The welfare of Pennsylvania dogs was front and center Thursday at the Department of Agriculture.
At the heart of the matter are commercial dog breeding kennels and whether or not the dog law is being properly enforced on these kennel owners.
The Dog Law Advisory Board released its findings of a months long investigation saying, “they have come to the disturbing conclusion that through either studied indifference or by design, the Dog Law Enforcement Office has failed in its enforcement of critical components of the dog law and canine health regulations."
The report went on to say that "laxity in enforcement has allowed thousands of dogs to languish in pre-2008 conditions despite protections in the law that as of today largely exist only on paper. The dog law enforcement office has been ignoring illegal behavior rather than enforcing kennel laws and regulations."
CBS 21 News has covered the state's puppy mill problem in several reports over the past few years.
Breeding dogs living in appealing conditions where dogs spend most of their lives living in cramped, wire cages with little to no veterinary care.
Thursday's report finds that dozens of kennels have been permitted to bypass the tough rules put in place by the passage of the 2008 dog law under Governor Rendell.
The law required doubling cage sizes, eliminating wire flooring, providing access to the outdoors, no cage stacking and twice-a-year vet checks.
Michael Oechart, Acting Director of the Dog Law Office, requested the advisory board look into this and report back with its findings.
In response to Thursday's report, Pechart said his department wants to do what is right and is going to.
At the heart of the matter are commercial dog breeding kennels and whether or not the dog law is being properly enforced on these kennel owners.
The Dog Law Advisory Board released its findings of a months long investigation saying, “they have come to the disturbing conclusion that through either studied indifference or by design, the Dog Law Enforcement Office has failed in its enforcement of critical components of the dog law and canine health regulations."
The report went on to say that "laxity in enforcement has allowed thousands of dogs to languish in pre-2008 conditions despite protections in the law that as of today largely exist only on paper. The dog law enforcement office has been ignoring illegal behavior rather than enforcing kennel laws and regulations."
CBS 21 News has covered the state's puppy mill problem in several reports over the past few years.
Breeding dogs living in appealing conditions where dogs spend most of their lives living in cramped, wire cages with little to no veterinary care.
Thursday's report finds that dozens of kennels have been permitted to bypass the tough rules put in place by the passage of the 2008 dog law under Governor Rendell.
The law required doubling cage sizes, eliminating wire flooring, providing access to the outdoors, no cage stacking and twice-a-year vet checks.
Michael Oechart, Acting Director of the Dog Law Office, requested the advisory board look into this and report back with its findings.
In response to Thursday's report, Pechart said his department wants to do what is right and is going to.