Category: In The Press

Gov. Larry Hogan has signed a ban on the sale of puppy mill dogs at Maryland pet stores, and a law requiring lab animals to be adopted. ANNAPOLIS, MD — Animal rescue groups and shelters celebrated Tuesday as Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan signed a law that bans the sale of puppy mill dogs in pet stores. Dogs and owners celebrated at the Statehouse, while owners of the few remaining pet stores affected criticized the law. “An overwhelming majority of Marylanders agree – holding puppies is the best part of any…

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Governor Larry Hogan signed more than 200 bills into law Tuesday morning, some of which cracks down on repeat violent offenders and those who commit crimes with guns. The one bill that made Hogan smile the most was the so-called Beagle Bill, named for the most common dog breed used in testing. The bill will require cats and dogs used for research to be given a chance at adoption. When the animal is no longer needed, research facilities will have to give them to animal rescue organizations.…

Beagle Freedom Project (BFP), an animal welfare group, has just announced its latest campaign. Cut the Cruelty will expose pet suppliers with ties to animal testing and work with major retailers to discontinue their partnerships with these suppliers. The campaign has already reached an agreement with overstock.com, which will no longer do business with Marshall Pet Products. BFP Founder and President, Shannon Keith, explained that many pet supply companies are also associated with animal experimentation. Marshall Pet Products, for example, sells pet toys and treats, but it is also connected…

The Maryland General Assembly has passed new legislation that requires research facilities in the state to “take reasonable steps” to adopt out any dogs used in scientific experiments once they are no longer needed. Named the Beagle Freedom Bill because beagles are the most commonly used dog breed for research, the new law means institutions will have to search for placement of the dogs, or create relationships with animal rescue centers that can help find them new homes. Up until now, there have been no laws regulating what happens to…

Del. Kramer poised to push additional protections for companion animals in next year’s session At first glance, Del. Ben Kramer’s multiyear effort to protect companion animals was successful on two fronts during the just-finished 2018 session of the Maryland General Assembly. Legislation offered by Kramer to end the sale of dogs in retail pet stores—where critics say many of the animals are products of so-called “puppy mills”—sailed through the House and Senate. It is awaiting Gov. Larry Hogan’s signature, as is another Kramer proposal—which he had been pushing for four…

Dogs used in research could have a better chance of eventually becoming pets under a bill winding through the Maryland General Assembly. The state Senate already has approved the measure, which includes dogs and cats, though it is dubbed the Beagle Freedom Bill because the breed is the most common dog used in research. A hearing is slated for Tuesday in the House of Delegates and nearly 100 lawmakers already have signed on as co-sponsors. The bill even won support from former Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith, who is featured…

Thor had been through unimaginable trauma. Last September, the 8-year-old Tibetan mastiff found himself inside a tiny cage at a dog slaughterhouse near Beijing, China. He had to watch as men brutally killed other dogs right in front of him, using them for their meat. Since Thor was a large and physically strong mastiff, the slaughterhouse owner had hired several men to help kill him. But when the men tried killing Thor, the dog fought back. “He was attacking them, they got bitten and so the slaughterhouse owner was upset,”…

Former Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith, who will now have two Super Bowl rings thanks to the Philadelphia Eagles’ victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday, is still making his presence known in Baltimore. Smith, who last spring made a donation to BARCS that covered the adoption fees for every dog and cat at the animal shelter’s Pawject Runway fundraiser, is now featured on a billboard for the Show Your Soft Side campaign. In the ad, the former Terp holds a beagle, whose name is Lucia, alongside the tagline,…

Today, fifteen beagles rescued in China will arrive in America — and be transported to the best possible place … the Vanderpump Dog Foundation. There, they will languish in splendor — and be rehabilitated — until someone adopts them. Could you imagine a better place to land if you are a canine down on your luck? In Lisa Vanderpump’s pink paradise, where you will be groomed by hot out-of-work models, and cooed at in a cloud of English rose perfume? The fifteen beagles were rescued by the Beagle Freedom Project,…