In an effort to stop the egregious Pro-Puppy Mill legislation here in Arizona (SB1248), we are starting a campaign called "Legislator-A-Day." Everyday I will post the name and contact information of a lawmaker that is likely to be persuaded to vote against SB1248. We only need to convince 3-4 more State Senators to vote no in order to get a majority of "no votes." Please write this lawmaker on Facebook, tweet at him on Twitter, write him an email, AND call his office TODAY simply asking him to vote NO on SB1248. I will post some specific concerns about SB1248 below, if you would like to elaborate your concerns to him. Focus on how inhumane the USDA regulations are, and how they shouldn't be relied on. Tell a personal story, if you have one. Whether or not you are from Arizona, please help us make these lawmakers understand that our cities are right in banning pet store puppy sales. Today's Legislator-A-Day target is: Senator Adam Driggs Email: adriggs@azleg.gov (602) 926-3016 www.facebook.com/adamdriggs Twitter: @AdamDriggs Major concerns about SB1248: This bill will rely on the USDA to regulate the commercial breeding facilities where pet stores can source their dogs from. According to the USDA standards: • Dogs can live out their entire lives in cages that are no bigger than 6 inches beyond their bodies. • Veterinary care is limited to a written care plan, and most breeders are only accountable for dogs with visible ailments that might be noted by an inspector’s annual visit. • An exercise plan is required ONLY IF the dog is in a space less than 2 times the minimum required. • Cages may be stacked on top of each other. • Animals can be housed outside, with additional bedding required only when temperatures drop below 35 degrees F. • The flooring of the cages can be made of wire, so that the dogs’ feet never touch solid ground. • Primary enclosures and food/water receptacles only have to be washed with soap and water once every two weeks. • Positive human contact with humans is recommended but not required. As inhumane as these standards already are, the USDA standards are inadequately enforced. According to an internal audit, the USDA, itself, found that: • There are not enough inspectors to effectively regulate the number of facilities. • The agency has a history of not aggressively pursuing enforcement actions against Animal Welfare Act violators. • Inspectors failed to cite or document violations to support enforcement. • The enforcement process is ineffective at achieving dealer compliance. Animal Kingdom, a pet store in Tempe, Arizona, has been found to use breeders that obtained new USDA license numbers, after their previous licenses were cancelled by the USDA. One of these breeders was on the Humane Society of the United States’ Horrible 100 List of the worst puppy mills in the country. • SB1248 does NOTHING to stop this from occurring, and in fact, protects the pet store if they do this again by only requiring them to “presume to have acted in good faith” that their breeders have not had recent USDA violations. SB1248 takes away the ability of Arizona cities to foster more humane treatment of dogs by enacting their own ordinances to regulate pet stores.