The Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act

A current topic involving animal abuse is the use of Raccoon Dog fur in American products. Although many consumers may think that dog and cat fur is banned from being used in U.S. products, there are loopholes that make it possible. Yes, there is a ban on cat and dog fur, but there is a loophole that exists in current legislation. The law only requires that fur valuing over $150 have accurate labels: labeled with the name of the species used, the manufacturer, and country of origin. Since it is such a high dollar amount, it is possible for these furs to be sold on the trimmings of jackets, sweaters, and so forth. The current legislation trying to be passed is the H.R. 891— Dog and Cat Fur Prohibition Enforcement Act. In order to understand the implications of the situation, you may have a few questions:

What are Raccoon Dogs and what is being done to them?

Raccoon dogs are a type of wild canine that resemble that of a raccoon, however they are part of the "dog" family. They originated in Asia and are spreading to parts of Europe. They are omnivorous and are very cautious animals. They would rather run than fight, especially when encountered by humans. Despite their shy nature, they are being slaughtered for their furs. Recently, it was found that they were being used in Sean John's line of clothing (A.K.A P. Diddy, Puff Daddy). His merchandise was being sold to retailers, including Macy's. The product was mislabeled as containing "raccoon fur". Our current legislation is what allows this to happen. According to the Humane Society's website at http://www.hsus.org/furfree/news/sean_john_diddy_combs_mislabeled_fur.html , "China has no animal welfare laws. Animals killed for their fur in China—dogs, raccoon dogs and others—often face horrible abuse, and are too often skinned alive."

Please, visit the website, so you may bare witness to what is actually being done to them. They are being ruthlessly slaughtered. First, they are plucked from a cage, then slammed to the ground in attempts to knock them unconscious. However, it usually doesn't work. So they are then clubbed in the face. Still yet, they are usually still very aware of their surroundings. In the end, their skin is ripped from their flesh. THEY ARE STILL VERY CONSCIOUS AND AWARE OF THEIR SURROUNDINGS. This is absolutely disgusting. Even if you do not believe in standing up for animal rights, this is truly cruel. There are obviously much less painful ways to skin an animal.

What can be done to end this cruelty?

Write to your congressmen. As a U.S. citizen you may not be able to control what happens in Asia, Europe, or other parts of the world. However, you can stop supporting their actions. You are supporting them if they are able to continue to sell these furs to the U.S. In order to ban their fur in our products, the legislation will have to be reworked to improvise for their fur. Current legislation only includes dogs and cats. However, they are currently pushing to expand it to Raccoon Dogs. If you visit https://secure2.convio.net/aspca/site/Advocacy?JServSessionIdr007=vrrrjvs7x2.app24b&cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=2167, you can fill out a pre-written form made by the ASPCA to be sent directly to your congressmen showing that you support the new legislation, and that you find it a disgusting practice to sell their furs in our clothing.

Why does this matter to me?

You may not be animal rights activist. However, this issue doesn't just involve people caring about animals. Its about people's rights as consumers. You should know what you are purchasing. Do you like being lied to? Well, current legislation is allowing just that. By allowing quantities under the value of $150 to be mislabeled, it allows any kind of animal fur to be sold on a garment and claimed to be "faux fur" or some other type of animal than what it really is, hence the reason raccoon dogs were able to be labeled as "raccoon" instead. Maybe you don't care that you are lied to, well what about being mischarged? If they are claiming fur to be something else than what it is, you might be getting charged for more than what you are supposed to, because the value of it might really be worth less than the fur they claim it to be. Support this act, so that you can be an informed consumer!