[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 133 (Tuesday, September 24, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11185-S11186]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. AKAKA:
  S. 2114. A bill to amend the Animal Welfare Act to ensure that all 
dogs and cats used by research facilities are obtained legally, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
Forestry.


               the pet safety and protection act of 1996

 Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, today I am introducing the Pet 
Safety and Protection Act of 1996, a bill to amend the Animal Welfare 
Act to ensure that all dogs and cats used by research facilities are 
obtained legally.
  Medical research is an invaluable weapon in the battle against 
disease. New drugs and surgical techniques offer promise in the fight 
against AIDS, cancer, Alzheimer's, heart disease, and a host of other 
life-threatening illnesses. Orthopedic surgeons are making tremendous 
progress in designing new and improved joint-replacement materials for 
patients. Emergency medical techniques, such as CPR, have saved 
thousands of lives since they were developed.
  What do these advancements in medicine have in common? Animal 
research helped make them possible. Animal research ensures that drugs 
and surgical techniques, which benefit millions of

[[Page S11186]]

people every day, are safe and effective. Animal research is of great 
importance to our future, but there is growing evidence that, in some 
instances, research is being carried out using family pets that have 
been fraudulently obtained from the owners who love them.
  The concern that has prompted me to introduce the Pet Safety and 
Protection Act of 1996 does not relate to whether animals should or 
should not be used in medical research. Rather, this bill provides a 
sensible solution to the growing problem of stray and stolen pets being 
sold to research facilities. It addresses problems caused by unethical 
Class B ``random source'' animal dealers. The Pet Safety and Protection 
Act of 1996 will safeguard family pets while allowing essential 
research to continue in an environment free from deception and abuse.
  According to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
[APHIS], there are 4,325 licensed animal dealers in the United States. 
About 1,100 of these dealers are licensed by APHIS as Class B ``random 
source'' animal dealers. This means that these dealers do not breed the 
animals themselves, but obtain their dogs and cats from other sources.
  Unfortunately, there is significant evidence to conclude that many 
Class B ``random source'' dealers are profiteering through theft or by 
deceptively acquiring animals. For example, in 1995, 50 class B dealers 
supplied 24,000 of the 89,000 dogs used for research. APHIS 
investigations of these dealers found that up to 50 percent engaged in 
fraudulent record-keeping practices. In other words, up to 11,000 of 
the dogs sold to medical facilities in 1995 may have been obtained 
through pet theft, falsified records, and other unscrupulous 
techniques.
  The provisions of current law are impossible to enforce effectively. 
In response to evidence of repeated violations of Federal law by Class 
B ``random source'' dealers, I have introduced the Pet Safety and 
Protection Act of 1996. This legislation will ensure that dogs and cats 
used by research facilities are obtained from legitimate sources.
  The problem of pet theft should not be left unchecked. Dr. Robert 
Whitney, former director of the Office of Animal Care and Use at the 
National Institutes of Health recently declared that, ``The continued 
existence of these virtually unregulatable Class B dealers erodes the 
public confidence in our commitment to appropriate procurement, care, 
and use of animals in the important research to better the health of 
both humans and animals.'' it is in the interests of consumers, pet 
owners, and researchers alike, to see that animals used for research 
purposes are obtained legitimately and treated with respect.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join in supporting this 
legislation.
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