I cannot think of anything more horrendous than bringing harm to those who have no voice and cannot protect themselves. Animals are these such creatures. We need to be their voice and provide for their safety and security.  We need strong legislation to prevent the horrific cruelty happening to animals.  Once I am elected to congress, it will be one of the first pieces of legislation I will sponsor.  Our dog pounds also known as “kill shelters” are filled with thousands of dogs where four dogs a day are being put down.

Why does this happen?

First and foremost, it is a corrupt business that accepts money from the government to help fund these kill shelters.  This is the business model.  They are being run by people that do not have the best interest of the dog or cat in their possession. We have overpopulated facilities because people abandon the dogs that might need some medical attention due to money – or lack thereof – or disinterest.  Sometimes people move to apartment buildings where dogs are not allowed, the owners dies, or their owner is facing financial difficulties.  Many times owners who need to give up their dog are lied to, believing that someone will be adopting their dog. In reality, if someone does not adopt them with in three days, the dog will be put down.
Three major things need to happen and I will work to develop a bill that will lay the groundwork for an extensive animal protection program that will focus on effective adopting techniques.
#1. I will sponsor legislation to give dogs and cats protected class status so that people can keep their pets when they move. Right now pets are not a protected class like race, gender, religion, martial status and sexual orientation.  Studies have shown that pets have therapeutic benefits on humans.
#2. I will sponsor a bill that will require that pet breeders have a license to breed which will make interbreeding practices against the law.  This will make puppy mills and practices at shelters illegal.  The breeder’s license will require that breeders practices follow certain guidelines to breed dogs to the best known practices for healthy cats and dogs.  This is important as interbreeding leads to many medical complications that pets face today, and it is a reason why people have to give up their pets.  This will be a big part of the breeder’s license. On top of that, they cannot receive government funding for their business if they do not actively search for adopters.
#3. I will sponsor a bill that goes even further. I want to develop an effective adopting program that will find and match prospective owners with an animal.  With all the technology available to us today, there is no reason why we cannot tackle this.
#4. Last but not least, there have been many studies done about the benefits that pets have on the well being of humans. It is not a stretch to imagine the effects people can have on the well being of animals. The way animals are treated in these shelters will have to change. The infrastructure will have to allow for open space and areas where they relieve to be separate from where they, sleep, eat and play.   It will be a major part of this bill to include safe and healthy environments for all animals as they are waiting to be adopted, open space to run around in, nutritional food, and no more more “clock” on their life.We can fix this major issue with some thoughtful planning, strong will, and commitment.