Wrong!  Although Senator Santorum might have good intentions, basically this bill is going to do more harm than good.

Per the May 26, 2005 press release by Senator Santorum:
"PAWS calls for regulation of large commercial breeders who sell directly to the public and does not affect hobby breeders or dog and cat fanciers. The legislation would require a USDA license for breeders who breed seven or more litters of dogs or cats per year. In addition, this broad ranging legislation would cover importers, Internet sellers and other non-breeder dealers who sell more than 25 dogs or cats per year, strengthen USDA's enforcement authority, and assure USDA access to source records of persons who acquire dogs for resale. Finally, PAWS expands the USDA's authority to seek injunctions against unlicensed dog and cat dealers.

Problem:
The AKC uses the term "Customer (breeder, retail pet shop, broker)" so even if they use the numbers, they differentiate between "breeder" and commercial animal sales by stating "retail pet shops or brokers." Unfortunately, PAWS does not differentiate between these different types of animal resale and defines every type of animal resale as "large commercial breeders"

So reading between the lines, Senator Santorums bill will actually start the unthinkable. Hobby breeders, who have always been considered the legitimate and best way to find a healthy and well bred animal will be the ones that will be affected. Literally, the end to how everyone in the US can find and purchase a well bred domesticated pet.

     Jointly supported by the AKC, HSUS and DDAL. is a bill that severely threatens rescuers, sellers of dogs for hunting,  security and breeding purposes, pedigreed cat owners and some dog breeders. Efforts to  convince the AKC to drop its support for this bill have failed.

     Fortunately, the wide publicity given to PAWS since its introduction has generated considerable opposition. The list of organizations formally opposed to PAWS grows daily and currently numbers 70+ groups, including seven AKC parent breed clubs, eight state federations and thirteen national pet related entities.

Definitions
The term "dealer" means any person who, in commerce, for compensation or profit,
delivers for transportation, or transports, except as a carrier, buys, or sells, or negotiates
the purchase or sale of:

 (1) any dog or other animal whether alive or dead for research, teaching, exhibition, or use as a pet, or
 (2) any dog for hunting, security, or breeding purposes, or
 (3) any dog imported from outside the United States unless the dog is imported by the person for the use and enjoyment of the person, except that this term
(“dealer” -ed) does not include the following:

• a retail pet store except such store which sells any animals to a research facility, an exhibitor, or a dealer, or which sells any dog imported from outside the United States
• any person who, during any calendar year, sells not more than 25 dogs or cats at wholesale or to the public; or does not whelp more than 6 litters of dogs or cats and sells only dogs or cats bred or raised on the premises of the person directly at retail to persons who purchase such animals for their own use and enjoyment and not for resale; and derives not more than $500 gross income from the sale of other animals. (“other” excluding dogs and cats)

     If you have any confusion about who and what is a major force behind PAWS, you should quit listening to anyone and get facts (and HSUS quotes) guaranteed to remove all doubt. PETA is a small player compared to the “wealthiest animal rights” group on earth.
     As you read this, you should however bear in mind that HSUS is strongly allied with PETA.  Pacelle was hired into HSUS from Cleveland Armory’s Fund For Animals.  Armory is also the mentor of PETA co-founder Alex Pacheco.
     PETA, our declared “worst enemy” is and has always been, tightly aligned with HSUS which, as you will learn below, has quietly become bigger, stronger, and meaner than we thought PETA was.
      Here’s a sample quote, remember these are fed to the media, they appear in magazines and newspapers YOU don’t get and probably, none of your friends receive them either.  They probably think HSUS is the same as SPCA and they probably have donated to HSUS!

HSUS QUOTE  "We have no ethical obligation to preserve the different breeds of livestock produced through selective breeding. One generation and out. We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding."  Wayne Pacelle, Senior VP of Humane Society of the US, formerly of Friends of Animals and Fund for Animals
     Despite the words “humane society” on its letterhead, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) is not affiliated with your local animal shelter. Despite the omnipresent dogs and cats in its fundraising materials, it’s not an organization that runs spay/neuter programs or takes in stray, neglected, and abused pets. And despite the common image of animal protection agencies as cash-strapped organizations dedicated to animal welfare, HSUS has become the wealthiest animal rights organization on earth.

     HSUS is big, rich, and powerful, a “humane society” in name only. And while most local animal shelters are under-funded and unsung, HSUS has accumulated $113 million in assets and built a recognizable brand by capitalizing on the confusion its very name provokes. This misdirection results in an irony of which most animal lovers are unaware: HSUS raises enough money to finance animal shelters in every single state, with money to spare, yet it doesn’t operate a single one anywhere.

     We present this for two reasons.  (News Flash - read below, this just in 9/3/05) Re PAWS, PETA has been uncharacteristically silent, preferring to let AKC, HSUS and DDAL carry the fight.  PETA is never, ever really silent.

