Animal Care Industry Report

United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

APHIS Spring 1997

As you have probably heard, the Federal

Government's Animal Care (AC) program,

administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's

(USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

(APHIS), has undergone many changes in recent

months. AC has changed its organizational structure

and management team, launched a new strategic

direction, and initiated several regulatory projects.

I firmly believe these changes will ultimately benefit

you and our other stakeholders, and I am pleased to

inform you about these developments in this, our first

ever, APHIS–AC Industry Report.

We envision this report promoting two-way

communication between the Federal sector and

representatives of key industry and interest groups

like you. Through this short and direct format, we will

provide you with summaries of emerging issues,

reports on new and existing programs, and updates

on AC initiatives and proposed regulations affecting

your organizations. We would appreciate knowing if

you find this information tool helpful, and we welcome

your comments. Please call (301) 734–5175 to share

your ideas.

W. Ron DeHaven

Acting Deputy Administrator

Animal Care

The Birth of AC: A New Organizational

Structure

In the past year, AC has undergone a major

reorganization that affected both AC as a whole and

its regional offices. The whole of Animal Care was

reorganized on October 1, 1996, when the former

Regulatory Enforcement and Animal Care (REAC)

unit was dissolved. APHIS' regulatory enforcement

activities moved to another agency unit, and Animal

Care was born. Investigative and Enforcement

Services (IES)—the new name for the agency's

regulatory enforcement unit—continues to provide

excellent support to all APHIS programs, including

AC on Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and Horse

Protection Act (HPA) cases.

As for the regional offices, they have been

reduced from four to three: the Eastern Region in

Annapolis, MD, Central Region in Ft. Worth, TX, and

Western Region in Sacramento, CA. The regional

map in this report shows the new structure, and the

shadowbox provides the names, addresses, and

phone numbers of key contacts.

WA

OR ID

CA

NV UT

AZ NM

CO

WY

MT ND

MO

AR

TX LA

OK

KS

NE

SD

IA

MN

WS

IL IN

KY

TN

MS AL GA

SC

NC

MI

RI

MD

NJ

ME

MA

CT

NH

VT

NY

PA

VA

OH

WV

FL

P.R.

DE

AK

HI

V.I.

Western Region

Central Region

Eastern Region

Animal Care

AK
A New Management Team

AC also has a new and energetic management

team. This team is lead by Dr. W. Ron DeHaven, the

current Acting Deputy Administrator. DeHaven was

head of AC's Western Sector Office from 1988 until

his move to AC Headquarters in November 1996.

He is a driving force behind the many changes

currently going on in the AC program.

Supporting DeHaven are three new regional

directors: Dr. Elizabeth Goldentyre in the Eastern

Region, Dr. Walter Christensen in the Central Region,

and Dr. Robert Gibbens in the Western Region.

Gibbens was formerly a supervisory official in the old

AC Western Sector office, Goldentyre was a

supervisor in the Southeast, and Christensen was

head of the former Central Sector office. All are

veterinarians with many years of experience with AC

and extensive knowledge regarding the AWA and HPA.

Roadmap to the Future: AC's New

Strategic Direction

In April 1996, AC took a major step toward

improving program delivery. With the report entitled

The Strategic Direction for the Animal Care Program,

AC officials charted a clear course for the future.

They then immediately established work teams of

field employees to make each component in the

strategic direction "roadmap" a reality.

• Internal and external training is developing training

and outreach programs for AC inspectors and AWA

licensees and registrants, respectively.

• Horse protection is improving all aspects of HPA

enforcement and compliance through, among other

things, working with industry groups to incorporate

commonly accepted veterinary medical practices

into the HPA inspection protocol.

• Program results monitoring is measuring service

delivery and customer satisfaction and identifying

areas for improvement.

• Animal Care management is monitoring overall

program operations throughout the country and

identifying areas for increasing efficiency and

effectiveness.

• Revised inspection procedures is identifying areas

for changing and improving existing inspection

methods.

• Regulation, act, and policy is identifying areas

where the existing laws, regulations, and policies

can be modified to enhance program delivery and

enforcement.

• Animal Care manual is revising the AC policy

manual and developing a “how to” manual for field

inspectors.

• Computer oversight is identifying ways to improve

AC's program delivery and administration through

greater use of technology and information systems.

Headquarters Office

Dr. W. Ron DeHaven

USDA–APHIS–AC

4700 River Road, Unit 84

Riverdale, MD 20737–1234

(301) 734–4981

Eastern Region

Dr. Elizabeth Goldentyre

USDA–APHIS–AC

2568–A Riva Road, #302

Annapolis, MD 21401

(410) 571–8692

Central Region

Dr. Walter Christensen

USDA–APHIS–AC

P.O. Box 6258

Fort Worth Federal Center, Bldg. #11

Fort Worth, TX 76115

(817) 885–6923

Western Region

Dr. Robert Gibbens

USDA–APHIS–AC

9580 Micron Ave., Suite J

Sacramento, CA 95827

(916) 857–6205
Strategic Direction Accomplishments

Together, these nine teams are already

advancing AC's strategic direction and improving the

overall performance of the program. In fact, they can

point to many specific accomplishments. Consider

these four examples:

A national training program for AC employees

was conducted in Riverdale, MD, in April 1996. This

was the first time that the 90 AC field and

headquarters employees had come together in one

location. Participants noted that the training session

was an excellent means of promoting national

program uniformity and fostering new ideas.

