Progress! New Law Strikes in Puppy Mill Capital

Per the Humane Society:

Our Emergency Services unit and our Puppy Mills campaign raid squalid, overcrowded, and inhumane puppy mills all over the nation and deliver these animals into a new world filled with kindness and compassion. Yesterday, our team worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and its Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement in shutting down a major operation in Lehigh County and rescuing more than 200 dogs. The site was the misnamed “Almost Heaven Kennel,” but as the seizure revealed, it was anything but that for the dogs suffering on this property.

In a swift operation that started around noon yesterday, The HSUS and state personnel

removed the dogs from the property and transported them to an emergency holding facility in Harrisburg where the animals are being examined and cared for. The state gave The HSUS custody of the animals, and we’ll work with humane organizations and rescue groups to adopt the dogs to suitable homes when the animals are in proper condition.

We commend state officials for deciding to shut down this delinquent dog breeder and for inviting The HSUS to assist with the seizure and animal care operations. Almost Heaven—one of Pennsylvania’s most notorious puppy mills with a list of

previous offenses—had capitalized on the popularity of “doodle” breeds, selling labradoodles, goldendoodles and "mini" goldendoodles for $1,000 or more.

The raid probably would not have occurred but for the

dog protection legislation The HSUS and other groups worked so hard to pass in the state legislature last year.When The HSUS works to pass legislation, we also work to enforce the law. We hope to put this new Pennsylvania dog law to use whenever high-volume breeders mistreat the animals and handle them like little more than a cash crop. We’ll continue to work with our friends at Main Line Animal Rescue, the Pennsylvania SPCA, and other groups to tackle cruelty in a state that has unfortunately come to be known as the Puppy Mill Capital of the East.

(The original post of this article can be found at: http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2009/06/pa-puppy-mill.html )