Congressman Doyle Calls HBO Documentary a Damning Indictment of a Disgusting Industry

Washington, DC – U.S. Representative Mike Doyle (PA-14)today called for the passage of H.R. 5229, the Pet Safety and Protection Act when he spoke at a packed Congressional screening of the HBO documentary “Dealing Dogs” this morning.

“It’s hard to believe that someone would steal people’s pets and treat them this way,” Congressman Doyle said today in introducing the documentary.  “But seeing is believing – if you can stand to watch this disturbing and compelling film.”

“This film is a clarion call to action,’” Congressman Doyle observed, “and I urge everyone to see it and ask their Representative to cosponsor the Pet Safety and Protection Act.”

The Pet Safety and Protection Act is a bill that Congressman Doyle has introduced with Congressman Phil English (PA-3) to prohibit Class B animal dealers from selling dogs and cats to laboratories.  Its goal is to prevent family pets whose owners may be attempting to locate them from being sold for laboratory experiments and research.

Currently, there are two types of animal dealers licensed by the USDA – Class A or “purpose-bred” dealers and Class B or “random source” dealers.  Class A dealers are highly regulated businesses that breed and raise their own animals.  Class B dealers routinely buy dogs and cats with murky backgrounds from a vast network of suppliers.  Many of these suppliers obtain dogs and cats they sell to Class B dealers by stealing them or responding to “free to good home” advertisements by posing as concerned pet owners willing to provide a good home to a family pet.  Class B dealers pay suppliers for each animal, creating a financial incentive for individuals to steal pet dogs and cats from owners’ property and falsify records to keep their true origins unknown. 

Additionally, nothing prevents Class B dealers from having unofficial relationships with pounds, shelters, or “humane societies” to buy surplus animals.  Although the law requires any stray animal to be held for at least 5 days at such facilities, it does not prevent pets from being kept out of sight, or transported to an out-of-state location for this time period, making it impossible for concerned pet owners to locate a beloved pet. 

There are currently 10 Class B dealers that are licensed to sell dogs and cats for experimentation.  Four of them are currently under investigation.  The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is charged with the enormous task of inspecting Class B dealers, but are outnumbered when it comes to inspecting the individuals who supply them. 

“Dealing Dogs” documents the illegal and inhumane trade in stray animals and family pets, as well as the neglect and outright cruelty with which some Class B dealers treat these animals.  This HBO documentary was made possible by a man known to the public only as “Pete,” who went undercover to work for several of these Class B dealers and investigate their operations.  Pete attended made his first public appearance this morning at the Congressional screening of “Dealing Dogs,” and he met with Congressman Doyle yesterday to discuss the issue and express his gratitude to Congressman Doyle for championing the Pet Safety and Protection Act.

“Pete is a very brave young man who undertook literally risked his life to bring this story to light,” Congressman Doyle observed.  “I don’t know how he could stand seeing some of the things that he saw.  As someone who loves animals, I want to thank and commend Pete for all that he’s done.  I think that there’s no more fitting recognition of his work and sacrifice than to put these guys out of business.”

“It’s important to note that this legislation will not prevent Class A dealers, research facilities that breed animals for research, registered public pounds who receive animals turned in by their legitimate owners, or individuals seeking to donate their own animals from supplying research facilities with animals,”Congressman Doyle added.  In short, this bill won’t stop much-needed biomedical research – it just prevents somebody’s beloved pet from being illegally used for that research.  The best way to plug the loopholes in the system is to eliminate Class B dealers completely.”

More information about the documentary “Dealing Dogs” can be found athttps://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/dealingdogs/index.html.  More information about H.R. 5229, the Pet Safety and Protection Act, can be found at
https://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:HR05229:@@@L&summ2=m&.

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