Help stop abuses
at puppy mills

Ask the Lawyer
By Stewart J. Berger

There is a bill currently pending in the Pennsylvania legislature to regulate puppy mills. The bill provides for some regulation to protect puppies born in puppy breeding farms.
The bill is a start, but it doesn’t go nearly far enough. There are unscrupulous puppy perverts who will purposely maim a dog to increase the dog’s worth on the puppy market.
Example: Tubes will be shoved down the puppy’s throat to break his vocal cords so that it can’t bark. A noiseless puppy might be worth more than a barking dog to some people.
This is my proposal: Every dog breeder must have a license. A person will be considered a dog breeder if any dog they own has a litter from which the puppies are sold. The licensing fee should be used to pay for policing the puppy mills. If any puppy mill pervert purposely maims a dog, there should be a mandatory jail sentence of not less than five years. No one can ever offer an excuse for harming a defenseless animal.
The law must be vigorously enforced by a police squad that has no other purpose than to protect the animals. The police force could be something similar to the Liquor Control Board enforcement authorities.
The above just represents some basic thoughts. If you think I am on the right track, send this letter to the following state representatives and state senators and write a note that something must be done to protect innocent animals.

Stewart Greenleaf
711 York Road
Willow Grove, PA 19090
215-657-7700

Michael Stack Jr.
12361 Academy Road
Philadelphia, PA 19154
215-281-2539

George T. Kenney Jr.
1317 Cottman Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19111
215-342-1700

Stewart J. Berger is an attorney with offices at 7207 Rising Sun Ave. Questions and comments may be addressed to Ask The Lawyer, c/o The Northeast Times, 2512 Metropolitan Drive, Trevose, PA 19053