USDA puppy mill report

All the major news sources regardless of geographic location or editorial slant (most from AP) are reporting that the USDA APHIS isn't doing its job in putting "puppy mills" out of business. If you do a Google search on "USDA puppy mill report" you get about 35,000 hits (I haven't found the original, however), but if you add in one word, "Amish" you'll get about 24,000. Ohio news sources have been reporting on the puppy mill industry by our local Amish for years. I think there have been a number of reports in recent years at the federal oversite level, at least 3 in this decade. Nothing changes. I don't think puppy mill operators have a lot of political clout or lobbyists in Washington, so something else is going on.

I'd like to point out something about the USDA and how it could have more staff and money to put these folks out of business. The USDA still offers 100% financing, no money down, home mortgage schemes, luring people, middle class and/or poor, into situations they really can't afford. Check out its "rural development" site--it's just amazing what it will do for you if you want to get out of the city. Regulating animals bred for sale is a bona fide agricultural arm of the government responsibility, in my opinion. Our security, health and welfare are directly related to the health and welfare of animals. Putting people into bad mortgages, a plan that brought us to this recession, is not.