Internet Pet Sellers to Face Tough USDA Standards

The United States Department of Agriculture has imposed tougher compliance rules on pet breeders that sell on the internet.

Calling them "puppy mills" , Keely Difrischia, director of the Columbus Dog connection said, " We need to have some oversight of people selling dogs because of atrocities we have seen," reports nbc4i.com.

The USDA wants these pet sellers to abide by licensing and inspection standards applicable to other pet breeders. A 1966 Animal Welfare Act exempted small brick and mortar retail stores from federal compliance.

Online pet sellers have used this to their advantage by selling animals over the Internet while calling themselves retail pet stores.

"An increasing number of these unlicensed breeders are not monitored for their animals' overall health and humane treatment," investigators noted in a 2010 report of the USDA, reports McClatchydc.com.

 Now the breeders have to ensure that their kennels meet space, sanitation, ventilation, lighting and other requirements.

The Agriculture Department estimates that the new rules cover 2,600 to 4,600 dog breeders and roughly 325 cat breeders.

The agriculture department wants monitoring to avoid animal mistreatment.  Justice Department attorney Timothy A. Johnson said Thursday, that the costs are "more than outweighed by the benefit that animals will be treated humanely and well," reports McClatchydc.com.

The American Kennel Club told the USDA it is dismayed by the rule, which is "overly broad and will do more damage than good," said spokeswoman Lisa Petersen, reports nbc4i.com.

Pet breeders are unhappy and feel that innocent pet breeders will have to abandon their business because of the cost of modifying to meet federal standards. Anyone who has 5 or more female breeders has to comply by the new rules.