Bill To Crack Down On Puppy Mills Passes First Hurdle
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- A bill that would regulate dog and cat breeders in Minnesota has passed its first test in the state legislature.
Keith Streff, an investigator with the Animal Humane Society, described for a house committee the abuses he's seen at so-called puppy mills.
"I've witnessed dogs being fed road kill, amateur C-sections, whatever it takes to produce the product -- which is the puppy or the kitten that's subsequently going to be sold to the public," Streff said.
But breeders like Tasha Podratz of Gaylord argued there's already enough regulation at the local level.
"I just feel like, to be over-taxed and over-regulated, people have a choice to buy where they want, where to buy their dog," she said.
The House Civil Law Committee passed the bill but other panels will hold their own hearings.
More than 30 other states already have dog and cat breeder regulations requiring licensing and inspections.
