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legislation > Animal Welfare Act (AWA) > history
It all started with one dog. In July 1965, Pepper, a Dalmatian, was stolen from a family’s backyard in Pennsylvania. This family identified their lost dog in a newsphoto, showing Pepper and other dogs being loaded into a truck. They soon learned Pepper had been stolen by a Pennsylvania dog dealer who was supplying animals for research. The family "drove from Pennsylvania to New York to confront the dealer, but was denied access to the property. Shaken, but not deterred, the family contacted the Animal Welfare Institute, an advocacy group in Washington D.C., who used its powers to contact Representative Joseph Renick, the Congressman in the dealer's district. Unfortunately, even Resnick's personal attempts to intercede failed, and it finally took police pressure to discover that Pepper had been sold to a New York hospital where she was used in an experiment and died on the operating table. The family, Resnick, and the nation were devasted." (See link below.) Angered by this injustice, Congressman Resnick introduced H.R.9743, "calling for pet dealers and laboratories to be licensed and inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and required to meet certain humane standards of care." Resnick was met with considerable opposition. But, around this time, Life Magazine, with photos from photographer Stan Wayman, ran a story entitled Concentration Camps for Lost and Stolen Pets exposing animal dealers and the horrendous conditions. The public was outraged, and called their legislators demanding action. Congress listened and decided it was time to protect certain animals, specifically as it related to the transportation, sale, and handling of dogs and cats. |
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