Canine Health Board to set standards for Pa. dog law

Harrisburg, Pa.

-- The new nine-member Canine Health Board -- made up of veterinarians from the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association and the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical School, as well as Republican and Democratic legislative leaders -- has met for the second time in a month to work on guidelines for the recently passed Pennsylvania dog law.

Board members are establishing temporary guidelines for commercial kennels, such as standards for temperature and ventilation, lighting and flooring, all of which must be in place by Dec. 22.

Members of the board include Jennifer Muller, chairwoman, Glen Mills, Bryan Langlois, Ramsi P. Chaudhari, John Simms, Amy Hinton, Larry R. Bason and Patricia Thomson and Colin Harvey.

The PVMA was criticized for not getting behind the dog law in the beginning, but executive director Charlene Wandzilak says the agency fought to make sure the dog law was in the best interest of the animals, which includes the canine health board.

The board has begun working on the topic of ventilation and temperature and will move on to lighting and flooring next, according to Muller.

"We're on a short time table," she says of the board's several scheduled meetings this month.

Once developed, the temporary guidelines will go through the standard regulatory steps, including a public comment period, before implementation.