How Many Animal Welfare Violations Does it Take to Get a Class B Dealer Shut Down?

Last week Wood TV 8, a local news station in Grand Rapids, MI ran an investigative piece prompted by a tip titled “Who is Policing Animal Safety?” The piece focused on R&R Research, a random source Class B dealer that procures animals for research facilities.

Class B dealers are basically animal brokers who acquire dogs and cats from shelters, classified ads, auctions and even theft in some cases, for the purpose of selling them to schools and research institutions for a profit.

These dealers need to be licensed in order to operate, which requires that they follow the animal care guidelines set forth by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). It also requires these dealers to obtain animals from licensed shelters, licensed breeders or from owners who have bred and raised animals on their property and is intended to help prevent lost or stolen pets from ending up in research facilities.

The report highlighted the fact that R&R Research has multiple violations of the Animal Welfare Act under its belt, yet the USDA has failed to shut it down. These violations go as far back as 1981 when the owner, James Woudenberg, was using “cervical dislocation and cerebral hemorrhage” as a means of euthanasia. He’s since graduated to more inhumane methods.

The list of violations goes on and on and includes unsanitary conditions, inaccurate record keeping, leaving dogs in freezing temperatures, dead puppies left in kennels, gassing large dogs, leaving sick and injured animals untreated, transporting animals in a livestock trailer by chaining them to the side and so on. R&R Research was also listed in the Yellow Pages under animal shelter and animal control.

R&R Research was also fined multiple times for not holding animals for the required number of days and was cited for illegally sourcing animals multiple times by taking animals off the street and accepting them from people who are not the original owner. They’re currently under investigation.

You may be wondering the same thing the people at Wood TV 8 were wondering. How many violations does it take to get a Class B dealer shut down, and what is the point of having federal regulations and licensing if facilities can continuously break the law and continue to operate.

They also turned to a report by the Inspector General that was concluded in 2010. The report cites APHIS, which is responsible for inspections of commercial breeders and brokers and upholding the AWA, for being lax, inefficient, ineffective, incompetent and disorganized and having untrained inspectors, among other things. It also points out that fines for violations are a joke and are essentially absorbed into the cost of doing business.

The most recent report just reiterates what previous audits of APHIS have found. APHIS is unable to ensure the safety and protection of animals. You can read the entire report here, but there are very graphic photos included within the text.

However, the USDA is still standing by its position that educating the people who run these facilities is the best course …despite repeatedly failing to do so while animals continue to suffer in unspeakable conditions while taxpayers foot the bill.

TAKE ACTION

Sign the petition asking Congress to pass the Pet Safety and Protection Act, which will shut down Class B dealers.

You can watch the video of the news report and send a letter to the USDA asking them to immediately revoke R&R’s Research’s license at the American Anti-Vivisection Society.

Related Stories:

L.A. Passes Puppy Mill Bill

Can the U.S. Become a No-Kill Nation?

When Pets Become Guinea Pigs

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29792566@N08/

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Caro M.

5:37AM PDT on Apr 3, 2012

Signed.

send a green star

richa b.

8:12AM PDT on Mar 25, 2012

Ban breeding and selling of helpless being everywhere!

8:10AM PDT on Mar 25, 2012

signed. Ban puppy mills these horrid animal abuse

Edith B.

9:55PM PDT on Mar 24, 2012

I signed the petition, and I truly hope this will end these evil doings.

Sandi C.

8:17AM PDT on Mar 24, 2012

SIGNED IN DEC.

Paula P.

11:40AM PDT on Aug 8, 2011

THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO SIGNED THIS PETITION:)

Annmari L.

11:15AM PDT on Jul 29, 2011

Signed. Of course!

KrassiAWAY B.

12:16PM PDT on Jun 18, 2011

Heather O.

1:18PM PDT on Jun 12, 2011

The fact this is allowed to continue is crazy. Animal control will come to your house if your neighbor simply don't like dogs and they called on you and animal control will try to take your dog. Even if your dog is healthy up to date on shots and living a great life all to satisfy a complain from a neighbor. The State AC will do things like this but Places of true torture are allowed to continue their actions..... Where is the justice in this........ Why do these people get so many chances to do wrong and cause pain...... When people who do no wrong (besides having a jerk neighbor) ac is quick to take your animals to please the neighbor and screw your personal rights even if u own your property. But this is allowed to continue. Whats wrong with this picture.

Nancy T.

6:53AM PDT on Jun 4, 2011

Class B dealers trade in the misery, suffering and torture of sentient beings. It's that simple. They have no compassion, no heart, no ethics no empathy. Class B animal trade appeals to the lowest common denominator -- animal abusers, sadistic humans and greed. If there wasn't a market for outdated and unreliable animal experimentation these bottom feeders wouldn't have a niche. (Yes, that means many cosmetic companies, chemical companies, hospital, med school, labs., food, feed, product testing, you name it, etc. There are labs that do any kind of experimentation/read torture for any reason at all because they are paid to. These poor, innocent sentient animals suffer egregious cruelty, horribly in fear and pain for its all to often short life. It is used up in the most excrutiating way until it dies or is killed, painfully and slowly and thrown away as garbage. This practice needs to be outlawed and put out of existence. SHUT DOWN Class B dealers once and for all!