Doggone it

February 17, 2008 12:16 am

LET THE BUYER BEWARE. That old saw works about as well for legislation as it does for that doggy in the window. And that's why members of the Virginia Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation, and Natural Resources, which tomorrow will discuss a bill to regulate commercial dog breeders in Virginia, must look beyond the hype.

One visit to a true puppy mill would send the average person running for the sheriff. Dogs kept in tiny cages, often in filthy conditions, used as breeding machines until they're simply used up puppies sold to unsuspecting buyers through pet shops or over the Internet consumers who then may find themselves with a sickly or maladjusted pet is this any way to treat man's best friend?

Certainly not, but any legislative remedy must be eyed cautiously. A bill by Del. Bobby Orrock, D-Caroline, defines commercial breeders, requires them to register with their localities, and subjects them to all kinds of regulations and inspections. The bill comes perilously close to inflicting unfounded government control on innocent parties--such as hobby breeders and hunt-club operators, for example. It also establishes expensive unfunded mandates just when localities are revenue-pressed.

The powerful lobbying group the Humane Society of the United States is pressing the issue. Its Nov. 1 report begins, "Virginia--a state dotted with historic towns, scenic byways and horrible puppy mills" and alleges there are nearly 1,000 commercial dog breeders in the state. If that's so, someone needs to tell the U.S. Department of Agriculture: Only 14 are registered, and since the HSUS report came out, only one puppy mill, located in Bland, has been exposed.

"That government is best which governs least," Thomas Paine said. Any departure from that maxim better be based on solid reason--not hype.