Dog Magazine dot net - free online dog magazineby K9 Magazine, the lifestyle magazine for dog lovers

Dog Wardens in Chester County, USA have revoked the licence for a Cochranville, Chester County, kennel today after finding maintenance and sanitation issues during an inspection last week.

John Blank, the owner of Limestone Kennel, will be cited for violations of the dog law and given 60 days to sell or transfer enough dogs to no longer be considered a kennel. Any kennel housing more than 25 dogs is required to be licensed and inspected.

Wardens will continue to inspect the kennel during the 60 day period to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the dogs.

The unannounced inspection occurred on Friday. The kennel was last inspected in January.

Jessie Smith, Pennsylvania’s special deputy secretary of dog law enforcement, said a new toll-free hotline, 1-877-DOG-TIP1, will help anyone wishing to offer confidential tips about unsatisfactory kennels between regular inspections. The hotline will be available starting Thursday.

“Dog wardens routinely visit a kennel twice a year,” said Smith. “These inspections offer snapshots of the conditions of the kennel on that particular day, but conditions can be very different between inspections. If members of the public see kennel conditions that they feel are unacceptable at any time, they can report them to the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement so a warden or a team of wardens can investigate.”

Smith said all dogs in commercial breeding kennels would be better protected with passage of House Bill 2525, currently in the House Appropriations Committee.

Introduced in May, H.B. 2525 would strengthen current dog laws and provide better standards for the health and safety of dogs in commercial breeding kennels without affecting other types of kennels that house dogs.

“Raising the minimum standards for commercial breeding kennels and requiring annual veterinary checks will benefit all dogs in these types of settings,” said Smith. “Current law does not require that dogs ever receive routine medical care and as a result, many go without.”

The bill would require veterinary examinations for each dog at least once per year or during each pregnancy.

Among other protections for dogs, H.B. 2525 doubles the minimum floor space for dogs, eliminates wire flooring, and requires access to an outdoor exercise area twice the size of the dog’s primary enclosure. Current law does not require dogs ever be taken out of cages, much less given access to exercise areas.

Current law treats all kennels the same, regardless of size or function. The proposed legislation would allow the health and welfare needs of the dogs housed in large commercial breeding kennels to be addressed.

Requirements are virtually unchanged for other types of kennels, like sporting and hobby dog kennels, because they do not operate with the purpose of breeding large quantities of dogs to sell for profit. Instead, they operate for the purpose of sporting, hobby, boarding or finding homes for dogs.

The proposed legislation is a result of Governor Edward G. Rendell’s effort to improve living conditions for dogs in Pennsylvania kennels.

Since 2006, Governor Rendell has made improvements to the staffing and enforcement efforts of the Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, which oversees the inspection and licensing of kennels.

For more information on the proposed legislation overhauling Pennsylvania’s Dog Law, visit www.DogLawAction.com.

Author Details
K9 Magazine welcomes submissions from freelance contributors. If you would like information on submitting dog related articles for publication see our webpage - See this author's webpage

Popularity: 4% [?]