Dear Editor,
Please call the governor at 802-828-3333 and ask him not to support H-218—a pro-puppy mill bill. Dogs and cats forced to live their lives under the conditions in this bill will suffer greatly being confined to a space that is only big enough for them to turn around in.
Dogs and cats confined to small places and only allowed out for one hour a day often develop signs of distress. They will try to get out, poke their noses through the bars, howl or meow, dig, tear at their own skin and eventually become motionless and asocial and depressed. Similar to catatonia in humans. Many will lie in their own feces. Supposedly they will be let out for one hour out of 24 but who will enforce the rule?
This bill will impair the ability to enforce animal cruelty investigations. As a veterinarian, I rely on the current regulations to help me investigate and prosecute animal abuse.
Peggy W. Larson DVM MS JD, Williston
