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Keep Pets From Winding Up in Labs

Dear John,

US Representatives Mike Doyle (D-PA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ) have reintroduced the Pet Safety and Protection Act (PSPA), H.R. 3187, which would permanently end the ability of Class B dealers to supply "random source" dogs and cats for research.

Historically, these dealers and their middleman cohorts, called "bunchers," routinely violated the Animal Welfare Act, obtained animals through fraud, deception, and outright theft, and falsified their records. Inspection reports documented that animals were kept in horrendous conditions. The US Department of Agriculture acknowledged that it couldn't guarantee that people's companion animals were not being illegally acquired and then sold by these dealers for use in experiments. A National Academy of Sciences report concluded that there is no scientific need for laboratories to rely on Class B dealers for dogs and cats. It also noted that use of such random source dogs and cats can negatively affect the cost and reliability of the research itself.

Aware of the abusive treatment to which these dealers have subjected animals, as well as the enforcement problems they present, Congress has been prohibiting the USDA from licensing Class B dealers who supply dogs and cats for experimentation. We appreciate that Congress has taken this step, but it is a stopgap measure that must be reinstated every year. A permanent closing of this pipeline is needed, and that is what H.R. 3187 would achieve.

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What You Can Do
Please ask your representative ([link removed]) to cosponsor this much-needed legislation to keep companion animals out of laboratories. Be sure to share this alert with family, friends and co-workers, and encourage them to contact their legislators too.

As always, thank you very much for your help!

Sincerely,

Cathy Liss
President

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Photo by Clay Larsen

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Animal Welfare Institute
900 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003
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The Animal Welfare Institute is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 1951 and dedicated to reducing animal suffering caused by people. We seek better treatment of animals everywhere: in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild.

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