Group protests PA dog breeder pick for key USDA post

One of the nation's largest animal welfare groups is asking the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to reconsider its appointment of an outspoken Pennsylvania dog breeder to a new advisory position where he has broad advisory powers on legislation and regulations that affect thousands of dog kennels and the sale of puppy mill dogs.

In a letter the Humane Society of the United States told USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack that it opposed the appointment of Julian Prager as Canine Program Adviser because of his stance opposing USDA's new retail pet store regulation and many animal welfare laws in Pennsylvania.

Prager, who was named to the post last month, has long been an official with the Pennsylvania Federation of Dog Clubs, which  fought against Pennsylvania's landmark puppy mill bill and other legislation affecting dogs.

In 2008 his group succeeded in changing the puppy mill bill's definition of commercial kennels to specify the number of dogs sold or transferred in a calendar year (above 60), rather than the number of breeding females as USDA does with its license holders - a change animal welfare advocates say weakened the law and made it much harder to determine violators..

Prager also argued against legislation - which became law in 2009 - to prevent puppy mill operators from performing surgeries such as C-sections and debarking on their own dogs.

And last year he opposed the cost of animal care law that would allow courts to require people charged with animal cruelty, including puppy mill operators, to cover the cost of care for the animals seized.

He also has spoken out against anti-dog chaining legislation.

Prager, sits on the board of the National Animal Interest Alliance (NAIA) and is an active member of the American Kennel Club, both of which have spoken out against many federal and state proposals aimed at helping dogs, particularly those housed in puppy mills,

He has for eight years operated a licensed kennel in Berks County where he breeds English Bulldogs and is the former director of New York City Animal Care and Control.

Prager did not respond to an email request for comment.

A spokeswoman with the USDA - which licenses and inspects large-scale animal breeding operations and research facilities -  called Prager the "most qualified from a competitive pool of applicants."

"USDA Animal Care has hired Mr. Julian Prager as its Canine Program Advisor, a new full-time position in AC to facilitate understanding and better communication between Animal Care, the dog breeder community, dog rescue groups, and related animal interest groups," said spokeswoman Tanya Espinosa.

The position was listed as a two-year appointment with the possibility of  an extension to four years.

Pennsylvania animal welfare advocates who have sparred with Prager for years over legislation and regulation proposals, were outraged about the appointment..

"In hiring Julian Prager, the USDA  has put the owner of a commercial dog breeding kennel, a member of the AKC and an outspoken critic of dog breeding regulations in a division whose supposed purpose is to regulate dog breeders," said Marsha Perelman, who sits on the Pennsylvania governor's Dog Law Advisory Board with Prager and is a board member of HSUS. "This is as pure a conflict of interest as one can imagine.".

Bob Baker, a leading figure in shaping Pennsylvania's dog law over three decades, called the appointment  "scandalous."

"USDA has chosen to hire an apologist for the puppy mill industry to assist in the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) which regulates the same industry that Mr. Prager has served to promote for many years," said Baker now executive director of the MIssouri Alliance for Animal Legislation.. "Mr. Prager consistently opposes all animal welfare legislation and has worked relentlessly to weaken the Pennsylvania Dog Law.".

HSUS president Wayne Pacelle said the appointment of Prager ran counter to the Obama administration's efforts to step up enforcement of poorly operating and inhumane puppy mills. Under a rule imposed last year aimed at addressing the explosion of internet dog sales, the USDA brought as many as 2,000 large breeders under regulatory authority.

"For two decades, these folks had escaped any federal oversight, and so many puppy mills were shifting their sales strategies just to avoid any USDA inspections," he wrote. "That's why it's utterly perplexing that the USDA would bring on an anti-regulatory ideologue to a post connected to implementation of the Animal Welfare Act and related laws."