     Everyone knows PETA.  Really?  If you talk to ten dog owners who are not fanciers, over half will say PETA is “for” animals and most of them have donated to PETA.  YOU may know what PETA is, and if you have followed TheDogPress, you know that ELF is #1 on FBI’s Domestic Terrorism list, along with other recipients. The ELF Earth Liberation Front is an underground movement with no leadership, membership or official spokesperson. Because the ELF structure is non-hierarchical, there is no centralized organization or leadership. There is also no "membership" in the Earth Liberation Front. In the past,individuals have committed arson and other illegal acts under the ELF name. Individuals who choose to do actions under the banner of E.L.F. do so only driven by their personal conscience.

     Here are enough definitions of PETA, by PETA to keep you occupied for a few minutes.  If you thought you knew, read. http://www.thedogplace.com/library/Projects_and_Issues.htm

Some quotes from PETA
"The cat, like the dog, must disappear... We should cut the domestic cat free from our dominance by neutering, neutering, and more neutering, until our pathetic version of the cat ceases to exist."
-- John Bryant, Fettered Kingdoms: An Examination of A Changing Ethic (Washington, DC: PETA)

“Probably everything we do is a publicity stunt... we are not here to gather members, to please, to placate, to make friends. We're here to hold the radical line."
Ingrid Newkirk, PETA's president and founder, in USA Today

"The bottom line is that people don't have the right to manipulate or to breed dogs and cats... If people want toys, they should buy inanimate objects. If they want companionship, they should seek it with their own kind," Ingrid Newkirk, PETA founder, president, former national director, in “Animals”,
"It's not about loving animals. It's about fighting injustice. My whole goal is for humans to have as little contact as possible with animals." Gary Yourofsky, founder Animals Deserve Adequate Protection Today and Tomorrow (ADAPTT), PETA's national lecturer.

Cross posted with permission, sender’s name withheld, for obvious reason.
I have been listening and reading about the PAWS debate since the bill was reintroduced in this Congress.  I agree with most of the advice floating around on the Internet but I can tell you that the level of opposition communicated to Senators on the Agriculture Committee is paltry at best.

I work for a Senator serving on the Agriculture Committee and we have had very few people contact our offices in opposition to the bill.  We have had hundreds of contacts from supporters. (Mostly from people who don't understand the PETA agenda but care deeply about animal welfare.) If it were just a numbers game--we would be losing.  Thankfully, that is not the primary way most legislators determine their position but it is a factor.

I  would like to make a couple of suggestions:

• Don't get too hung  up on national organizations supporting or opposing the bill--they  don't vote.
• Don't think you have to write a long treatise on why the bill is a bad idea--all you need to say is "I'm your constituent and I oppose this bill."
• Most legislators have numerous offices within a state or congressional district--call them all.  If you're shy, call after business hours and leave a message on voice mail
• The easiest way to contact your Senator  is to go to http://www.senate.gov  and look for your Senator's website.  Visit it and leave an electronic  message.  Be  specific--refer to the bill by name and number and register your opposition.  (S. 1139; Pet Animal Welfare Act)
• Pass around a letter at your local kennel club meeting or at a dog show and get folks to sign it with their addresses and mail it to the Washington office.  Thirty original signatures on a letter means a lot more than a letter from the club saying they have a hundred members.
• Contact your Congressman and the Representatives from other districts in your state.  That bill number is H.R. 2669.
• Call your local congressional offices and invite the local staffer to see your kennel setup.  He or she probably won't have time but at least they will know you have nothing to hide--which dispels the supporters statements that all puppies are reared in appalling conditions.
• Most legislators are traveling their districts and holding town meetings.  Attend and make a VERY brief statement that you oppose this bill and think he or she will too once they understand the impact on his/her constituents.

     This test is live online at  http://smythwicks.org/paws/index.html  You can actually TAKE THE TEST!  We guarantee it is an eye-opener and will help you understand what PAWS really is.

     To many, the proposed PAWS regulation is confusing, because of the double negatives and the odd structure of the document. As an engineer, I immediately recognized the logic employed in the document- not only AND and OR, but AND and NOR (NOT AND and NOT OR). These four logic conditions are the building block of every computer circuit ever designed.

     So I took it upon myself to diagram the regulation- not a simple task. I believe I've got it right- and this should blow away the smokescreen coming from AKC and Santorum. Rather than starting at the top and figuring out who a dealer is, it is more helpful to figure out who gets exempted. The Highest Level test is the "Pet Store" test. If you really are a "Pet Store", this trumps all other exemptions.

*All of the information in this article has been taken from the internet. The NRTA does not take any responsibility for the views expressed. It is published for the sole purpose of education and for individuals to make there own assessment.