Pennsylvania dog law regulations approved

HARRISBURG - A state panel voted, 3-1, Thursday to give final approval to regulations that will provide the first standards for temperature, ventilation, humidity, and lighting in Pennsylvania's commercial dog kennels.

"Approval of these regulations now means there is no doubt about what breeders who own commercial kennels need to do to comply with the law, which raises the standard of care for dogs in commercial kennels even higher," said Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding.

The provisions, developed by the Canine Health Board as part of the 2008 dog law, are expected to be finalized by October but will not take effect until July, the agency said, because renovations are necessary for some kennels.

A commercial kennel, of which there are 111 in the state, is defined as one selling more than 60 dogs a year or selling any number of dogs to a pet store.

Members of the Independent Regulatory Review Commission, which has final say on all state regulatory proposals, and animal welfare advocates agreed the legislature must address what they call an "oversight" in the law regarding wire cage flooring.

The language allows adult nursing dogs to stand on wire for months - a contradiction, some say, to the law's wire flooring ban.

Commission member Sylvan Lutkewitte was the lone vote opposed. He said there were inconsistencies between the regulation and the statute regarding the issue of flooring. Commission member S. David Fineman abstained because of his involvement with an animal welfare group.

Nancy Gardner, a member of the governor's Dog Law Advisory Board and president of the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter, said she was disappointed by the vote. "I believe [the commission] is ignoring the fact that everybody is pointing out that this is illegal and I assume there will be some kind of litigation," she said.

Breeders testified that the regulations were so costly to comply with that they would be put out of business. The number of commercial kennels has plummeted by 70 percent since the law took effect in 2009.