State inspection reports from Pennsylvania's 2,600 licensed dog kennels are now online and accessible to the public.
The state Department of Agriculture Web site at www.agriculture.state.pa.us/padoglaw went live Monday and gives immediate access to inspection records dating from 2006, kennel license class and status information, kennel addresses and related details.
So far, the database is getting good reviews — and close inspection.
"This new access to kennel inspection records will help consumers know the conditions of kennels where they might purchase a dog or board their dog while they travel — so they can make better decisions about the welfare of their pets," Gov. Ed Rendell said in a news release Monday. Rendell has pushed Pennsylvania's Bureau of Dog Law for new regulations to help end the state's reputation as the puppy-mill capital of the East.
"Pennsylvania is taking action to improve consumer knowledge and provide better care for dogs in kennels across the state," the governor said in the release.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said Pennsylvania may be the first state in the United States to permit such access.
"This is unique, and we are very pleased with the announcement," said Bob Baker, a St. Louis-based national ASPCA investigator, according to an Associated Press story. "This adds an air of transparency. … People will be able to look over the shoulder of inspectors."
State dog wardens now use tablet PCs during inspections, giving them immediate access to records and other information. Their reports are then sent electronically to the database and made available for public viewing.
Chris Ryder, a spokesman for Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, said state law requires all licensed kennels be inspected annually, but the bureau inspects each kennel twice a year.
Bill Smith, founder of Main Line Animal Rescue, a Philadelphia-area rescue organization, applauded the bureau for giving the public access to its inspection reports. It's also timely, he said, because families are looking for boarding kennels because of summer vacations.
At the same time, Smith said the Web site shows the disparity between how often animal shelters and other nonprofit kennels are inspected compared with large-scale for-profit breeder kennels such as Myer Kennel Inc. in Lititz. Having sold 1,709 dogs in a 12-month period, it's one of the county's largest commercial breeders.
According to the Web site, Nathan Myer's kennel was inspected once in July, when it housed 1,006 dogs, and determined to be satisfactory.
During the same period, Smith's rescue kennel was inspected six times, receiving satisfactory ratings each time. It housed fewer than 100 dogs at the time of each inspection.
"We've been inspected more times than Joyce Stoltzfus," Smith said, referring to the owner of the Peach Bottom kennel formerly operated under the name Puppy Love and now operated as CC Pets. Stoltzfus has repeatedly been cited for unsatisfactory conditions, and in 2005, was fined more than $75,000 by the state attorney general's office for selling sick dogs.
CC Pets was inspected four times in 2006, receiving two unsatisfactory inspections and two satisfactory inspections for kennel conditions. Up to 299 dogs were housed during one of those inspections. Neither Stoltzfus' nor Myer's kennel has been inspected in 2007.
Helen Ebersole, president and co-founder of United Against Puppy Mills, said it makes sense for consumers to have access to state kennel inspection reports.
"Just like restaurant inspections being published in the newspaper, (the Web site) makes (kennel inspections) public record," she said. "It keeps the public informed of the kind of product they're getting and which businesses are using the best practices. Any industry that wants to bump itself up a notch in terms of having a good reputation and building public trust should do this."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
E-mail: slindt@lnpnews.com