Thank you for your efforts on the behalf of the welfare of animals. I hope these efforts will continue with your opposing the passage of Assembly Bill 536. (AB 536) is fiscally unsound. It actually reduces funding for shelters and will result in a higher noncompliance rate of pet licensing & rabies vaccination. It will not help the "puppy mill" problem and will negatively impact shelters and volunteer rescues who are the ones on the receiving end of the many problems created by these "puppy mills".

(Remember: Check one or two of the following paragraphs to include in your letter)
	In 2002, the Department of Agriculture estimated that enforcement of this law would cost Wisconsin taxpayers $426,000 annually with an estimated income from pet licensing of $355,000. Today the cost estimate is $470,000 annually, but supporters of AB 536 inexplicably predict an annual cost to Wisconsin taxpayers of $691,000. The truth is that there is no way of knowing how many inspectors will be required although the bill's proponents estimate a mere five (5) to cover the estimated 1300 qualifying facilities spread out over the 65,500 square miles of the state of Wisconsin. Furthermore, there is no way of knowing how many potential licensees will voluntarily apply for a license creating a further enforcement problem potentially costing the Wisconsin taxpayer more money.
	AB 536 requires pet licensing fees be diverted from local shelter funding. Currently, the law states that 0.5% of the pet licensing fees collected must go to the state, while the balance goes to each municipality's local shelter. Under the proposed AB 536, $2.00 of every pet license will go to the state and not to local shelters leaving a "catch-22" situation where either the local shelter goes with less funding, or the municipalities can raise their license fees by $2.00, which could result in less people licensing their pets, which also would result in less funding for the shelters. It has also been proposed that a surcharge be levied on pet food similar to "sin taxes" on liquor and cigarettes. This will result in not only a greater burden on the taxpaying pet owners but may also result in pet owners opting for less nutritional foods for their pet.
	AB 536 will legitimize "puppy mills" in the state of Wisconsin. Meeting the criteria for licensing will not ensure proper care, it will, in fact, protect "puppy mills" from being dealt with in cruelty and neglect issues and will allow them to use this "state certification" to lend credence to their businesses in their advertising.
	It is not reasonable, to punish responsible pet owners, breeders, shelters and volunteer rescues by adding additional taxes to pet food, as has been proposed. In this struggling economy this may well lead to more animals being abandoned, surrendered to shelters or volunteer rescues, euthanized or switched to lower-quality diets. This will also hurt those taxpayers, your constituents, who take their responsibilities as pet owners seriously. This will seriously impact many, especially the poor and discriminates against those pet owners who care the most.

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Thank you for your attention on this matter and thank you for voting against AB536.

Sincerely,