The Pet Safety and Protection Act
The Pet Safety and Protection Act (PSPA) is federal legislation that would be defund USDA licensed Class B dealers who sell random sourced cats and dogs to laboratories for scientific research. This important piece of legislation would put an end to USDA licensed Class B dealers obtaining animals through unscrupulous and illegal sources once and for all.
Random source animals are dogs and cats that are obtained through pet theft, false pretenses such as "free to good home" ads or from pounds and shelters in a practice called pound seizure. Class “B” dealers and their middleman cohorts, called bunchers, acquire the animals and sell them for hundreds of dollars to be tortured in research facilities. They routinely violate the Animal Welfare Act and keep the animals in horrendous conditions.
The USDA has stated they can't guarantee dogs and cats used in research experiments are legally acquired and they spend countless taxpayer dollars each year unsuccessfully trying to regulate Class “B” dealers.
The National Research Council released their report, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, on May 29, 2009, entitled "Scientific and Humane Issues in the Use of Random-Source Dogs and Cats in Research." The report found it is not necessary to obtain animals from Class “B” dealers for National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded research. All members of the Committee, as part of their deliberation, viewed Dealing Dogs, HBO’s American Undercover documentary profiling LCA’s undercover investigation into the most notorious Class “B” dealer, C.C. Baird. LCA is recognized on page 83 of the report. In reaction to the report, the NIH has stopped funding all research on dogs and cats purchased from B dealers as of October 1, 2014.
Contact your U.S. House representatives and ask them to support the PSPA!
Find your representatives (under the congressional link) after typing your home address in the search box at: Votesmart.org
Sample letter/phone call
“My name is (your name) and I’m from (your city and state). As a constituent of (Representative’s name), I am urging (Representative’s name) to cosponsor The Pet Safety and Protection Act. The bill will put an end to Class “B” dealers that sell animals to research facilities; many of these animals are stolen family pets. Thank you.” (Suggest they visit www.DealingDogs.com for further information.)
Background of the Pet Safety and Protection Act (AKA "Buck's Bill")
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Buck at Baird’s facility before being rescued. |
Buck after rescue from Baird's facility. |
What is a Class B Dealer?
Class “B” dealers are licensed by the USDA to sell animals to research facilities. However, they routinely violate the Animal Welfare Act by acquiring animals through fraudulent sources and abusing them as shown in HBO’s documentary Dealing Dogs. It is virtually impossible to know the true history of an animal acquired by a Class “B” dealer. Each time a Class “B” dealer sells an animal to a research lab, a strong possibility exists they are a lost or stolen family pet.
Educate yourself about the PSPA and pet theft by visiting www.DealingDogs.com.
Learn more about: Dealing Dogs CC Baird Investigation
