Andrea Rosebrock 
For most of us dogs are our companions, our friends, our furry family members but for many other dogs are no more than a product, a commodity, things to be bred and sold; sold as pets, sold as breeding stock, sold as victims of experimentation and more. For many of these wonderful loving creatures, their life is a living hell and this is something many of us work every day to put an end to. It’s also something that many people don’t even realize.
Here’s a bit of an education for you written by my dear friend Caroline from Saving Furry Friends; take heed and learn about Class B Dealers….
WHAT IS A CLASS B DEALER:
Animals used by laboratories for testing purposes are largely supplied by dealers who specialize in the trade. These include breeders who supply purpose-bred animals; businesses that trade in wild animals; and dealers who supply animals sourced from pounds, auctions, and newspaper ads. Animal shelters may also supply the laboratories directly. Some animal dealers are reported to engage in kidnapping pets from residences or illegally trapping strays, a practice dubbed as bunching.
The customers of animal dealers are universities, medical and veterinary schools, and companies that provide contract animal-testing services
Class A Dealers
Class A breeders are licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to sell animals bred specifically for research.
Class B Dealers
Class B dealers are licensed by the USDA to buy animals from “random sources.” This refers to animals who were not purpose-bred or raised on the dealers’ property. Animals from “random sources” come from auctions, pound seizure, newspaper ads, and a small number may be stolen pets or illegally trapped strays.
Animal Shelters
Animals are also sold directly to laboratories by shelters. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Iowa, Minnesota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah require publicly funded shelters to surrender animals to any Class B dealer who asks for them.Fourteen states prohibit the practice, and the remainder either have no relevant legislation, or permit the practice in certain circumstances.
Bunching
According to a paper presented to the American Society of Criminology in 2006, an illegal economy in the theft of pets, mostly dogs, has emerged in the U.S. in recent years, with the thieves known as “bunchers.” The bunchers sell the animals to Class B animal dealers, who pay $25 per animal. The dealers then sell the animals to universities, medical and veterinary schools, and companies providing animal-testing services. Lawrence Salinger and Patricia Teddlie of Arkansas State University told the conference that these institutions pay up to $500 for a stolen animal, who is often accompanied by forged documents and fake health certificates. Salinger and Teddlie argue that the stolen animals may affect research results, because they come from unknown backgrounds and have an uncertain health profile. Conversely the Foundation for Biomedical Research claim that pets being stolen for animal research is largely an urban myth and that the majority of stolen dogs are most likely used for dog fighting.
Dealing Dogs
The largest Class B dealer in dogs in the U.S. was investigated for bunching by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2005. Chester C. Baird, of Martin Creek Kennels and Pat’s Pine Tree Farms in Willifore, Arkansas, lost his license after being convicted of 100 counts of animal abuse and neglect, and of stealing pets for laboratories and forging documentation. The criminal charges were filed after an eight-year investigation by an animal protection group, Last Chance for Animals. The group filmed over 72 hours of undercover video at Martin Creek Kennels, which included footage of dogs being shot. In 2006, HBO produced Dealing Dogs, a documentary film based on this footage.
Baird’s customers included the University of Missouri, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and Oregon State University. Missouri was experiencing such a high rate of pet theft that animal protection groups had dubbed it the “Steal Me State,” according to the Humane Society of the United States. Last Chance for Animals estimates that around two million pets are stolen in the U.S. each year.
Dealers in the European Union
Animal dealers in the European Union (EU) are governed by Council Directive 86/609/EEC. This directive sets forth specific requirements regulating the supply and breeding of animals intended for use by testing facilities within the EU. The directive defines ‘breeding establishment’ as a facility engaged in breeding animals for their use in experiments, and ’supplying establishment’ as a facility other than a breeding establishment, which supplies animals for experiments.
Article 15 of the directive requires supplying establishments to obtain animals only from approved breeding or other supplying establishments, “unless the animal has been lawfully imported and is not a feral or stray animal.” Nonetheless, the directive allows exemptions from this sourcing requirement “under arrangements determined by the authority.”
Animal rights supporters have raised concerns that these rules allow strays and pets to be used for experimentation, either by exemptions or by importing animals from non-EU countries, where the rules may be more lax.
