Advisory Board: Pa. Puppy Mill Law Not Being Enforced

By Tony Romeo

HARRISBURG, Pa. (CBS) - Pennsylvania's Dog Law Advisory Board has issued a scathing report that contends a new law intended to crack down on puppy mills is not being enforced.

The report contends that kennels in Pennsylvania are dodging new regulations governing conditions such as ventilation and flooring and that, in general, critical parts of a new law enacted several years ago are being ignored by authorities.

But Michael Pechart, the Agriculture Department official who has assumed oversight of the Dog Law Enforcement Office, claims the report is based on outdated or inaccurate information.

"So, a lot of the information I've already resolved – we have already resolved. And the situations have been corrected."

Marsha Perelman, who co-authored the report, says the report is based on information gathered through August, "So if any of those of those problems have been resolved it's been very recent."

While she believes the department is moving in the right direction, Perelman says there are an "enormous" number of problems that have to be addressed.