L.A., Associated Press .... The USDA approved a regulation last Friday for imported puppies to be at least 6 months old, healthy, and up - to - date on vaccinations. This is the second major USDA effort regulating puppy mills in the last 12 months. Last Sept. the agency enacted what is called the "retail rule" ... breeders having 4 or more female breeding dogs have to be licensed if they are selling to consumers sight unseen on websites, in flea markets or in classifieds. spca and hsus applauded the USDA actions as exporters from China and Eastern Europe puppy mills have been sending puppies that are less than 8 weeks old in airliners' cargo holds They also said that the shipped puppies were so young and so sick that one in four died before reaching a US airport. They also said that they routinely get calls from people who unwittingly bought a muppy mill dog from a foreign or US breeder, only to have it die because it's illness was too sever to overcome. Now, we have had the spay and neuter campagn for umteen years now and we still have more unwanted / stray dogs than before. There were several resent TV news reports in Portland , Oregon where a rescue group has shipped in by truck hundreds of dogs from S. Cal. rescue no kill shelters for quite large shakedown " adoption fees" plus spay and neuter fees, plus vaccination fees, plus feed, plus leaches, plus beds, plus toys, etc.at high prices. So, where did these shelters get these types of numbers of dogs ? Could they possibly have " rescued " them from just South of the border ? 
