Letter to the editor: Congress must help protect puppy mill dogs

Congress must pass Goldie’s Act (HR 349) to fix the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s persistent failure to protect dogs in puppy mills.

The Animal Welfare Act already requires commercial breeders to provide basic care, but the USDA has largely stopped enforcing it. Inspections of licensed facilities are often infrequent, and violations are not always documented. Even more frustrating, the USDA often allows violators to escape without penalty and does not provide care to animals in obvious need of aid. In fact, despite well-documented suffering, the USDA has not confiscated a single dog from a licensed breeder in more than five years.

Goldie’s Act would close these dangerous enforcement gaps. It would require inspectors to document violations, render aid to suffering animals, assess violations for penalties and share information with local law enforcement. These commonsense reforms would save countless dogs from suffering.

I thank Rep. Summer Lee for co-sponsoring Goldie’s Act and urge Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick to co-sponsor Goldie’s Act when it’s introduced in the U.S. Senate. Congress must ensure that the USDA does its job and protects vulnerable animals trapped in puppy mills.

Micah Wintner

Munhall