Pennsylvania Bans In-Home Surgical Procedures on Dogs
View Biography
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (Sept 10th, 2009)
Pennsylvania's new dog protection laws have been welcomed in all quarters, but critics say there is room for improvement.
On August 27th, Governor Edward G. Rendell signed into law House Bill 39, which amends existing laws regarding cruelty to animals, with a majority of 179 to 10. The law change ensures that only trained and licensed veterinarians can perform certain medical procedures including ear cropping; "debarking" by cutting or injuring the vocal cords; tail docking or removal of dew-claws from a dog over 5 days old; and surgically birthing a dog. Where any of these procedures have been carried out on a dog, the dog's owner must keep a record of the vet who performed it, as well as the date and location. House Bill 39 expands upon last year's actions to reduce the number of puppy mills in Pennsylvania. The state has since revoked or refused 11 kennel licenses and cited another 34 unlicensed kennels. Suspected unlicensed kennels can also now be reported through the Bureau of Dog Law's website.
"Until now, these cruel practices could be carried out by dog owners without proper training and without supervision by a licensed vet, which could lead to long-term injury, pain and, in some cases, death to these defenseless animals," said Governor Rendell.
Animal rescue and humane organizations have welcomed Pennsylvania's actions, but some say that aspects of the new laws require improvement. Only Humane Society Police Officers can enforce the new law, meaning that the law will remain unenforceable in counties without serving Humane Society Police Officers. The ability of a dog warden to also enforce this section of the crimes code was deleted from the text of the bill by the Senate. Indeed, wardens will not even be allowed to ask for proof that a veterinarian performed a procedure. In addition, the law does not include non-surgical procedures which are deemed by some to be equally inhumane, such as non-surgical "debarking".
"Typical debarking performed by commercial breeders involves no incision and creates no wound. Therefore, a dog debarked by having a pipe shoved down its throat will never show any evidence that the vocal cords have been crushed. No wound equals no request for proof equals no way to deter this crude means of debarking," said Jenny Stephens, Executive Director of the North Penn Puppy Mill Watch in a statement.
This news story is independently sourced and PetPeoplesPlace.com does not specifically endorse products or services offered by any company referenced in this article, or benefit from any association with any companies referenced.
Personally, I never understood the purpose of cutting off a dogs tail or ears, nor have I heard of debarking a dog until recently. Dogs are dogs, leave their tails and ears alone and IF it's true that dogs are debarked by either a vet or shoving something down their throats, that is unbelievable! How someone could do this without any conscious is beyond my comprehension. Dogs bark, that's what dogs do to alert danger, excitement, boredom. I agree with the new law and hope it can be enforced.
To "Just the Facts"...
Too bad you weren't at the actual zoning board hearing when a notorious Lancaster County puppy miller described to the entire zoning board AND PUBLIC AUDIENCE how he debarks dogs an entire kennel of dogs in 30 minutes using a pipe and a hammer.
It was said with such ease and obvious that the procedure he described was a common and frequently used practice in the Lancaster mills.
Likewise, last year a miller had no problem shooting 80 dogs while still in their kennels versus calling in a vet and having his dogs treated for flea and fly bites as ordered by a warden.
Simply because YOU couldn't perform such a cruel act doesn't mean it isn't done and, if a few dogs die along the way due to the barbaric debarking procedure, do you think the millers really care?
Until YOU have been in the mills of Lancaster County, PA you really have no idea what YOU'RE talking about.
It would be nice if people would stop repeating the urban legend that people debark dogs by shoving a pipe down their throat! This would silence the dog but probably by killing it! Whoever dreamed this one up has created what some people take as truth. Tell a lie often enough and people start to believe it. It is also wrong to suggest that tail docking and ear cropping are intrinsically cruel. Tail docking is properly done when puppies are a few days old and their responses to body insult are very limited. Same for dewclaws. These surgeries can often prevent injuries that require major surgry in the adult dog. I once gave a home to a 4 year old dog with one rear dewclaw. When she was 10, she snagged it and had to have it surgically removed. It was a mess. This would not have been necessary if it has been done at 2 days. I have also seen dogs break their tails - dogs that work or hunt typically. Tail docking and dewclaws are easiily done by breeders. The other surgeries are properly done by Veterinarians. But let's not promote the push the pipe down the throat nonsense. Debarking can save the lives of noisy dogs that might otherwise end up euthanized as behavior problems in a shelter.
- Poll: Do You Have Pet Health Insurance?
- Prepare Your Dog for Holiday Boarding
- Special Forces Dog Found After 14 Months in Afghan Wilderness
- FDA Issues Pig Ear and Beef Hoof Health Warning
- Selecting the Best Kibble for Your Dog
- Kennel Cough Treatment and Prevention
- Dog Rescued From Fighting Becomes Therapy Dog
- Visit The Dog Homepage
- Sign Up For Our Weekly Email Newsletter
- Questions to Ask a Dog Breeder
- Can Dogs Be Fed Carrots?
- Can Dogs Be Fed Pork?
- How Much Will That Dog Really Cost?
- Can Dogs Watch TV?
- Why Is My Dog Foaming At The Mouth?
- Do Dogs Get Hiccups?
- Ear Wax Build Up In Dogs
- Excessive Grass Eating In Dogs
- How To Resolve Constipation In Dogs
- More: Articles | Advice | News | Pictures
To the person who said tail docking was not cruel...I beg to differ! I worked with a vet. who did tail docking on puppies that were about 12 hours old and they screamed their little heads off and it isn't a quick snip, it was about a full minute of torture. I ended up quiting shortly after knowing the breeder was about to have more puppies to bring in. Even the vet admitted it was painful for the pups. So unless you have gone through it yourself...don't assume it doesn't hurt them.