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NO PETS ENDING UP TORTURED IN RESEARCH LABS thru CLASS B DEALERS!

YOUR VOICE MATTERS~ PLEASE SIGN H.R. 2256 PET SAFETY & PROTECTION ACT

Click here: H.R. 2256: Pet Safety & Protection Act

Animal Welfare Institute 5,322 Facebook fans 2,400 Twitter followers

Random source dog and cat dealers, licensed "Class B" by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), collect as many companion animals as possible and sell them to research facilities. Some animals are acquired by theft from their guardians' yards, cars, and farms, while others are purchased for cash from strangers. The dealers exploit a loophole in the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) that allows them to buy dogs and cats from virtually anyone, as long as the "seller" states he or she bred and raised the animal (which is inherently impossible to prove). The animals are then sold at highly inflated prices ? literally hundreds of dollars each ? to laboratories.



The AWA, passed in 1966, was intended to stop the sale of family pets for experimentation. Yet more than 40 years later, illegally acquired dogs and cats continue to be bought and sold by Class B dealers. The animal victims are often hauled across at least one state line, making it nearly impossible for their families to find them. Dealer records are often incomplete or falsified to keep the true origin of the animals unknown. Five of the eight dealers currently in operation are under investigation by USDA, with one of them having recently been indicted on a number of federal charges, including identity theft. Another one who has been under investigation turned in his license, though the case against him is still pending, and a third is halfway through a five-year suspension.



Too often, dogs and cats are handled abusively, exposed to extremes of weather, and denied sufficient food, water, veterinary care and clean, dry cages. The USDA spends over $300,000 in tax dollars every year trying to regulate this appalling situation. Yet, if a scofflaw dealer is finally driven out of business, one of his cohorts is able to become licensed and carry on in his or her stead.



According to the USDA, of the approximately 90,000 dogs and cats used for research each year, about 3,200 come from Class B dealers; the vast majority come from breeders (Class A dealers); and a small number come directly from pounds. Many research facilities have adopted policies against the acquisition of random source dogs and cats from Class B dealers. A minority of facilities continue to use them and merely ignore the dealers? misdeeds ? until the situation is exposed and another tragic tale is revealed by the media. In May 2009, the National Academy of Sciences released a report entitled "Scientific and Humane Issues in the Use of Random Source Dogs and Cats in Research." At Congress' request, NAS assessed whether there is a scientific need for NIH grant recipients to purchase dogs and cats from B dealers. The report concluded that there is not. Moreover, in response to Congressional concern, NIH has since advised its grant recipients that it is phasing out "the allowance of using funds to obtain dogs fo