I agree that enforcing this regulation would be difficult,not enough manpower like Bob stated.

Okay, I'm relatively inexperienced in matters concerning puppy mills and regulations, and haven't reseached this much. I have some questions and observations about this that I hope some of you can reply to.

When it comes to laws and matters of safety and well-being, I usually feel like if one life is saved, the reg is worth the effort invested. Even if there is not sufficient resources to proactively hunt down bad breeders, and most bad breeders would skirt the law, don't these laws offer prosecutability in the event that a consumer (i.e. victim) turns a breeder in for unethical practices? Wouldn't this help, even if only a little?

I only know two professional breeders and a few BYBs, but they are all permitted by our state authority, primarily so that they can obtain vaccines and tags from the local humane assn. One BYB got a commercial license so that he could purchase dog food on the wholesale level. I believe that the lady I got Sadie from said her kennel also had to be registered with the AKC to register her litters? Wouldn't any serious breeder that you want to deal with be more than willing to fulfill any legal requirements they are faced with?

Would it help to have a law in place to punish bad breeders when they are found out, even if you don't have the resources to hit the streets and track them down? Wouldn't this give Animal Welfare some more weapons for their arsenal?

Please don't get upset; I'm trying to make an informed decision about this.

Well, Duane this particular law requires all breeders who sell their puppies over the internet to be USDA certified. Plenty of the biggest puppy mills are already USDA certified, BTW. This does sound great on some levels unless you know something about raising dogs, after all more oversight is better right?

USDA certification requires a kennel setup. If I want to raise my puppies in my spare bedroom so they can be better socialized, I am now breaking the law. I also have to submit to USDA inspectors entering my home on a continuing basis if I EVER let any of my dogs in the house. If the puppy pen isn't absolutely immaculate or some dog tipped over their water bowl, some overzealous inspector may write me up for it. If my back yard is a foot too short to put up the required size of exercise yard, I am ineligible for certification, even if I take my dogs jogging ten miles everyday (unless of course I can afford to buy a new house). If I just want to BUY a dog from this totally awesome breeder I've seen tons of great things from, but for whatever reason isn't certified, I now have to drive all the way across the country to pick up my puppy. This especially applies to any breeder of rare breeds that just want to diversify their gene pool a little.

If I am a conscientious dog breeder who cares about the laws and my reputation, eventually I will either breed fewer litters or just give up and not breed dogs at all anymore, even if my puppies are very good ones. Since these are "regulations" and not "laws" I don't even have a right to a trial. A miller will just pay the fines and keep on. After all, with every good breeder that goes down, they just have less competition.

The USDA certification does nothing more than add a veneer of respectability to an otherwise bad kennel (like I said, plenty of puppy mills are already certified) It will just sucker more people into buying from them; it legitimizes the puppy mill industry and puts onerous burdens on respectable breeders.

As a buyer I want to be able to choose where my puppy comes from, even if it is half-way across the country. And I also want to take full responsibility if I get suckered into buying a dog from a crappy kennel and I didn't do my research. I also want to be able to legally plaster their face to the wall without them waving their worthless certifications in the air for a free pass. The government cannot idiot-proof the world. There are already plenty of laws on the books that are supposed to prevent animal cruelty and obviously don't. These regulations can't even pretend to do that; they just force everyone to fit the same (very mediocre) mold.

Sorry for the rant, this is something I feel really strongly about...

Duane said

"Would it help to have a law in place to punish bad breeders when they are found out, even if you don't have the resources to hit the streets and track them down? Wouldn't this give Animal Welfare some more weapons for their arsenal?"

Duane, most states already have laws and regulations to punish bad breeders. If these breeders are registered with AKC then there are more regulations to charge penalties, remove temporarily or permanently the rights to AKC registration, etc.
It still boils down to finding these people and proving they did something illegal or against policy. That can happen only if they get complaints. Then the complaints have to be followed up, etc, etc. That ALL takes man power and that's the missing link in the whole situation.
Political figures push these new bills and regulations because it looks good to the average citizen. That means votes.
Groups like the HSUS spend millions of dollars toward lobbying in order to get their agendas passed. If they feel so strongly then why not spend this money on manpower for hunting down these illegal/inhumane puppy mills?!!