A strategic plan for the horse protection program

has been drafted and is currently under departmental

review. In developing the plan, AC conducted three

public forums last summer and held a meeting for all

horse protection veterinary medical officers in

December 1996 to gather input. To improve HPA

enforcement immediately, AC also conducted the first

of six industry training sessions in Vancouver, WA.

Additional sessions are scheduled for the Central and

Southeastern United States.

A proposed model for risk-based inspection has

been developed and will be field tested in the

summer of 1997. The model is designed to utilize

AC's resources more effectively by increasing the

focus on licensees and registrants who have

historically had AWA compliance problems and

decreasing the focus on those with good track

records. We will keep you posted following these

field tests.

A voluntary merit program, through which

licensees and registrants can seek an honorary

designation for consistently exceeding the AWA

requirements, has been developed and field tested.

The licensees that participated in the field tests

voiced support for the program. AC officials are

currently revising the program based on the tests.

Several other projects have already been

launched, with more to follow. For more information

on AC's strategic direction initiatives, contact Dr.

Richard Watkins at (301) 734–7712.

Customer Service Survey

On February 14, AC mailed a customer service

survey to about 3,700 randomly selected facilities

licensed or registered under the AWA. The survey is

part of AC's efforts under the Government

Performance and Results Act to measure its success

in assuring the well-being of AWA-regulated animals.

It is one of several measurement tools the AC

program will be using in the future. Responses to the

survey were due March 15. We hope all of you who

received the survey were able to complete the

questionnaire and return it to us.

Putting the "High" in Priority

While the length of time it takes to prosecute

cases of alleged AWA violations has been reduced

significantly in recent months, some situations

warrant even faster action. To help field, regional,

and headquarters personnel better prioritize AWA

cases, AC, in coordination with IES, has issued a list

of criteria for determining when to give priority

handling to alleged violations of the AWA. AC and

IES employees may recommend to the AC regional

director that a case be considered a high priority

based on the following:

• Severity of animal suffering (death or severe

injury).

• Past compliance history of facility.

• Potential public safety or health concerns.

• Abusive or potentially violent nature of licensee or

registrant.

• Type of facility and species of animal involved.

• Media, public, or animal protection group interest.

If the need arises, it is never too late to

designate an AWA case as "high priority."
AC Jumps on the Electronic

Superhighway

AC now has a site on the World Wide Web. This

site (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac) provides

information on the AWA regulations, a list of available

AC publications, and much more. It is also linked to

numerous other sites of organizations involved in

animal care and well-being. Last summer, AC's

missing pets page—a part of the web site developed

by an AC headquarters employee—was acclaimed

for the important service it provides pet owners. We

encourage you to come visit AC's site.

Regional News

Earlier this year, AC participated in Marketplace

’97 at the Bismarck, ND, Civic Center. Marketplace

’97 is a daylong exposition designed to provide

people from rural North Dakota with ideas and

resources they can use to boost family income and

bring economic development to their communities. In

cooperation with the North Dakota Department of

Agriculture, AC presented an hour-long workshop

called “Health and Well Being Concerns for Wild,

Exotic, Exhibit, and Entertainment Animals and Dog

and Cat Breeders.” AC employees also staffed a

booth in the exhibition hall.

In late January, AC took part in the Missouri

chapter of the American Veterinary Medical

Association's annual conference in Osage. AC

provided an educational exhibit at the conference

that was stocked with informational handouts and

photos and staffed by two AC veterinary medical

officers. More than 400 veterinarians and veterinary

students visited the exhibit.

New Policy Covers “Pocket Pets”

What do glider squirrels, prairie dogs, jerboa,

and the spiny mouse have in common? When sold

as pets, these exotic and/or wild animals are

protected under the Animal Welfare Act. USDA is

now regulating retail dealers who sell small exotic

animals or “pocket pets.” Retail stores that sell small

exotic animals as pets will be licensed as class “B”

dealers and must pass a prelicensing inspection.

Followup inspections of these facilities will be

conducted on a complaint-driven basis with a

minimum of one inspection every 3 years.

Regulatory Initiatives

The following AWA dockets are currently being

developed or reviewed:

Notices

• Petition on hunting, security, and breeding dogs

from the Doris Day Animal League

• Information Collection: Marine Mammal Facilities

Advance Notices of Proposed Rulemaking

• Handling and Training of Potentially Dangerous

Wild and Exotic Animals Used for Exhibition

Proposed Rules

• Perimeter Fencing

• Standards for Animal Auctions

• Exotic Canids and Felids: Minimum Age for

Transport

• Standards for Farm Animals

• Standards for Marine Mammals

• User Fees: REAC and Biotechnology, Biologics

and Environmental Protection

• Importation of Dead Animals

• Humane Treatment of Dogs and Cats: Licensing

and Consignment

Final Rules

• Humane Treatment of Dogs and Cats: Wire

Flooring

• Humane Treatment of Dogs and Cats: Tethering

• Humane Treatment for Dogs and Cats:

Temperature

• Swim-With-the-Dolphins Human Interactive

Programs