Lawmakers are pursuing legislation to improve conditions and oversight of dogs bred for medical research.
Ten bills — three in the House and seven in the Senate — have been introduced with the aim of securing the improvements.
One of the bills, proposed by Sen. William Stanley Jr., would prohibit a dealer or breeder from “importing for sale … a dog or cat bred by a person” who has received “certain citations pursuant to the federal Animal Welfare Act.”
Another bill in the House, sponsored by Kelly K. Convirs-Fowler would require any person or business that breeds cats and dogs for animal testing facilities to report on a monthly basis such information as “birth, acquisition, death, sale, transfer, or other disposition” of the animal.
The legislative proposals come after officials conducted unannounced inspections this summer of a large beagle-breeding facility and found dozens of animal welfare violations.
The officials also raised concerns about infrequent cleaning in areas where dogs nursing puppies could face possible disease and sickness. Flies, beetles and ants were found on self-feeders in some of the kennels. At least a dozen dogs had problems including eye conditions, “severe dental disease” and inflamed paws, according to the inspection reports.
Beagles are bred for use in research because they are small and docile, according to animal welfare experts.
PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — launched its own, roughly seven-month undercover investigation of the facility. The group said its investigator found workers with no veterinary credentials sticking needles into puppies’ heads to drain hematomas without any pain relief for the animal, and cases in which puppies “fell through holes in the cages and ended up in drains, soaked with water, feces and other waste.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/01/14/legislation-dog-breeding-medical-research/
