File photo
File photo
State inspections of dog-breeding facilities in Iowa are supposed to be a surprise, but owners are allowed to have their inspections at a time that is convenient to them.
According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the Iowa Department of Agriculture's guide for breeders indicates that state inspections are "unannounced" but records show that the agency is contacting breeders to schedule a specific date and time for an appointment, even with breeders who have a history of violations.
“Dear #AnimalRights Twitter, Please call #Iowa Sec of Ag Mike Naig - 515-281-5322 - and tell him warning breeders is NOT acceptable. #adoptdontbreed," WriterIowa said in an Oct. 12 tweet.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship is in charge of regulating dog breeding, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
The National Geographic reports that the USDA has been accused of ignoring animal welfare violations in favor of supporting business interests.
The USDA is supposed to regulate animal welfare through the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), according to National Geographic.
“We’ve often heard that breeders who are not ready for inspection just will not answer the door and take a minor ‘unavailable’ violation, as opposed to getting more severe violations,” Mindi Callison of Bailing Out Benji, an Iowa-based animal-advocacy group said, according to the Iowa Capital Dispatch.
“This does a huge disservice to the animals in their care because the inspectors are not seeing how these animals live year-round. We saw this in the Daniel Gingerich puppy mill case where he denied entrance to an inspector and said, ‘Just cite me for refusing the inspection.'"
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