When it comes to puppy breeders, you have to wonder why we even allow them to be in business. I know there are plenty of kind and generous breeders who take good care of their pups, ensuring their safety and protection, making sure they go to good homes, and trying to make a living; I don’t mean to disrespect these individuals. But between the gross numbers of puppy mills where dogs are treated horribly and the numbers of overpopulation we face when it comes to dogs (as well as other companion animals, particularly cats), isn’t it time that we phased out this whole “purebred” business and instead focused on adopting the animals we already have?

This year, a bipartisan piece of legislation was introduced in May to help regulate puppy breeders and to identify the mills that need to be shut down. Republican Senator David Vitter of Louisiana, Democratic Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois, and Democratic Representative Sam Farr of California have all come together to create the Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety Act, or the PUPS Act, also known as Senate Bill 3424 and House Bill 5434. The Act requires all puppy sellers who sell more than 50 pups a year—which pretty much covers all potential puppy mills—to be required to be licensed, inspected, and reviewed.

Can you imagine the good that can come from this legislation? A huge decline in puppy mills would surely result. Right now, current legislation only mandates that breeders who sell dogs to pet stores or brokers be regulated in this manner. That leaves the ones who sell to people—including testing laboratories, unknown folks over the Internet, and the rest of the general public—completely unchecked.

Not only does the bill require these regulatory clauses—it also calls for additional protection and health monitoring of all dogs that are bred. Dogs would be required to receive daily exercise—something that puppy mill mother dogs rarely get—with the use of a treadmill or other device. Since dogs held captive in breeding grounds are often sedentary, leading to lifetime problems, this would help increase the health of dogs immensely. The workload it would demand from breeders would also deter them from breeding more dogs than they can care for.

Please write to your senators and representatives today, asking them to support this urgent legislation. With it, we can help control our growing population of companion dogs and prevent further suffering.