This is Keith. From the Heart. 

I’ve got news to report regarding our efforts to stop researchers from acquiring dogs and cats from shelters. We have learned that soon, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will no longer allow researchers who receive federal funds to purchase cats or dogs from class B “random source” dealers. These class B dealers sell animals who are bought from shelters or adopted from “Free to a Good Home” scenarios. They have even been known to steal animals from private backyards.

This is a huge step forward, but we still need your help. The ban on using cats from class B dealers does not go into effect until October, and the use of dogs will not be phased out until 2015. Additionally, while we are thrilled that the federal government will be phasing out the use of most shelter dogs and cats, class B dealers will still be able to sell them to privately funded research institutions.

Please contact Congress and urge your U.S. Representative to co-sponsor The Pet Safety and Protection Act, H.R. 2256, a bill that will permanently ban the sale of animals from class B dealers to all U.S. research facilities.

Dogs and cats in animal shelters should be adopted by new companions—not purchased by class B dealers and used in painful experiments. NIH’s new policy will help end the practice of pound seizure, but it will not happen soon enough. That’s why it is so important for you to contact Congress today. When you are done, please forward this message to your friends and family—and share on Facebook and Twitter.

http://www.pcrm.org/email/petsafety_alert.html