Rescue Groups Seek Political Remedy for Puppy and Kitten Mills
The court case against Sciota Township's Dayna Bell has renewed calls to overhaul a system which activists characterize as "broken every step of the way," while opponents in the legislature view their initiatives as an attack on the free market.
After years of activism, many bills drafted and scores of dead or harmed puppies and kittens, animal rescue groups say they were left empty-handed after the 2012 legislative session concluded—in spite of widespread public outrage prompted by the latest case of an apparent Minnesota puppy mill run by Dayna Bell in southern Dakota County. In April, Bell was charged with 16 counts of animal cruelty for allegedly killing dogs at her breeding facility just outside of Northfield. With the way the system is structured now, most cases like Bell’s never come to light, animal rescue groups say. At present, the state of Minnesota does not regulate the cat and dog breeding industry and existing animal cruelty laws are rarely enforced. “Someone has …
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KT
9:28 am on Monday, July 30, 2012
I stand by my comment about inbreeding, though I did say "usually". Certain breeds are predisposed to genetic issues and a good breeder will take that into account and hopefully weed them out of the gene pool. It's the backyard breeders (or puppy mills) who don't research or care and will breed animals, not caring that they're sending out ones who are going to have health issues down the road. I … more ›