The Pet Theft Myth
Equal parts urban legend and animal activist
propaganda, the “stolen pet myth” provides a
hot-button issue guaranteed to provoke fear and loathing
among those of us who love our pets. But like most myths,
the hyperbole and hysteria eclipse the facts.
There is no evidence of pet theft for medical research.
Animal activists frequently charge that
millions of dogs and cats are stolen each year and sold
to medical research laboratories. The accusation is ludicrous.
Scientists neither need nor want to conduct research with
pets.
The vast majority of animals needed for research are specifically
bred for this purpose.
Practically all animals needed for research
are rodents – rats and mice. Cats and dogs together
represent less than one-half of one per cent of all lab
animals. And according to the most recent data from the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which is required
by law to keep detailed statistics, the total number of
dogs and cats used for research in 2001 was 92,837.1
Many of these animals are bred specifically for research
and were never pets. The remainder was acquired directly
from the “death row” of pounds after efforts
to locate their owners failed and euthanasia was the only
remaining option, or they were purchased from USDA-licensed
and regulated Class B dealers. There are 20 Class B dealers
in the USA. In quarterly “trace back” audits
of these dealers, the USDA found no evidence of
theft.
This is not to deny that many, many beloved
pets go missing. Sadly, over seven million unclaimed dogs
and cats are euthanized in animal shelters each year. 2
And wildlife biologists estimate that over one million animals
are killed each day by automobiles. 3
There are tough federal laws against stealing pets for research
Under the provisions of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), it
is a federal offense to "buy, sell, exhibit, use for
research, transport or offer for transportation, any stolen
animal" or to obtain live random source dogs and cats
by using false pretenses, misrepresentation or deception.
Since the 1970s, the USDA has been responsible
for inspecting all Class B dealers and their facilities
to ensure that federal animal welfare and recordkeeping
requirements are met. If dealers or facilities fail to comply
with these tough standards, the USDA imposes strict
financial penalties and can temporarily suspend or permanently
revoke the licenses needed to continue doing business.
The USDA also requires all dealers to certify that holding
periods are observed and to maintain a thorough and very
specific description and record for each animal, including
details regarding the animal's source.
The USDA's Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) inspects Class B dealers four
times per year, and research facilities at least
once each year, for compliance with AWA regulations and
standards. APHIS inspectors check the accuracy of records
by comparing them with the records kept by other dealers
in the same marketing chain. This recordkeeping
system effectively discourages thieves from selling stolen
pets through regular market channels.
Class B dealers are allowed to obtain
animals from pounds, but the USDA requires that those animals
be held at the pound for five days and on the dealers' premises
for five or 10 days, depending on whether the pound was
public or private. This means that the USDA-mandated holding
requirements for these animals are 10 to 15 days. These
holding periods ensure that owners searching for a lost
pet will have time to find the animal, or that adoptive
homes might be found for unwanted pets.
Many animal activists confirm that the “pet theft
myth” is fiction
A leading animal-protection newspaper
reported 1998 that it found no evidence of stolen pets being
sold to research facilities. According to Merritt
Clifton, editor of Animal People, the Animal Welfare Act
appears to have virtually halted the sale of stolen animals
for laboratories since taking effect in January 1992. Most
of the pre-1994 cases identified by Animal People as theft
for research purposes involved animal dealers who fraudulently
obtained animals, and those dealers have since been prosecuted
or otherwise put out of business by the USDA.
Clifton presents convincing evidence that
illegal dog fighting is a far more likely explanation
for reports of many missing pets. This is especially
true in several states where animal welfare and law enforcement
authorities have recently been inundated with complaints.
Dog fighting, although a felony in 44 states continues in
many parts of the country. It is believed that many stolen
dogs are being routed to fighting enthusiasts, who use them
to train or "bait" their more aggressive breeds,
such as pit bulls.
According to Clifton, a rash of recent
thefts took place along three specific interstate routes
in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, and in the South, where
dog fighting rings are known to operate and where police
have made a number of felony arrests. Chicago police have
been especially active, infiltrating and busting these egregious
operations.
Americans involved in rescue operations
that re-unite lost pets with their families have complained
bitterly about the scare tactics of animal activists who
try to convince distraught owners that their beloved cat
or dog was picked up by “men in white coats who drive
a van through their neighborhood at night to steal pets
and sell them for hideous experiments.”
As one rescuer recently wrote: “It’s
basically an ‘urban myth’ used to scare people
into donating time and money to AR groups, supposedly to
protect their pets… Parts of my job as rescue, is
to calm these people down, get them to stop crying, and
give them some practical methods of locating their lost
pet. It makes me furious that these people, who
are already upset and heartbroken, are further terrorized
by these sadistic animal rights activist that feed on other's
emotions and hardship.”
Missing pets: What you can do
The Foundation for Biomedical Research
recommends that all pets wear collars and identification
tags at all times. Tags, implanted microchips and even tattoos
can help to re-unite a lost cat or dog with its family.
The Missing
Pet Network, a group of volunteers sponsored by the
USDA Animal Care Office, offers some valuable
tips for finding a lost pet.
References
1. United States Department of Agriculture.
Animal Welfare Report. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/awrep2000.pdf
2. PetSmart Charities. http://www.petsmart.com/petsmart%5Fcharities/why%5Fadopt.shtml
3. Wall Street Journal. "In the Headlights:
As Man and Beast Clash on Highways, Both Sides Lose."
August 1, 2002.
4. United States Department of Agriculture.
Animal Welfare Report. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/awrep2000.pdf
5. United States Department of Agriculture.
Animal Welfare Report. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/awrep2000.pdf
Updated Feb 14, 2003
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