Target: David Scott, Chairman of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee
Goal: Support more comprehensive, robust animal welfare inspections and enact tougher penalties for violations.
Hundreds of young dogs apparently suffered horrifically at an Iowa puppy mill. While several of the animals were eventually rescued, some reportedly died while waiting for their moment of salvation. The memory of one of these puppies, whom the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals named Goldie, lives on in legislation meant to safeguard other defenseless pups from meeting her tragic fate.
Goldie reportedly died at the puppy mill, with the eyes of her potential savior—the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)—on her. The USDA is required to inspect and license such businesses. The Iowa puppy mill where Goldie was kept had been licensed by the agency, and they took note of Goldie’s seemingly declining health during the course of inspections. They apparently did nothing to help the suffering animal, however. She eventually succumbed to weeks of alleged neglect and untenable living conditions.
A House of Representatives proposal known as Goldie’s Act would strengthen the inspection standards the USDA performs, would impose much heftier penalties for reported violations, and—most crucially—would require the agency to take into their custody animals they have suspicions are being mistreated. The USDA, under this law, would also have a duty to report with expedience suspected animal cruelty to appropriate law enforcement for criminal investigation.
Sign the petition below to demand Congress take up this vital piece of animal welfare legislation.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Representative Scott,
Few causes can unite Americans like the plight of abused and neglected animals. The U.S. government, recognizing the importance of protecting all living beings, has encoded the Animal Welfare Act, the PACT Act, and other essential measures into its rules of law. Tragically, the lack of a strong framework for some of these laws prevents them from realizing their full potential.
As part of implementing the Animal Welfare Act, the United States Department of Agriculture is supposed to conduct routine inspections on licensed animal caretakers. Too often, however, these inspections are sparse and shallow in their scope and depth. A young dog reportedly died at a licensed Iowa puppy mill (where hundreds of other dogs were later liberated), as the USDA evaluated this puppy’s deteriorating condition with no apparent action to save her. This horrible case inspired Goldie’s Act (named after the deceased pup), but currently this house resolution is languishing in limbo.
As the chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, please give this critical animal welfare reform the push it deserves and needs in Congress.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Catherin 888
OMG! Why are we paying a government agency to protect the innocents and they are not doing their job? Why is the USDA hiring and paying people who do not care about living beings? This is disgusting, disgraceful, and unacceptable! As a US citizen I am appalled by the callousness of ALL OF YOU! God Bless all the innocents our government ignored and allowed to suffer under their very eyes.
ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON! Nothing work’s anymore all systems have broken down and animals have always always been at the bottom of the list!
Our government is too busy catering to illegals and worshipping criminals
Puppy mills are inhumane and need to be shut down.
As you all sit around with urthumbs up ur ass, more puppies, kitties, dogs & cats are dieing
because ur taking ur good old time! Let’s shut theses backyard breeders down & some of the other ones that need checked!!
The USDA are the biggest losers in government today. If they did their jobs, more innocent animals could be saved, but the truth of the matter is, they don’t give a damn, except where they’re going to lunch on any given day.
100% to all the responses. Our Govt and states that we pay taxes to, don’t give a damn about helpless animals being severely abused and neglected.
And all breeders and mills need to be shut down and given hefty fines or jail time if found guilty.
The USDA REFUSES to act on the behalf of the animals they supposed to be protecting. Collecting fine after fine after fine is not good. They repeatedly see the conditions of the animals suffering BUT REFUSE to act in any way but to impose fines and then VISIT AGAIN, FOR YEARS SOMETIMES while the abuse has not abated. They USDA must be held accountable for these innocent animals suffering, torture, and finally death.
It’s surprising and difficult to believe that these atrocities could be going on in 2022. This is barbaric, cruel and blatant abuse of animals. Please stop all testing, breeding, and any experimental procedures you may be conducting on animals for human benefit. Thank you for your time
THERE SHOULD BE NO MORE PUPPY MILLS ANYWHERE. WE DON’T NEED TO HAVE THEM OPERATING ANYMORE ANYWHERE. THERE ARE PLENTY OF DOGS AND CATS IN SHELTERS ACROSS AMERICA THAT NEED ADOPTING. SHUT DOWN ALL PUPPY MILLS. THE PEOPLE WHO RUN THESE ARE IN IT FOR THE MONEY AND DON’T TAKE GOOD CARE OF THESE INNOCENT ANIMALS.
Maybe if you would do something right now u wouldn’t have to name legislation after animals that already pass!
EVERYONE involved in taking so damn long to rescue these poor innocent souls is part of the cruelty. When Innocents are in need what the hell takes so long!!
WHEN IS THIS GOING TO STOP!!?
SHUT DOWN ALL PUPPY MILLS!!!!!!
CLOSE THAT PUPPY MILL IMMEDIATELY/
WHY DOES THE USDA EXCIST? THEY DO NOT PROTECT THOSE SWEET PUPPIES. CANCL USDA ALSO.
That puppy mill(s) must be shut down permanently & immediately. All animals must be seized and protected and adopted out to loving forever homes. All the owner(s) must be charged severely and each person spend 10 years in prison with no early parole, each person pay a $500,000 fine, and every person must be banned for life from owning, breeding,or going near any animals ever again. This also would apply to every single worker (USDA) that witnessed the tragic abuse & neglect of the puppies and did nothing. Those workers also must be fired immediately.
all of these puppy miles should be shut down , these ppl care only about money and animals deserve better , ppl that do this should be placed in wire cages and left in dirty cages
Why are there not protesters out on the streets about this a worthwhile cause??? A country is judged by the way it treats the weakest in it. USA you are failing your weakest on all fronts.
Puppy mills are pure evil….these people shoukd be in jail. What kind of monster does this to dogs for profit?
If we don’t start cracking down on these puppy mills they are going to keep going. There shouldn’t be any red tape to have to go through to get these horror farms closed down. Once the conditions have been seen red tape across the door, getting the animals to safety and the owners themselves to jail should be all we need.
These mills exists because people still use them and governments wont get in the way of ‘industry’ as that’s what it is. So, it’s left to the public, on top of everything they’d have to pay for is to support charities that do their utmost to try and get a stop to this grotesque practice
Nobody in government has had either the will or desire to help. Same in Uk.
Ban cat meat trade !!!!
It is hard to fathom why puppy mills are still in existence in the United States of America. One can only conclude that so long as the USDA gets their licensing fees from these production breeders (puppy mills) then little to no oversight is provided from a legal stand point of view. For decades now, animals living for the purposes of breeding for profit have little to no proper care. They do not deserve this kind of life. Every domestic animal deserves to be in a loving home with a loving family. While I do agree that implementing the Animal Welfare Act will be an improvement, I don’t expect that the lives of these little animals being used as production lines will ever experience the caring and loving homes that they deserve. It all boils down to simple human selfishness.
Just because the USDA is SUPPOSED to keep an eye on these facilities, does not mean they do. The USDA is no different that any other Governmental entity.