Gov. Edward Rendell's love of dogs brought him to the Penn School of Veterinary Medicine Friday night to speak about his plans for improving Pennsylvania's laws governing the treatment of dogs.
Rendell discussed statewide dog kennels conditions and the state's difficulty in enforcing animal-cruelty laws.
Pennsylvania has 57 dog wardens in charge of one to three counties each.
According to Rendell, these dog wardens are often charged with the impossible task of investigating kennels housing thousands of dogs.
There are some 2,400 licensed kennels in Pennsylvania needing additional warden oversight.
Furthermore, inspections have been problematic, Rendell said, since dog wardens typically forewarn kennel owners of their impending "visits," allowing them time to conceal regulatory violations.
To prevent this malfeasance, Rendell recently hired five "swat" dog wardens to inspect kennels unannounced.
It is unfortunate, Rendell said, that many kennel owners view dogs as a commodity and merely seek to increase their profit margins.
Some larger kennels take in over $1 million annually.
But "the biggest problem," Rendell said, "is the way [dogs are] treated creates enormous emotional problems."
Breeder dogs live a huge part of their lives in cages, Rendell said, adding that sometimes the dogs sleep in their own waste and often don't get enough water or exercise.
Student reaction to Rendell's comments, and visit in general, were favorable.
"It's great that [Rendell]'s addressing the issue because it hasn't been addressed much for the past couple of years," said third-year Vet student Jaclyn Bell.
"It seems like he cares about the welfare of puppies, and he wants to make changes," added fellow third-year Vet student Emily Howe.
Bell and Howe were among the Vet students who attended the speech by Rendell, who was invited to speak by the Penn chapter of the Veterinary Business Management Association.
The event, which attracted a large crowd to the Hill Pavilion lobby, was organized by second-year Vet student and President of the Penn VBMA Michael Jennings.
Jennings called Rendell's approach to improving the state's dog law "holistic" and "integrated."
Jennings added that Rendell is doing a good job of listening to community feedback.
But Rendell is looking for more than just feedback.
Rendell said that in order to accomplish the remainder of his goals, "the public will has to be demonstrated in vigorous and enthusiastic ways."
"We need your help and your support," Rendell said.
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