Dear Secretary Johanns,

As an animal lover and taxpaying citizen I am appalled by the lack enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Regulations and Standards by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, (APHIS). Under APHIS, Animal Care (AC) is responsible for inspections and enforcement of commercial breeders, dealers, exhibitors, research institutions and commercial carriers. I am particularly concerned for the plight of animals in commercial breeding facilities, the most notable being the notorious puppy mills.

Commercial breeders of dogs and cats breed their animals until they can no longer reproduce without any regulatory restrictions on the number of litters or frequency of breeding. Their offspring are shipped primarily to pet stores in the United States and abroad. Their arduous journey no doubt inflicts a heavy toll on many and those who survive face an uncertain future. Meanwhile, their parents live their entire lives in small cramped cages breeding after litter until they can no longer reproduce.

When one checks the USDA News Releases for cases that USDA has resolved another disturbing trend is all too evident. Penalties are generally small especially considering that each formal hearing costs the taxpayers a little over $10,000. Penalties are typically portioned so that the violator pays a small fraction another portion designated for facility improvements and yet another portion suspended. USDA could best protect the animals by making penalties an effective deterrent to violating the regulations and recouping revenues lost during these proceedings.

I urge you to instruct your subordinate officials to strictly enforce the Animal Welfare Act and the corresponding regulations and standards to assure that the minimum standards of care are met. Your department's policies should protect the animals as Congress intended and not those who profit from their suffering and misery. These animals deserve the fullest protection that the law allows and you must direct your junior officials accordingly.

Respectfully,