Legislation to crack down on puppy mills has been reintroduced in Congress. S. 395 / H.R. 847, the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety (PUPS) Act, will close a loophole in the Animal Welfare Act regulations that currently allows puppy mills to sell dogs over the Internet without any oversight or standards of care.

This bipartisan bill will require the following changes to the Animal Welfare Act: 1.) All dog breeders who sell more than 50 puppies per year directly to the public will be federally licensed and inspected; 2.) Dogs at commercial breeding facilities must be given the opportunity to exercise for 60 minutes a day; and 3.) The bill will not affect small breeders and hobby breeders who sell fewer than 50 dogs per year directly to the public, but is crafted to cover only large commercial breeding facilities.

The PUPS Act is sponsored by Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. and David Vitter, R-La., and Reps. Jim Gerlach, R-Pa., Sam Farr, D-Calif., Bill Young, R-Fla., and Lois Capps, D-Calif.

Take action today and send a message to your legislators expressing your support for the PUPS Act!