Protect Responsible Small Breeders - Page 1

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/join-with-the-akc-to-protect-responsible-small-breeders.html 

Join with the American Kennel Club to express your concerns about the harsh and unintended consequences that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposed regulations (RIN 0578-AD57) to redefine “retail pet store” would have on responsible small and hobby breeders.

Under the proposed regulations, breeders - who maintain more than four “breeding females” and who sell even one puppy sight unseen, by any means (including online, by mail or by telephone), would now be regulated as commercial breeders by the USDA. The effect of these proposed regulations would be to take away the public’s opportunity to obtain puppies from some of our nation’s top breeders who in many cases, have dedicated their lives to breeding for health, breed type and temperament.

I recieved an email from AKC concerning this petition and though I am not a breeder, I signed it...hope that just one more signature helps!

Why would regulation prevent the sale of puppies? How does a change in classification do that? Isn't this regulation intended to stop puppy millers, not ethical breeders?

What this new regulation does to puppymillers is absolutely nothing, and will even give them more freedom. They are already USDA inspected and regulated. Smaller breeders are now going to have to be regulated by the USDA, look at all the breeders who post on this database, they will all need to be USDA inspected as they sell puppies/dogs over the internet. What this means is harsher regulations and more fees for smaller breeders. The USDA is already complaining of lack of resources, lack of funding and not enough inspectors. How is this going to help that? They will have literally thousands more kennels and breeders needing inspection, small breeders, and that will cause the big puppy millers to have less inspections. The inspectors are already stretched too thin, which is why puppy millers can get away with so much. The answer is not more regulation, it's enforcing current regulations and USDA inspections of large scale breeders.

Also I have read that Mennonites  and the Amish are able to get some exemptions  from USDA inspection due to "religious freedom" laws.  I'm not sure exactly how it works, but I would like to know.  

Here is a link to the proposed policy provided by SitasMom :

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-05-16/pdf/2012-11839.pdf
 
BTW, this topic is listed in two places on the forum:

http://www.pedigreedatabase.com/german_shepherd_dog/forum.read?mnr=631385 

We did a rescure from a Amish breeder of course we paid $ for these dogs just to get them out of there , this was in small Michigan town ,there trick is have all dogs debarked ,don't need kennel licesnes, no inspections ,and they hide them like there live stock ,will not let strangers come to property , and have a puppy broker to peddle there pups we were lucky that a friend was  going to there church but was not Amish so we got to go to kennel , we were sick for days of how these poor animals were treated but we got them before they soldto another puppymiller and he left the state of Michigan and probably have started new one in Maine again , moral of story these laws only hurt the good up standing breeders do nothing for puppymillers because they will leave and start anew do you really think
because theres a law they will obey it , and here's a clue have you ever been surrounded by a group
of Amish it's almost a gang like feeling.