AWA may control breeders

The federal Animal Welfare Act looks like sensible stuff designed to discourage puppy mills and otherwise regulate wholesale dog breeders and pet shops.

But from the early days when the original legislation was proposed, hunting dog people were skeptical, if not paranoid. Legislators saw that the final act didn’t impact small sporting dog breeders much. But new proposals may, and there are those who are quick to accuse the anti-hunting faction of pushing for the new proposals to change the act.