Animal dealers are part of a complex network that supplies an endless stream of animals to pet stores, puppy mills, fighting rings, satanic cults, and research facilities. Many of the dogs and cats traded by dealers are former companion animals who have been stolen from their homes.

Each year more than 5 million companion animals in the United States disappear.(1) Approximately 2 million of these are stolen, many out of their own yards in broad daylight. Commenting on the presence of obviously owned dogs at an Arkansas research facility, one lab technician stated, "Nobody says anything...They just toss the collars into a heap."(2) Most stolen animals will wind up in laboratories, where they will be force-fed poisons, exposed to radiation, addicted to chemicals, or subjected to other painful procedures.

The Dealer Network

The USDA is responsible for licensing animal dealers and for enforcing the federal Animal Welfare Act, which sets minimum standards of housing and care. Anyone selling animals to laboratories, or selling more than 24 dogs or cats per year at the wholesale level, must be licensed. Class A dealers maintain their own breeding colonies, of which "puppy mills" (breeders of mass-produced puppies for pet store chains and research facilities) are an example. Class B dealers obtain animals from "random sources."

For a $50 fee, anyone can obtain a USDA Class B dealer license. Technically, licensees are required to have a kennel that provides proper shelter and veterinary care. In fact, however, the USDA has licensed facilities where dogs are chained to car fenders and housed in old clothes dryers. Dealers are generally not willing to cut profits by providing medical attention to sick or injured animals. An abundance of new arrivals makes mortalities "affordable."

In states that allow "pound seizure," Class B dealers may buy animals from pounds and animal shelters. Rural flea markets and animal auctions also provide a marketplace, where people sell animals for the $5-$20 the dealer will pay. The dealer may receive hundreds of dollars for each animal.

"Bunchers" are a vital source of animals in the dealers' network. Using sedatives hidden in meat, females in heat, and nets, they lure or trap dogs and cats. Some thieves pose as animal control officers and comb neighborhoods in vans, "confiscating" animals without tags. Newspaper giveaway ads are another source. Posing as a "family man," the buncher may bring along a child when picking up a giveaway animal. Bunchers typically clear out entire neighborhoods, then transport the animals several states away to avoid detection, although some animals are sold locally. Animals are also stolen during house burglaries, as well as from cars, sidewalks, and shopping areas.

Classroom Casualties

Some dealers make their living exclusively by selling animals for dissection. A PETA undercover investigation revealed that the largest suppliers of animals for dissection depend on Class B dealers to stock their catalogues. Investigators documented deplorable conditions at the cattery operated by John H. Wise -- a dealer who supplied live cats to Ward's Scientific Establishment -- including live cats being housed in filthy cages with dead cats. His cousin, Al Wise, operated a similar cattery and sold cats to Carolina Biological Supply Company. Despite claims from these facilities that they only dealt in animals who had been euthanized at local pounds, undercover videotape showed that deliveries of live cats, many wearing collars, were common. Upon arrival, the animals were shoved into gas chambers and then hooked up to embalming machines. The cats would visibly struggle as formaldehyde was injected into their bloodstreams.

Hell Begins Before the Lab

PETA's undercover investigations have revealed many other abuses in the dealer pipeline: kicking, beating, and throwing animals into and out of holding pens; overcrowded transport conditions; maggot-infested food, lack of food and water; newborn animals being crushed to death or eaten alive by stressed cage-mates; and lack of shelter in extreme weather.

The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) inspectors are responsible for inspecting dealer facilities for compliance with regulations for record-keeping, as well as for physical conditions of the facility and of the animals themselves. However, enforcement is extremely weak; most inspectors allow dealers to repeatedly "correct" violations. In many cases, activists have documented consistent, severe violations and pressured the USDA for years before action was taken. The few dealers who are ordered to close down have been known to transfer ownership of the kennel to other family members in order to beat the system.

Companion Animal Protection

There are several steps guardians can take to prevent thefts. Most importantly, don't leave animals unattended in the car or yard, and don't let them run loose. Make sure they are wearing tags with your name and current address and telephone number. Have dogs tattooed through the National Dog Registry (Box 116, Woodstock, NY 12498; 800-NDR-DOGS). It is a crime in some states to perform experiments on animals with tattoos. Watch for suspicious trucks or vans that seem to hang around in your neighborhood; get license plate numbers, good descriptions, and photographs, and report them to your local humane society or police.

Targeting the Culprits

Here are some other ways to help combat companion animal theft:

• Identify your local dealers. A listing of licensed dealers in all 50 states is available from APHIS (4700 River Rd., Unit 84, Riverdale, MD 20737-1234). Ask for both the "Animal Welfare: List of Licensed Dealers" and "Animal Welfare: List of Registered Research Facilities."
• Attend auctions where animals are sold and traded. Try to blend in with the crowd. Take photographs of dealers, their vehicles, and license plates. If possible, photos of animals should be close-ups and shown with a dealer or in his or her vehicle. Be discreet (use a hidden camera, if necessary). Take notes on who is selling to whom. Once you determine who the suppliers and buyers are, and what states they are from, you can connect with activists in these areas and set up a network for tracing stolen dogs and cats. Pay special attention to unusual-looking dogs; make fliers with their photos or descriptions and distribute them to animal shelters. Keep track of "lost" ads in newspapers, and watch for these animals to appear at auctions.
• If a stolen animal is positively identified in a dealer's possession, report it to USDA officials in your state, and demand that the dealer's records be inspected. Contact the media; the story might make headlines and curb more theft. Urge the animal's owner to press charges against the dealer for possession of stolen property and for damages such as veterinary bills.
• Place an ad in the classified section of your newspaper that says: "PET THEFT ALERT: Don't let your companion animal end up in a research experiment. Don't leave animals alone outdoors. Check out new homes thoroughly before you give an animal away. Call _____ (your phone number or PETA's) for more information." Contact PETA for a supply of "Finding the Right Home for Your Companion Animal" brochures; then call people who are advertising giveaways and offer to send them a copy.
• Spay or neuter your companion animals, and educate others about doing the same. With so many unwanted animals changing hands, dealers have an easy job of filling their kennels.
• Call your congressional representatives and ask them to support legislation that would protect animals from theft. House of Representatives members and senators can both be reached at 202-224-3121.
• Arm yourself with the facts by reading Stolen for Profit by Judith Reitman. This book exposes the medical establishment's funding of a national pet-theft conspiracy
• For more information, call the Pet Theft Citizens Network at 1-800-STOLEN-PETS. (This is not a lost companion animal-retrieval service but rather a network set up to track dealer activity.)

References

1. Reitman, Judith, Stolen for Profit, Pharos Books, 1992.
2. Ibid.