A month or so ago, I wrote an article about the ineffectiveness of breed banning. A few weeks ago, I mentioned in an article how under-trained many county officials who work for the Department of Animal Control are. This week I read an article that simply proves my point about the latter and also reinforces what I have always said about how we need to stay current as dog owners about legislation in our area.

The City of Dallas, Texas has a law in place making it illegal to sell products from your home. When I called the City Attorneys office to inquire about the law, their representative, who refused to allow me to use her name, said it was intended to stop people from selling “products” to the public in a retail styled operation. She said it wasn't designed to target dog owners selling their litters but the way the legislation was written, puppies would fall under the legal description of a “product.”

The Ignorant

Lady Higgens and her daughter, Lisa, have started a two-woman campaign to have individuals selling their litters of puppies in city limits prosecuted by the City Attorneys office. These ignorant, but I am sure well meaning, women are using this law to try to put puppy mills out of business.

Now they aren't just trying to get officials to investigate these matters, they have decided on the Nancy Drew approach. They respond to ads in the newspaper, go to the house on the guise of being a potential owner, photo the puppies and then file a complaint with the City Attorneys office. Kent Robertson a manager with the Dallas Animal Control office has praised their efforts.

As of the time of this writing, six cases have been brought to court. Of those six, four have been thrown out, one is waiting a decision from the judge and one individual was fined $250.00. None of these individuals have been determined to be running puppy mills and, in fact, only one individual has ever bred a dog before.

Effectiveness

So far their efforts have netted one individual who was given a minimal fine, and not one puppy mill operation has been affected. Thousands of dollars in manpower, court costs and time have been spent as a result of these “investigations.” Where did the money come from? You got it. Your tax dollars. This doesn't count the fees the breeders had to pay to their attorneys and time from work.

What do the breeder's involved say to all of this? Of the two willing to comment, both said in the future they would simply make the drive to the next city to make the sale. So, the only thing that has happened is conscientious breeders have had to go underground in order to continue to breed in an appropriate manner. Congratulations Higgens girls. You have accomplished nothing but to waste the money of the tax paying citizens of the city of Dallas.

I can think of a couple of different things the tax dollars could have been used on. How about additional training for Animal Control Officers? How about forming a public awareness campaign, or adding funds to an existing one, encouraging owners to spay and neuter their dogs? You could even use the money to offer free spay and neutering to low-income families with dogs. These would be effective and intelligent.

Solutions

First we have to realize if someone wants to breed their dog, they are going to do it. There are several people around the world who are concerned with proper breeding of the species and only breed one or two litters a year from their home. If anyone thinks this type of breeding is a moneymaker, they are a fool. After stud fees, supplements for the mother, medical exams x-rays for pups and mom and food, there is little left once the pups have been sold.

Using legislation like what is in place in Dallas obviously isn't a deterrent to the trade especially with only a one in six conviction rate. I whole-heartedly support the introduction of effective legislation to prevent the operation of puppy mills and inappropriate breeding practices. The key word is “effective.” Equally important is for government employees who work in Animal Control and care to only support actions that will result in a better environment for our dogs and effective legislation and action. For these individuals to support people like the Higgens girls, they are, in my opinion, negligent in the duties they are paid to conduct and obviously not qualified to hold the positions they do.

So, as I said, I have solution or idea. Not the only one but these came to mind as I was contemplating this issue and also solutions the Paws for Change Foundation is considering.

1. Breeder Training and Licensing

I see no reason why individuals who wish to breed their dog should not be expected to go through a half day training session and pay a fee to be licensed to breed their dog. I would have no problem with this myself and don't see why the class and license would be over priced at $250.00

These classes could be taught by volunteer veterinarians, behaviorists or even properly trained city employees and could be conducted in three hours on the weekend. They would be given guidelines to follow regarding the number of times a dog can be bred, requirements for housing, exercise and veterinary care of the animals.

Once licensed, breeders would need to renew their license annually, just like many other trades. They would be required to keep extensive records available for review by buyers and city officials. No more than three breeding bitches would be allowed.

2. Penalties

Individuals who are found to be in violation of the regulations or operating without a license should be severely financially penalized in the thousands of dollars. Their dogs should be seized and held until they have been spayed or neutered at the expense of the owner. Any puppies should be seized and adopted out by rescue operations with the cost of their care being at the expense of the violating breeder. They should also be banned from ever receiving a breeding license in the future.

3. Revenues

Revenues generated from the licensing and fines could be used to support the program, provide additional training for Animal Control officers, update facilities and public awareness campaigns.

Keep in mind, this particular solution is one that came off the top of my head and would need to be fine-tuned. It would be far more effective than what is going on in Dallas, and the dogs would benefit from it in the long run. There are several other things that could be done as well.

States could offer a tax deduction to individuals who adopt a dog from the pound or a non-profit rescue organization or offer free licensing to individuals who pull a dog out of the pound. They could also offer a deduction to people who have their dogs spayed or neutered.

The State may lose a little money from these programs, but at least they would be losing it to meet a greater goal and not flushing it down the toilet like the Higgens girls and Mr. Robertson of Dallas Animal Control seem inclined to do. They say they want to stop puppy mills, but the laws in the city actually support them.

There are only two places in Dallas you can legally buy a dog. One is a retail a pet store. Hate to tell you this, Dallas, but pet stores have long supported puppy mills, although they rarely admit it, by purchasing puppies from them and never investigating the manner in which the puppy was bred, housed or raised. They put in an order and the pups are delivered.

These puppies are then placed in small cages where they live until they are purchased. They are given limited exercise, kennels are often filthy and little and or no veterinary care is given to the dog until sold, if even then. Hmmm? What does this sound like? What's the word? Oh yeah, that's it. It sounds just like a PUPPY MILL!

The second place you can get a puppy is from a commercial breeder. These operations breed for pure profit. The dogs usually live in dog runs, receive minimal exercise or socialization, but are slightly better than the typical puppy mill. We must remember a profit-based business is always looking for ways to cut costs and increase profit. They are rarely inspected, and you have to basically blindly trust the individuals running it.

When I named this article "Ignorance of Authority," I knew it was a harsh title but I think after reading my article you can see it is fitting. Two of the worst places to buy a dog are welcomed by the city and its representatives. The best place for a person to buy a dog - from a conscientious small breeder raising the pups in the home like family - is harassed, dragged into court, and, in most cases, ends up wasting the courts' time and tax payers money. That's ignorant.

It is situations like this, that make it imperative to stay current on, not only pending, but legislation already in place. When you see things as stupid as what is going on in Dallas, you need to do something. Call your elected officials, send them emails, start a petition and find groups like the Paws for Change Foundation that are willing to help.

Again, I fully support strong, intelligent legislation that promotes spay, neutering and appropriate breeding restrictions or requirements. Officials and well meaning citizens need to go after the real “bad guys” out there and quit harassing the very people who are trying to make a difference.

I have a message for the Higgens girls and Dallas Animal Control ...