead of paying to repair a kennel  and seek veterinary care is alarming, and will likely outrage many people. Unfortunately, the killing of the dogs was legal under current Pennsylvania  law.
The two  kennels involved have both voluntarily closed, but until our
states outdated  dog law is changed kennel owners may continue to kill their
dogs for any reason  they see fit, even if it is simply to save money.  We can't afford to wait  any longer to pass legislation that would ban commercial kennel owners from  killing their dogs.
House Bill  2525, introduced in May, would allow only veterinarians to
euthanize dogs in  commercial breeding kennels. The bill would strengthen current dog laws  and provide better standards for the health and safety of dogs in commercial  breeding kennels without burdening other types of kennels that house dogs.The legislature has an opportunity to pass this important
legislation this  fall, and they should -- as doing so will assure that this activity will be  illegal in PA commercial breeding kennels moving forward."
Rather than  seek medical attention for dogs suffering from fleas and fly sores, kennel  owners Ammon and Elmer Zimmerman of Kutztown shot all 80 of their dogs to save  costs. The Zimmermans, owners of A&J Kennel and E&A Kennel,voluntarily  surrendered their licenses on July 29 after killing the dogs.
Dog wardens  inspected E&A Kennel on July 24, noting several violations for kennel  sanitation and maintenance.  Wardens also noted fleas and fly sores
on 39  of the dogs and ordered veterinary checks.  Wardens issued four citations for violations and planned to confirm the veterinary checks during a follow-up  inspection.  The wardens were notified on July 29 that the owners of both kennels chose to destroy the dogs and dismantle the kennels.
For more information on House Bill  2525, visit _www.DogLawAction.com_
(http://www.doglawaction.com/) .
BOTTOM LINE: STOP BUYING FROM DOG STORES AND PUPPY MILLS THEY ALMOST ALWAYS ARE ONE AND THE SAME!