Advocates fear for animals

Treatment records removed from federal website

abrupt removal of animal welfare inspection reports and other records from a federal website will significantly harm efforts to stop puppy mills from import- dogs into South Florida, said Dianne Sauve, director of animal care and control for Palm Beach County.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture took down thousands of records from its website last week detailing how animals are treated at breeding facilities, zoos, circuses and laboratories.

Investigators with Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control checked the website almost daily to ensure pet stores were following an ordinance passed in SepThe that aims to crack down on unscrupulous breeders, Sauve said.

“It takes transparency away from the American people,” Sauve said. “I don’t understand any positive reason why this information would be removed.”

The ordinance — which requires pet stores to only purchase animals from breeders with good records — would be impossible to enforce and adhere to if information is not readily available, Sauve said. In the fall, county commising sioners moved to ban new pet stores opening in Palm Beach County from selling puppies and kittens, while allowing about eight existing stores to continue the practice if they adhered to stricter regulations.

Miami-Dade County also uses inspection reports available online to prevent pet stores from obtaining animals from substandard breeders, said Alex Muñoz, director of Animal Servtember

ices. Seven states and New York City have laws that require pet dealers to only source from breeders that do not have severe animal welfare violations, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

The USDA wrote on its website that it removed the information after a “comprehensive review” over the past year. It decided to “remove certain personal information” posted on its website involving the Animal Welfare Act and Horse Protection Act, according to the statement. Inspection reports and other records can still be requested through the Freedom of Information Act, but those requests can take months and sometimes even years to fulfill.

A spokesman with the USDA declined further comment.

Animal advocates said the agency’s decision will shield abusers from public scrutiny.

“This is about protecting people who have harmed animals and don’t want their potential customers to know,” said John Goodwin, senior director of the Stop Puppy Mills campaign for the Humane Society of the United States.

Michele Lazarow, a Hallandale Beach city commissioner who has pushed for puppy mill ordinances across South Florida, said the move only strengthens her argument that dog and cat sales should be banned at all pet stores.

Opponents of bans have long argued consumers can do their own research and purchase animals from reputable breeders. In 2011, the Palm Beach County Commission required pet shops to disclose where their dogs were born and bred.

“The industry has worked to where we can’t show the bad actors,” Lazarow said. “The USDA is no longer willing to be open with their inspections. How can we arm ourselves with information?”

JoAnn Cordova, owner of the Love My Puppy pet store in Boca Raton, said she has long-standing relationships with several breeders, but she also understands the reasoning for Palm Beach County’s ordinance.

Her philosophy in doing business — trust but verify.

“We certainly follow the ordinance and pull everything,” Cordova said. “If there is a citation of any sort, we don’t buy. Over time, it’s going to pose a problem if we don’t come up with a solution.”