Names to be WARY of for Rescuers
Alleged Random Source Class B – Dog and Cat Dealers
Random Source Dog and Cat Dealers
Alabama:
John Pesnell, Pesnell Kennels (Arab)
Arizona
86-B-0050 Ranaco Corporation DBA: Delta Biologicals* (Tucson)
Arkansas:
C. C. and Jeanette Baird, Martin Creek Kennels (Williford)
Connecticut:
Glenn Lawton, Team Associates (Dayville)
Illinois:
Michael Cooper, Triple C Farms (St. Joseph)
Indiana:
Gene Clark, Salt Creek Kennel (Trafalgar);
John and Mark Lynch, LBL Kennels (Reelsville)USDA LIC #32-B-0045
Iowa:
Dennis and Toots Conrad, Conrad Livestock (Keota)
Kentucky:
Mountain Top Kennels USDA LIC # 61-B-0124 Wallingford, Kentucky
Michigan:
Fred Hodgins, Hodgins Kennels (Howell); USDA LIC #34-B-0002
Mark Ulrich, Cheri-Hill Kennel and Supply (Stanwood); USDA LIC # 34-B-0178
Roberta and James Woudenberg, R&R Research (Howard City) USDA LIC #34-B-0001
Minnesota:
Kenneth Schroeder USDA LIC #41-B-0017 Wells, Minnesota
Missouri:
Mildred and Danny Schachtele, Middlefork Kennels (Salisbury) USDA LIC#43-B-0032
New Jersey:
West Jersey Biological Services, Inc. (Wenonah)
New York:
Ray and Valerie Dolan, R & V Kennels (North Java)
North Carolina:
Carolina Biological Supply Company (Burlington);USDA LIC 55-B-0010
Barbara Phillips, Pearcroft Cattery (Beaufort);
S. E. Lab Animal Farm, Inc. (Raleigh);
Simons, L.B.S. Biological, Inc. (Graham); USDA LIC #55-B-0107
John Wise, Carolina Kennel (Dunn);
John H. and Eva Wise, Hillside Kennel (Four Oaks)USDA LIC #55-B-0081
Ohio:
Andrea Ball, Kiser Lake Kennels (St. Paris)
Robert Perry USDA LIC# 31-B-0104 Mt. Sterling, Ohio
Oklahoma:
Henry Lee Cooper, C & C Kennels (Wewoka); USDA LIC UNDER SUSPENSION
James Hester, Anamerica, Inc. (Pryor);
Henry Lee Cooper, C&C Kennels (Wewoka)
Pennsylvania:
Mike Kredovski, Biomedical Associates, Inc. (Friedensburg);
Bruce Rotz (Shippensburg)
South Carolina:
Whale Branch Animal Services, Inc. 56-B-0109 Seabrook, South Carolina
Tennessee:
Preston Cates, Jr. (Dunlap)
Source – Partial list from http://www.banpoundseizure.org/dealers.shtml and http://www.lcanimal.org/cmpgn/cmpgn_dog_theft.htm#axzz0YHukJTGE
Great information and thanks for putting out the list of Class B dealers for all to see. Particularly as many pose as transporters to unwary shelters and rescues. Transporters they are, they transport right to Hell. But it is possible, to put a stop to shelters doing this, even in states where the politicians are slow and or do not care. That is the people’s voice and letting the public know what is going on.
Michigan is one of the states that lets the individual counties and municipalities decide whether to deal with Class B and or sell to the labs. We have been fighting this both legislatively and with the individual shelters who engaged in this practice for years. Legislatively, the Bill still sits in the House Committee but through active rescue voices and concerned citizens who have been made aware of this practice the number of shelters doing this has greatly reduced. Not too many years ago there where at least six to eight that sold to Class B dealers. To the best of our knowledge, there is now only one remaining that does so.
The reason for this great change, caring people such as all of you, who were willing to speak out, to take action, to educate the public and great articles such as this one. Thanks D and to your friend Caroline.
In greyhound rescue circles this has been known for some time. Last year a breeder of greyhounds supplied young none racers to a university in the uk for research and vivisection. This is also the fate of some ex-racing greyhounds. In Irelean there is a lot of inferior greyhounds been sold at auctions. At times they are sold to places like Spain a few end up as racers in Denmark. However what about those unacounted for?. This is such a sad state of affairs. What can we all do to prevent it? Perhaps getting some facts and alerting others to these facts is a beginning?
One way to stop it, is to urge the “users” and vivisectionists to find alternative and humane means to conduct research, which IS available.
We have become socially aware that these methods are not only unacceptable but the research provided is most often unreliable and sometimes dangerous to the ultimate end-user (humans & pharmaceuticals).
I am going to print this article and keep it close by. I am also going to make copies and post it at work. Too bad there wasn’t a way to make copies and put them in the newspapers with all the flyers. Could you believe how many people that would wake up? Just a thought. I may just contact the Detroit Free Press and see if they are interested in doing on article on this. They are always looking for news. Well, this is BIG news. Thanks.
These guys also peruse Craigslist like vultures. Even though it’s allowed, do NOT advertise rehoming an animal on Craigslist. Better to enlist the help of a TRUSTED local shelter or rescue. They will courtesy post your rehoming efforts and also offer advice.
Very true Andrea and I honestly think most people don’t know the hazards of posting on Craigslist or don’t care. I do know that some rescues use Craigslist but they know the potential dangers and vet potential adopters very well. It can be good or bad, depending. The average person just has no clue what to look out for. I’ve posted a couple of horrible stores about people who have gotten dogs off Craigslist and the hellish ends those innocents met… Any “Free to Good Home” ad is a danger. A good rescue will usually help and vet potential adopters for people. I know quite a few who do that as a courtesy as you said. People need to be educated and stop looking at the $$$. A good, safe and loving home is the most important thing is someone really loves their furbaby but for some reason cannot keep then in the family!
God forbid the SOB tht ever stole my sweet baby for these reasons. I would track them down like the meanest dog that ever lived and tear them into tiny little pieces. Thanks for posting this D….I hope a lot of people see it and get a real eye opener! This is beyond cruel by any meaning of the word! All these people will be facing their Maker one day and it’s not going to be very pretty. I feel so much pain for what these beautiful animals have had to endure. This is precisely the reason I want that “Island of Human Research” opened. Much rather they be using these atrocities of human flesh for testing, than our animals, who so do not deserve to suffer like this.
You know I’m with you Jess. Like you, if someone ever got a hold of one of my babies, they would face a wrath they have no clue ever existed!
YES MA’AM, D, ACTUAL FACTUAL!!!! WITHOUT A DOUBT!