About a month ago a new state law in Pennsylvania was signed into being by Governor Ed Rendell.  The law applies to all dog owners, but it is geared towards those dog breeders who sell 60 or more dogs in a year or who sell their dogs to a pet shop or wholesaler.  The law states that breeders cannot use wire flooring in cages, they cannot stack the animal’s cages and they cannot force the animals into cages that are too small for them.  In addition, breeders must exercise their dogs and get each dog a twice yearly veterinary exam.  Officially, this new law affects some 650 of the currently 2,750 licensed kennels in Pennsylvania.  It sounds like good common sense to me, not keeping your dog in cage with wire flooring.  However, some opponents to this law say that it will force some breeders to go out of business simply because of the costs of taking the dogs for a twice yearly veterinary exam. State Representative Bob Bastian is a former veterinarian and he states, ‘A lot of people are going to be put out of business because of this bill…That’s definitely their agenda…A one-size-fits-all bill is not going to work.’ It’s believed that the rapid passing of this law into effect is partly due to a tragedy last August.  A dog breeder opted to shoot 80 dogs at a Berks County Kennel when told that he would have to provide veterinarian care for flea bites.  In addition, a state dog warden and the Somerset County Humane Society seized 17 dogs from an illegal Amish Puppy mill, where the dogs were being kept in wire cages in a dark barn.  The breeder stated that he sold the puppies for $150 each to a buyer who takes them to a pet store in Eastern Pennsylvania where they sell for more than $500. Hopefully, this law will help curb these kinds of incidents and insure the overall health of dogs from good dog breeders. Source: http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_320223247.html