Could stronger laws have prevented Tatter from his painful start in life? One thing we know for sure is weaker laws definitely do not.
Our friends at Texas Humane Legislative Network need our help to protect animals from large scale, inhumane puppy mills and breeders. Texas has few laws on the books to protect animals and now one of the good ones is at risk.
We need you to submit a public comment and ask policymakers to KEEP the Licensed Breeders Program in Texas and STOP cruel puppy mill practices. There are surely dishonest breeders submitting comments asking leaders to abolish the program so we need your comments now!
To submit your public comment, click the link, enter your info, and OPPOSE the recommendation to abolish the Texas Licensed Breeders Program. Please note that we are asking for supporters to ONLY submit public comments at this time and not to sign-up to testify! Click this link: HERE
Suggested language for your comments:
Dear Sunset Commission,
I am writing to express my opposition to the current Sunset Commission staff recommendation to abolish the Licensed Breeders Program which will assuredly cause a resurgence of cruel puppy mill practices in Texas. The Licensed Breeders program has acted as a crucial safeguard against cruelty for dogs and cats across Texas and has successfully stopped the cycle of cruelty before it starts in many instances. I am asking the Sunset Commission to keep the Licensed Breeders Program and implement two key changes to close loopholes and strengthen the effectiveness of the program even further:
*Remove the requirement of selling over 20 puppies or kittens to be considered a “breeder.” Many breeders operate with unrecorded and untraceable cash transactions, making this number meaningless, and allows many bad actors to sidestep oversight; and
*Lower the current threshold for licensure from 11 breeding females to five. This threshold is higher than any other state and has allowed large-scale breeders to masquerade as small “mom and pop” breeding operations.
Texas animals do not deserve to be abused in commercial breeding facilities. Please maintain the Licensed Breeders Program and implement the two above changes.
In 2011, THLN helped pass the Texas Dog & Cat Breeder Act to regulate the conditions in large-scale dog and cat breeding facilities. The law, the first of its kind in Texas, has prevented inhumane puppy mills with requirements and inspections of these facilities.
The state agency that oversees Dog & Cat Breeder Act, the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulation (TDLR) is currently under its “Sunset Review” and must be reauthorized by the Texas Legislature during the 2021 Session. By law, Texas requires a “Sunset Review” of each state agency, every 12 years to determine whether that agency should continue to exist. Last month, the preliminary Sunset Review report recommended that the Licensed Breeders Program, under TDLR, be abolished.
Because of the passage of the Dog and Cat Breeder Act in 2011, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) was able to inspect facilities and ensure they meet state standards. It was a big step forward for animals.
Now, after 10 years of tightening the reins on unregulated dog breeding, the Texas legislature is taking steps to free large-scale breeders from any regulations.
We MUST remind Texas legislators how important this Program is. Elimination of the Program means zero regulations for those heartlessly profiting off the litters of cruelly treated animals.