Ok, it will improve conditions in PA puppy mills to a degree but the amendments tacked on by the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, which watered the bill down dramatically, were passed with the legislation. It passed through the Senate with a 49-1 vote, Sen. John H. Eichelberger, R-Blair, being the lone holdout, again. Rep. James Casorio, D-Westmoreland, the prime sponsor of the legislation is assured that Gov. Rendell will sign the bill.

Some of the good points that were not affected; dogs would no longer be in cages stacked on top of each other. The minimum size of those cages would expand, and wire flooring would be banned. Kennels would be required to establish a plan with a veterinarian to provide for care and exercise of the dogs. Only veterinarians would be permitted to euthanize dogs.

But there are some real kickers that were added in by the amendments; it requires the state to grant a three-year waiver from compliance as long as the kennel owner has not been found guilty of or pleaded guilty to violating the dog law.

This is a really tough one for me to swallow because of the exceedingly poor job that dog wardens have been doing inspecting some of these kennels. Kennels that have since lost their license due to horrendous conditions, like Limestone Kennels and Almost Home Kennels, had passing grades on inspection after inspection.

So what’s going to happen to other kennels out there that have also been getting this preferential treatment, such as advance notice to clean-up, and wardens turning a blind eye, passing out clean inspections? They’re going to get this waiver and the dogs incarcerated in those hellholes will continue to die. I’m sure there’s no language in the bill that rescinds the waiver if the kennel gets an inspection by wardens with open eyes that actually cite the problems and violation.

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